Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Homemade caramel apple cinnamon rolls made with soft yeast dough, cooked cinnamon apples, brown sugar filling, and caramel cream cheese frosting. Finish with a caramel drizzle and serve warm for fall breakfast or holiday brunch.
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk 240 ml, warmed to 100°F to 110°F
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast 7 g
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50 g
- ¼ cup unsalted butter 56 g, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon fine salt 6 g
- 4 cups all-purpose flour 480 g, plus up to ¼ cup (30 g) if needed
Apple Filling
- 400 g peeled cored apples, diced into ¼-inch pieces, about 3 cups
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 14 g
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 25 g
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- ¼ cup unsalted butter 56 g, softened
- ½ cup packed brown sugar 110 g
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Simple Powdered Sugar Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar 120 g, sifted if lumpy
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Cream Cheese Frosting - use this in place of the simple powdered sugar glaze
- 4 ounces block cream cheese 113 g, softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 28 g, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar 60 g
- ¼ cup thick caramel sauce room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt or less if using salted caramel
Instructions
- Cook the apples: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add apples, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and lemon juice. Cook 6 to 10 minutes until just tender and most loose liquid has evaporated. Mix cornstarch with cold water, stir into the apples, and cook 1 to 2 minutes until thickened. Spread on a plate and cool completely.
- Prepare the yeast: For active dry yeast, stir yeast into warm milk with 1 teaspoon of the measured granulated sugar. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes until bubbly. For instant yeast, mix yeast with the starting flour instead.
- Mix the dough: Combine milk, yeast, granulated sugar, melted butter, egg, salt, and 480 g flour. For active dry yeast, add only the remaining granulated sugar.
- Knead: Knead with a dough hook for 6 to 8 minutes or by hand for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Add extra flour one tablespoon at a time only as needed. The dough should remain soft and slightly tacky.
- First rise: Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise until roughly doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes.
- Prepare the pan and filling: Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan. Mix ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Fill: Roll dough into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle. Spread with ¼ cup softened butter, leaving a ½-inch strip bare along the far long edge. Add the cinnamon sugar mixture and distribute the cooled apples evenly.
- Cut: cut about a 1-inch thick strips with a pizza cutter edge to edge then roll from one edge to the next. No floss needed!
- Second rise: Cover and let rise 35 to 60 minutes until puffy. Preheat the oven to 350°F toward the end of the rise.
- Bake: Bake 28 to 35 minutes, loosely covering with foil if needed. Check that the middle rolls are baked through, with the bread portion around 190°F. Cool 15 to 20 minutes.
- For the simple powdered sugar glaze: Whisk powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time until the glaze is thick but pourable. Spoon over rolls that have cooled for 15 to 20 minutes, then drizzle with ¼ cup caramel sauce.For a thicker coating, use less milk and let the rolls cool until barely warm before glazing.
- Make frosting, if using: Beat cream cheese and 2 tablespoons softened butter until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar, ¼ cup caramel, vanilla, and salt.
- Finish: Spread frosting or glaze over warm rolls. Drizzle with the remaining ¼ cup caramel and serve.
Notes
Recipe Notes
- Apples: Granny Smith or Honeycrisp are good starting choices. Measure after peeling and coring.
- Flour: Start with 480 g and add only what the dough needs.
- Caramel: The full recipe uses ½ cup sauce, divided between frosting and topping.
- Overnight: Refrigerate shaped rolls before the second rise for 8 to 12 hours. Let warm and rise until puffy before baking.
- Doneness: Measure the bread in a center roll, avoiding fruit and filling.
- Storage: Refrigerate frosted leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Estimated Nutrition Per Roll
Based on 12 rolls with all the frosting and caramel topping:- Calories: approximately 430
- Carbohydrates: approximately 65 g
- Protein: approximately 7 g
- Total fat: approximately 16 g
- Saturated fat: approximately 10 g
- Fiber: approximately 2 g
- Sugar: approximately 31 g
- Sodium: approximately 320 mg