Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

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

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 it a 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.

It was at Jacoby’s  and 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.

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.)

And it’s always 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.

Yep.

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.

Print

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Prep Time

2 hrs 30 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

 

Ingredients

For the cinnamon rolls:

• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch ground nutmeg
• 5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 large egg slightly beaten
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 3 1/2 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
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch ground nutmeg
• pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the glaze:

• 4 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter softened
• 3 tablespoon caramel sauce
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 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.

Things you may need for this recipe:

Want more sweet breakfast ideas?

Maple Twists

Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting