This recipe for Apple Pie Filled Cinnamon Rolls takes your favorite all-American pie and combines it with your favorite baked breakfast treat!
My scratch-made cinnamon rolls are so soft and fluffy, made with a traditional yeast dough. As a bonus, they’re loaded with homemade apple pie filling and slathered with sweet cream cheese icing.
I’m not sure which cinnamon rolls recipe is the best one for the fall season. Is it my Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls or these Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls?
Honestly, I love them both so much, I’ll let you try both and make your own decision! Today I want to show you how I make cinnamon rolls filled with apples though.
These delicious seasonal sweet rolls are so soft, filled with a homemade apple pie filling with warm spices, and topped with a divine cream cheese maple frosting.
Need more sweet rolls? Try making Sticky Buns topped with goey pecans, or learn the recipe my mom taught me for Plushki, or Russian Cinnamon Buns.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft, Homemade Cinnamon Rolls – Have you made cinnamon rolls from scratch before? If not, you are in for a wild ride and a divine flavor experience. Homemade yeasted sweet rolls are so much better than the kind you buy at the grocery store, you’ll see!
- Homemade Apple Pie Filling – It takes just a few minutes to turn diced apples into a sweet, spiced sticky filling, and it’s absolutely perfect. Cinnamon rolls and apple pie filling are the best combination.
- The Best Cinnamon Roll Frosting – Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls without frosting just shouldn’t be allowed! The thick, sweet, maple-flavored frosting here makes these buns melt in your mouth.
Key Ingredients
Here’s everything you need to make these apple pie filled cinnamon rolls, plus some tips about a few of the most important ingredients:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
For the Dough:
- Whole Milk: Because we’re working with a yeasted dough here, it’s important that the milk is warmed to a temperature between 105° and 115°F. At this temperature, the yeast will “bloom” or wake up and start working for us.
- Yeast: This recipe uses instant yeast. This type of yeast starts working quicker so it’s a little bit of a shortcut.
- Butter: Melted butter adds fat and flavor to the cinnamon roll dough.
- Eggs: Allow the eggs to come to room temperature before mixing them into the dough. Cold eggs won’t incorporate as easily.
- Pantry Staples: Granulated sugar, salt, and all-purpose flour.
For the Filling:
- Apples: The best apple pie filling is made with firm, flavorful apples. Go for Honeycrisp or Granny Smith for the best flavor. Gala or Fuji apples will work too.
- Butter: This adds so much richness and flavor.
- Spices: I’ve never been thrilled with store-bought apple pie spice, so I mix up my own! You’ll need cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the apple pie filling.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the filling.
- Vanilla Extract: To enhance all of the other flavors!
For the Frosting:
- Cream Cheese: It’s important that you allow the cream cheese to soften fully at room temperature so that you create a frosting without any lumps.
- Powdered Sugar: This adds sweetness and body to the frosting.
- Maple Syrup: To further build on the warm fall flavors in this recipe, maple syrup is the perfect special touch!
How To Make Apple Pie Filled Cinnamon Rolls
Tip!
Leave an empty border of about ¼ inch on the short sides and the far long side of the dough rectangle. This will make rolling the dough much easier.
Tip!
Avoid overbaking the cinnamon rolls. Overbaked, they will be dry and tough.
Recipe Tips
- Heating the Milk. It’s important to heat the milk to the proper temperature so that it activates the yeast but doesn’t kill it. Use a thermometer to make sure that the milk is between 105°-115°F (40 -46°C).
- Proofing the Yeast. It’s technically not a requirement when using instant yeast, but I like to do it anyway. Why? Because if you proof the yeast in the warm milk you will see it start to bubble. This way, you know that your yeast is fresh before you mix up the whole batch of dough.
- Use a Stand Mixer. This is the best tool for the job! It makes the process of kneading the dough quick and low effort. If you don’t have one, use an electric mixer or whisk to combine the ingredients, then knead the dough by hand for 5-10 minutes until it’s smooth.
- Cutting the Rolls: Use a serrated knife to cut the rolled up dough into rounds, and use a gentle sawing motion. You want to avoid squishing the rolls. Instead of a knife, you can also use unflavored dental floss.
Storing Tips
To Store: Once the rolls are baked, they can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days, covered.
To Reheat: Add the whole pan to a 350°F oven for a few minutes, or microwave for 30 seconds.
To Freeze Cinnamon Rolls: Wrap them and place in a freezer container for up to 3 months. Pop one or two directly into the microwave when you’re ready to enjoy. Heat at 30-second intervals until warmed though.
Overnight Make Ahead Option
These cinnamon rolls with apple pie filling are most delicious if you eat them when they’re fresh, but you can adjust the process so that the 2nd rise happens overnight in the fridge!
This way, you can bake them when you wake up and have them warm and ready for breakfast.
Instead of letting the cut rolls rise for an hour at room temperature, cover them and let them rise in the fridge for 8-24 hours. You may not get quite as high of a rise, but they will puff up in the oven.
Freezer Make Ahead Cinnamon Rolls
Once the dough has completed its first rise, wrap it and freeze it for up to two weeks.
Allow the dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then proceed with rolling, cutting, the second rise, and baking.
Recipe FAQs
What type of flour should I use for Cinnamon rolls?
All-purpose flour works just fine in this recipe, but if you have some bread flour hanging around, use that instead! Bread flour has more protein and gluten in it, so the rolls will be extra chewy and airy.
I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour.
Can I use this recipe to make plain cinnamon buns?
Yes! Instead apple pie filling for cinnamon rolls, spread on a mixture of 4 tablespoons softened butter, ¾ cup light brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
Can I use active yeast instead of instant yeast?
You absolutely can. If you’re using active dry yeast, allow the yeast to sit with the warm milk and sugar for about 10 minutes before mixing in the rest of the ingredients. It should bubble and foam when it’s ready.
Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Pie Filling are like two perfect desserts rolled into one! Enjoy these for breakfast, brunch, or as a sweet dessert with your family.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Apple Pie Filled Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Stand mixer with a dough hook
- 9×13 baking pan
Ingredients
Rolls:
- 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk warm, between 105° and 115°F (40° and 46°C)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 packet (7 g) instant yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 2 large large eggs at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 ½ cups (540 g) all-purpose flour
Apple Pie Filling:
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter
- 16 ounces (450 g) apples cored, peeled, and diced small
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water, cornflour in the UK
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Icing:
- 8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese softened
- 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup or milk
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine milk, sugar, instant yeast, butter, eggs, salt, and flour.
- Use the dough hook and mix on low speed for 1 minute. If you see flour on the sides, stop and scrape it down with a spatula. Then mix on medium speed for 3 more minutes. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand for about 5 minutes.
- First Rise: Grease a bowl with oil (vegetable, avocado, or canola oil works). Put the dough in the bowl and cover it with a towel or plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
- Make the Filling: In a pan or a saucepan, combine butter, apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and water. Cook while stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until the apples have softened. Add the cornstarch slurry, stir, and cook for one more minute. Remove from heat, and allow to cool.
- Shape the Rolls: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 14×16 inch rectangle (35×45 cm). Spread the apple pie filling all over the dough, but leave a small ¼ inch border on the far (and short) sides.
- Roll up the dough starting from the 14-inch side. Make sure the roll is tight and the seam is at the bottom. Cut off about an inch from both ends and throw them away. Now cut the roll into 12 equal 1-inch pieces.
- Second Rise: Place the cinnamon rolls into a lightly greased 9×13-inch pan, cover with a towel (or plastic wrap), and allow to rise at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) or 160°C if using a fan oven, then bake the cinnamon rolls for 20 minutes or until lightly golden. You don’t want to overbake these, as they can become tough and dry. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 10 minutes before applying the icing.
- To make the icing, in a bowl, combine cream cheese with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (or milk) and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, and slowly beat again until combined, then increase the speed and beat until smooth. Add additional milk if needed to get the rigth consistency. Spread the icing on the cinnamon rolls and serve.
Notes:
- Apple Choice: Use flavorful apples such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Gala, or Fuji.
- Heating the Milk. It’s important to heat the milk to the proper temperature so that it activates the yeast but doesn’t kill it. Use a thermometer to make sure that the milk is between 105°-115°F (40 -46°C).
- Proofing the Yeast. It’s technically not a requirement when using instant yeast, but I like to do it anyway. Why? Because if you proof the yeast in the warm milk you will see it start to bubble. This way, you know that your yeast is fresh before you mix up the whole batch of dough.
- Use a Stand Mixer. This is the best tool for the job! It makes the process of kneading the dough quick and low effort. If you don’t have one, use an electric mixer or whisk to combine the ingredients, then knead the dough by hand for 5-10 minutes until it’s smooth.
- Cutting the Rolls: Use a serrated knife to cut the rolled up dough into rounds, and use a gentle sawing motion. You want to avoid squishing the rolls. Instead of a knife, you can also use unflavored dental floss.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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