Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls (2024)

Published: | Modified: | Author: Amanda Livesay

Jump to Recipe

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls – your new favorite breakfast! Cinnamon rolls filled with caramelized apples and topped with a caramel cheese cheese icing!

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls (1)

Hey guys! Happy almost Friday!

This is a recipe that I originally posted in, like, 2011 or some ridiculous long time ago but I reshot ita couple weeks ago mostly so that I had an excuse to eat them again. So if it sounds familiar, that’s why.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you about a fun Char-Broil event I attended down in Austin last week. I very rarely get to attend events like this so I was pretty excited when it worked out and I got to sneak out of the house for a few hours to hang out with friends and eat lots of food.

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls (2)

It was at Jacoby’sand unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo but their patio overlooks the Colorado River and it was gorgeous, especially after the sun went down and they turned on all the fairy lights.

Of course, the food was the most important part.

They had brisket and baked beans and kabobs and street corn and pizza.

The beans, guys!

They’d smoked the beans underneath the brisket so all the drippings fell into the beans.

So good.

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls (3)

Plus, grilled watermelon and a s’mores bar!

You know I love a s’mores bar.

Plus, it was fun to learn all about the grills that Char-Broil has and now I want to buy ALL THE GRILLS.

(Reminder: I still don’t know how to turn my grill on.)

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls (4)

And it’salways excited to hang out with blog friends! I got a chance to hang out with Kita again and meet Megan from Stetted finally.

We made the photographer turn the flash off because we were SO SWEATY. You guys, Texas is so hot right now. Even at 8 pm.

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls!

So they are your typical cinnamon rolls but with caramelized apples in the center and a caramel cream cheese icing.

I’m obsessed with them. I had every intention of sending them to my kids’ teachers. I EVEN PACKAGED THEM CUTELY which is so unlike me.

Ask me how many went to school.

No, actually, don’t.

Ingredients

  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • Cinnamon
  • Nutmeg
  • Butter
  • Egg
  • Lemon zest
  • Bread flour
  • Instant yeast
  • Milk
  • Granny Smith apples
  • Cornstarch
  • Vanilla
  • Cream cheese
  • Caramel sauce
  • Powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Make dough. Cream together sugar, salt, nutmeg, and butter until smooth; add egg and lemon zest and beat until incorporated. Mix in flour, yeast, and milk until a dough forms; switch to dough hook and knead on low about 8 minutes
  • Let dough rise. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 2 minutes
  • Make filling. Make the filling by melting butter in a skillet over medium-high heat Add apple slices, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; cook about 18 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla; set aside to cool
  • Make cinnamon sugar. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cinnamon
  • Assemble. Roll dough out into a large rectangle. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the surface of the dough. Spread the caramelized apples over the top of the dough
  • Shape. Roll the dough up into a log and pinch the seams shut. Slice the log into rolls and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
  • Let rise. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 75 – 90 minutes, until doubled in size
  • Bake. Bake at 350F for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden brown
  • Make glaze. Cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in caramel sauce, milk, and vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth
  • Top. Swirl the glaze over the top of the cinnamon rolls
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls (5)

More Sweet Breakfast Recipes

  • Maple Twists
  • Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls
  • Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
  • Pineapple Upside Down Muffins

Make sure yousubscribe to my email listto get all my new recipes delivered right to your inbox!

You can also follow me onInstagram,Facebook, orPinterestfor even more!

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls (6)

Prep Time2 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time30 minutes

Total Time3 hours

Ingredients

For the cinnamon rolls:

  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch ground nutmeg
  • 5 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg, slightly beaten
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest
  • 3 ½ cups bread flour
  • 2 teaspoon instant, rapid rise yeast
  • 1 cup plus 2-4 tablespoon whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature

For the filling:

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch slices
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch ground nutmeg
  • pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the glaze:

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 tablespoon caramel sauce
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Mix in the egg and lemon zest until incorporated. Mix in the flour, yeast and milk until a dough forms. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed, about 8 minutes until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. (You may need to add a little extra flour or liquid to achieve this texture.) Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
  2. Meanwhile, make the filling. To make the caramelized apples, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apple slices, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix until the apples are evenly coated. Cook about 18 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon to blend; set aside.
  3. Mist a work surface with spray oil. Roll it out into a rectangle with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the dough with flour if needed to keep it from sticking (about 12 x 14 inches for larger rolls or 9 x 18 inches for smaller rolls). Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix to blend. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the surface of the dough. Evenly distribute the caramelized apples over the top of the dough. Starting with the wide edge, roll up the dough into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon sugar spiral as you roll. Pinch the seam shut, and with the seam side down, slice the log into your desired number of rolls. Transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, placing the rolls about ½-1 inch apart.
  4. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 75-90 minutes, until the rolls have grown into each other and have nearly doubled in size. At this point, the rolls can also be covered and retarded in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Pull the pan out of the refrigerator 3-4 hours before baking to let the dough proof.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool in the baking about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
  6. To make the glaze, cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the caramel sauce, milk and vanilla extract. Add confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Swirl the glaze over the top of the cinnamon rolls. Let cool at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 396Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 285mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 2gSugar: 35gProtein: 7g

Did you make this recipe?

Tag me in your Instagram photo - @fakeginger

« Maple Bacon Rice Krispies Treats

Autumn Squash Soup (Panera Copycat) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. julia says

    Love, love LOVE these. Excuse me while I sit in the corner, hoarding the entire batch to myself.

    Reply

  2. Deb says

    Um, my birthday is coming up in August…*whistles* lol.

    Really though, I want to stick my face through my screen and nom on these because they look amazing and I don’t even like cinnamon rolls!

    Reply

  3. Larissa says

    hmmmmm YAM!!! ‘m going to try that one!!
    Thanks!!

    Reply

  4. Suzanne says

    Oh these are seriously dangerous for me! They look heavenly, I must try these out:)

    Reply

  5. Beth @ Realist Mom says

    Oh my lord – I think my butt got bigger just looking at these. I will have to try these!

    Reply

  6. Ellie says

    The caramel sauce…is it commericial ice cream topping or what?

    Reply

    • amanda says

      Yeah, it’s an ice cream topping. Thanks for reading! :)

      Reply

  7. Angela @ The Dancer Bakes says

    Oh yum… I had breakfast an hour ago and just thinking about these is making me hungry again!

    Reply

  8. Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says

    Happy birthday indeed! I love the spin on this!

    Reply

  9. Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says

    I’d LOVE one right now. Especially since I had crappy cereal for breakfast today – not filling or tasty. I need a yummy apple cinnamon roll right now :)

    Reply

  10. Lauren at Keep It Sweet says

    These look amazing! I’d be thrilled to have them as a breakfast treat:-)

    Reply

  11. nicole says

    ooo these looks so good.
    I have not had breakfast yet… this is torture!

    Reply

  12. Blog is the New Black says

    Ohhhh, deeelicious!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Terrell Hackett

Last Updated:

Views: 6594

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (52 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Terrell Hackett

Birthday: 1992-03-17

Address: Suite 453 459 Gibson Squares, East Adriane, AK 71925-5692

Phone: +21811810803470

Job: Chief Representative

Hobby: Board games, Rock climbing, Ghost hunting, Origami, Kabaddi, Mushroom hunting, Gaming

Introduction: My name is Terrell Hackett, I am a gleaming, brainy, courageous, helpful, healthy, cooperative, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.