Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Combining our two favorite desserts into one powerhouse breakfast
With Rosh Hashanah around the corner, we're offering a recipe that highlights the classic combo of apples and honey in a nontraditional package. So we're combining our two favorite desserts—apple pie and cinnamon rolls—to form one perfect hybrid we can't stop eating. A caramelized apple-and-cinnamon filling is rolled up in fluffy dough before getting baked and topped with a honey glaze.
If you want to make these ahead, you can let the rolls go through their second proof overnight in the refrigerator. After you cut them and lay them in the greased baking dish, secure the entire thing in plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge. Then to bake, remove the pan from the refrigerator and let the dough rise for one hour before proceeding with the recipe.
Check out our favorite apple recipes.
Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen
Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
A fluffy brioche cinnamon roll dough is filled with caramelized apples to create apple pie cinnamon rolls, the dessert hybrid we've been waiting for our whole lives.
Ingredients
- For the Filling
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 3 pounds Granny Smith apples—peeled, cored and chopped into ¼-inch pieces
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- For the Dough
- 1 cup whole milk, heated to 115°
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
- 2¼ teaspoons (1 packet) dry instant yeast
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4¾ cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for kneading and rolling
- 3 large eggs
- For the Glaze
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
- Make the filling: In a medium Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat and cook until it just begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining filling ingredients and cook, stirring often, until the apples are caramelized and the liquid has reduced to a thick syrup, 25 to 28 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the milk and melted butter, and sprinkle the yeast on top (do not stir it in). Let it sit until it foams, 8 to 10 minutes, then using a wooden spoon, stir in the sugar and salt. Add half of the flour and mix on low until just combined, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs and mix until completely incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed. Stir in the remaining 2½ cups of flour, mixing until the dough comes together and forms a tacky ball, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer the dough ball to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 3 to 4 minutes, adding more flour as needed if the dough is wet. Wipe a large mixing bowl clean, then grease with butter. Add the dough ball, turning once to grease the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
- Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter and set aside. When the dough is ready, roll it out onto a floured surface into a 12-by-18-inch rectangle that's ⅛ inch thick. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Starting at one long end, roll the dough into a log. Pinch to seal the long seam and place the log onto a lightly floured surface, seam-side down. Using a large serrated knife, cut the log into 12 pieces, each about 2 inches thick, and place in the prepared pan, cut-side up. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for a second rise until puffy and slightly warm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°. After the second rise, remove the plastic cover and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
- While the rolls are baking, make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth.
- Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and drizzle the glaze over top. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 614 |
| Total Fat | 18.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10.5 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.6 g |
| Cholesterol | 98.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 104.1 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6.1 g |
| Total Sugars | 52.2 g |
| Sodium | 512.8 mg |
| Protein | 10.1 g |
