Apple Cinnamon Rolls
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Homemade apple cinnamon rolls are the ultimate apple dessert. Big and fluffy rolls with warm and gooey centers filled with fresh apples, and generous drizzles of maple icing.
Love cinnamon rolls? Try my classic and easy cinnamon rolls recipe!
What I Love About This Recipe
Nothing is more delicious than warm, homemade cinnamon rolls. When you add fresh apples and drizzles of maple icing in a season of turning leaves, when the air is growing chilly, it’s just a slice (literally) of autumnal heaven!
If you love apple spice everything, you’ll adore this apple version of a favorite homemade cinnamon rolls recipe.
Because in the autumn months (and well into winter), sweet treats of apple and cinnamon are always on repeat in my kitchen. Like my favorite Apple Spice Bundt Cake, baked apple desserts are the absolute best.
And these cinnamon rolls? They are big, fluffy, and delicious! Packed with an apple spice filling in every bite and finished with maple icing (because who doesn’t love apple and maple together?) They are such a treat!
Let’s look at the ingredients needed to make these utterly delicious rolls!
Apple Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients
The sweet dough I like to use when making apple cinnamon rolls is a rich dough, prepared with milk, butter, and eggs. Much like this Almond Babka or our holiday breads like this Paska recipe or Kugelhopf. Rich, sweet dough rises beautifully and has a delicious buttery flavor.
- Milk: Whole or 2% milk will give you the best flavor and texture.
- Yeast: You can use instant yeast or active dry yeast. I prefer instant yeast, which allows for a quicker rise time.
- Sugar: Sugar feeds the yeast, tenderizes the dough, and helps it rise beautifully.
- Eggs: Eggs provide structure and flavor.
- Butter: Butter makes the dough flavorful! You can use salted or unsalted butter, but I prefer salted butter.
- Vanilla extract: I know this ingredient is a bit unique, but I love the added warmth it brings to the dough.
- Flour: Bread flour is the secret ingredient for big, fluffy, and light cinnamon rolls. If you have it on hand, definitely use it. Otherwise, all-purpose flour will be delicious, too!
For the Filling & Glaze
- Filling: Butter, apple butter (homemade or store-bought, which is completely optional but brings a delicious flavor), brown sugar, cinnamon, and fresh, chopped apples.
- Glaze: Powdered sugar, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and water.
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Nothing compares to the flavor of homemade apple cinnamon rolls. Especially when warm from the oven. Here’s how quickly you can make this delicious treat! If you want to make them ahead, be sure to see the instructions in the note section of the recipe card below.
Step 1: Add the dough ingredients into a stand mixer bowl or mixing bowl, combine and knead for 6-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic, and when a “windowpane” test allows it to be stretched thin enough to see light through without breaking. Cover and let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Step 2: Roll the dough into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over the top, then spread apple butter.
Step 3: Sprinkle the cinnamon brown sugar mixture over the butter and top with chopped apples.
Step 4: Tightly roll up the dough and cut it into 12 equal slices, and place in a greased 9×13-inch pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 5: Bake until lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly before drizzling the maple icing over the top and serving.
Tips for making delicious cinnamon rolls
- Don't overheat the milk. You want it warm to the touch, like a warm bath (but NOT hot), and ideally between 105 and 115 degrees F. If the milk overheats, it can kill the yeast, which means the cinnamon rolls will not rise.
- Room-Temperature Butter: When spreading butter for the filling, be sure to use room-temperature butter, which will help keep the filling in the cinnamon rolls and prevent it from leaking into the pan before baking.
- Rub the brown sugar and cinnamon into the butter: Rub the brown sugar and cinnamon filling into the butter before rolling the dough; this helps keep the filling well combined.
- Rolling the dough. If the dough shrinks back when rolling, cover lightly and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. When you return to rolling, it should roll more easily. Be sure to roll the dough evenly thick.
Storing tips
Freshly baked cinnamon rolls can be kept covered at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Then, they can be transferred to the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They can be reheated gently in the microwave.
How to make overnight cinnamon rolls
To prepare the cinnamon rolls the night before serving, prepare the recipe until you reach the Final Rise step. Cover the cinnamon rolls tightly and refrigerate overnight (8-12 hours). When you’re ready to bake the next morning, remove them from the fridge and let them sit at room temperature (or in a warm draft-free place) for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This is the second rise. Then, bake as directed.
Recipe FAQs
Yes - while bread flour helps give these rolls a lighter, fluffier texture because of its higher protein content, you can use all-purpose flour instead. The rolls will be slightly less airy but still delicious. Be sure not to add too much extra flour; only add as needed to prevent sticking.
Choose a crisp apple that holds up well when baked - for example, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Fuji. If you want sweeter rolls, go with Honeycrisp or Fuji; for more tartness, Granny Smith works great. You can peel it or leave the peel on - both are fine, just chop fairly small so the apple pieces distribute well.
Yes - the recipe already includes make-ahead instructions: after the first rise and shaping (up to the final rise stage), cover and refrigerate overnight (8-12 hours). The next morning, let the rolls sit at room temperature for 45-60 minutes to finish rising, then bake.
If the tops or edges are browning too quickly while baking, you can loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil partway through baking. Also, make sure your oven isn't hotter than indicated (350°F). If using dark or nonstick pans, you might want to reduce bake time slightly or place the pan a bit lower in the oven.
Store baked rolls covered at room temperature for a short time (a few hours). For longer storage, once they've cooled, cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. To serve, reheat gently (microwave or short bake) so the rolls are warm and the icing is soft.
The icing should be pourable but not too runny. After whisking together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and water (or milk), it should flow in a ribbon when drizzled. If it's too thick, add a little more water or milk; too thin, add more powdered sugar. Drizzle over warm rolls so it seeps in a little.
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Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3/4 cup warm milk (Whole or 2% milk preferred) at 110 degrees F
- 2 ¼ teaspoons quick rise or active yeast (1 packet)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- ¼ cup butter melted (salted or unsalted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
For the Filling
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1/3 cup apple butter optional (store bought or homemade)
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large apple chopped (peeled or unpeeled)
For the Maple Icing
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon water (or milk) or to achieve desired consistency
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Dough
- Warm milk to around 110 degrees F. Be careful that it isn't too hot, just warm to the touch. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Then, stir in the sugar, room-temperature egg and egg yolk, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
- Stir in the flour, and salt. Using the dough hook on the stand mixer, knead the dough for 8 minutes. The dough should form into a ball and be slightly tacky. It's it is sticking to the bottom of the mixer, add 1-2 tablespoons more flour. If kneading by hand, knead the dough on floured work surface for 8-10 minutes.
First Rise
- Transfer the dough ball to a well-oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in a warm draft-free place (I like to use my microwave with a bowl of very warm water.) Allow the dough to rise for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size.
Filling and Rolling the Dough
- Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface and roll it into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over the dough, leaving a 1-inch margin at the opposite long side of the dough. Then, spread the apple butter over the butter (if using).
- Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over the butter. Using your fingers, rub the brown sugar into the butter. Top with chopped apples.
- Tightly roll up the dough, beginning at the long edge and place seam side down, ensuring the edges are sealed as best as possible. I like to trim the ends so that all of the cinnamon rolls are more uniform and there is more filling in each. Then, using a sharp serrated knife, cut into 12 equal slices (usually about 1 inch each).
Final Rise
- Place cinnamon rolls in a greased 13 x 9 inch pan inch baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350℉. When risen, bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. Let the cinnamon rolls cool for 5-10 minutes before icing.
Maple Icing
- Whisk together the icing ingredients until you reach the desired pouring consistency. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls.
Video
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: To prepare the cinnamon rolls the night before serving, prepare the recipe until you reach the Final Rise step. Cover the cinnamon rolls tightly and refrigerate overnight (8-12 hours). When you’re ready to bake the next morning, remove it from the fridge and let sit at room temperature (or in a warm draft-free place for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This is the second rise. Then bake as directed.
- Flour: Bread flour makes these cinnamon rolls very fluffy and soft. All-purpose flour, though, will also work; it just won’t be as fluffy.
- Yeast: I prefer instant yeast, but you can also use active dry yeast. Dissolve the active dry yeast in the warm milk and let it proof for 5 minutes before proceeding with the recipe. Rise time may be a bit longer with active dry yeast.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Such a great idea! The perfect combo, we loved it!
How much vanilla in the dough part of the recipe?
Hi Wynne, you need 1 teaspoon of vanilla in the dough!