Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
Fill your kitchen with the aroma of homemade apple cinnamon rolls. They are tender, sweet and filled with brown sugar cinnamon apples. The cream cheese icing makes for a delightful finish! Whip up a batch and let them rise overnight so you can bake them fresh the next morning.
There’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls or apple pie. If you put the two together, you get these delicious apple cinnamon rolls that smell and taste heavenly. This is the best breakfast to wake up to on crisp fall morning!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Seasonal flavors. Fresh apples tossed in cinnamon sugar make for the perfect fall flavor. It’s basically apple pie filling wrapped up in a pillowy sweet roll!
- Soft and fluffy! The tender texture is irresistible. It’s so satisfying to pull apart the roll and get the gooey brown sugar filling too.
- Option to make ahead of time. You can make the rolls the night before and bake them in the morning.
- Tested recipe. This recipe is a variation of my homemade cinnamon rolls, which has been tested to perfection.
Ingredient Notes
- Yeast: Instant yeast or dry active yeast works. Check the expiration date and, if using active yeast, proof it to make sure it’s alive.
- Milk: Whole milk makes a more tender, soft texture due to the full fat content. Heat it to about 100° F before using.
- Flour: Unbleached all purpose flour is preferred (bread flour will yield a chewy texture).
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for the dough and the filling. Salt is added separately since different brands of salted butter have different amounts of added salt.
- Apples: A tart, crisp apple is best for baking. I suggest Granny Smith or Honeycrisp.
- Brown sugar: You can use dark or light brown sugar. Either works well and complements the apple filling well.
- Spices: Check that your spices are fresh and not expired for the best results.
- Cream cheese: For an extra rich and creamy icing, use block-style cream cheese that is room temperature.
Refer to the recipe card for ingredient details and measurements.
Recipe Variations
Try a different icing. I think a maple icing would taste delicious. Simply replace the milk with pure maple syrup. Another option is making a caramel icing. Use 3 Tablespoons caramel and add milk to thin the icing as necessary.
Make mini rolls. Divide the dough in half and roll into two 12-inch by 8-inch rectangles. Follow recipe as directed making smaller logs. Cut logs into thirds and each third into three rolls. This will yield 18 mini rolls. Bake for 18 to 24 minutes.
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Combine water, yeast, brown sugar, egg and egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until incorporated. Stir in milk and melted butter.
- Add 2 cups flour and salt. Mix until well combined. Add 2 more cups of flour and use the dough hook to knead on medium speed for 10 minutes. If necessary, add more flour if the dough is too sticky.
- Shape dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Punch dough down and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a rectangle, about 16-inches by 12-inches.
- Make the filling. Whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Brush melted butter over the dough leaving a 1/2-inch border on the far long side of the rectangle. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top.
- Arrange the diced apples on top, dispersing them evenly. Tightly roll the dough into a log.
- Use floss to cut the log in half, then cut each half into quarter. Cut each quarter into three pieces yielding a total of 12 rolls.
- Place rolls in a lightly grease 9×13 baking pan. Cover and let rolls rise for 1 1/2 hours. After they have risen, preheat oven to 350° F. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and milk. Mix until well combined.
- Spread icing over warm cinnamon rolls and serve.
Expert Tips
Weigh the ingredients with a kitchen scale. This method is more accurate than using measuring cups. If you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level with knife (don’t pack it down).
Keep an eye on the dough while kneading. If after 7 or 8 minutes the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl, then add more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time. Dough should be soft and just slightly sticky to the touch.
Let the dough rest. If it keeps springing back when it’s rolled into a rectangle, cover it with a kitchen cloth and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. This allows the gluten to form making the dough easier to work with.
Use unflavored dental floss to cut the log of rolled dough. It may sound odd, but trust me it works! This makes a clean cut with each roll so they stay round and the swirl stays in tact. If you use a knife, the rolls are at risk of getting smushed.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
Make ahead the cinnamon rolls, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, let them sit at room temperature to finish rising (about 30 minutes). Bake and serve warm with icing.
Par-bake and freeze the rolls. Prepare the recipe as directed and only bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to bake, defrost the rolls in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, uncover and finishing baking for 15 to 20 minutes.
Store cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Keep in mind they are best when eaten the day they are baked.
Freeze the baked rolls (unfrosted). Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Remove plastic wrap and place rolls in a pan. Reheat from frozen at 350° F for 10 to 15 minutes. I suggest placing a shield of aluminum foil over the top to prevent browning.
Recipe FAQ
The standard temperature is typically between 75 F and 85 F. I keep the dough in the warmest place in the house, which is usually the kitchen. You can also put it in the oven to rise (make sure it’s turned off and stays off).
Most likely the yeast was expired or there was a temperature issue. Yeast needs warm liquid to work properly. The dough needs to be in a relatively warm environment too.
Firm apples with a crisp texture are best because they keep their texture and flavor in the high heat of the oven. I suggest Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Braeburn.
Considering this recipe calls for 2 yolks and one full egg it would be difficult to cut the recipe in half. Instead, I suggest baking half the rolls and freezing the other half for later.
Related Recipes
Looking for more fall baking inspiration? Try these recipes next!
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Get the Recipe: Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Rolls
- ½ cup (118 mL) warm water, (about 100° F)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, (one envelope)
- ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- ½ cup (125 mL) warm whole milk, (about 100° F)
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, melted and warm
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 4 to 4 ½ cups (500 g to 560 g) all purpose flour
Cinnamon Apple Filling
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups diced Granny Smith apples
Cream Cheese Icing
- 1 cup (225 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (120 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Rolls
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine water, yeast, brown sugar, egg and egg yolks. Mix on low speed until incorporated.
- With the mixer running, add the milk and butter followed by 2 cups of flour and salt. Increase speed to medium and mix for 1 minute until well combined. Switch to the dough hook. Add 2 more cups of flour and allow the dough hook to knead on medium speed for 10 minutes (you can also do this step by hand, but it will be quick the arm workout). The dough will start to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it will be slightly sticky. If after 8 minutes the dough is too sticky and sticking to the bottom and sides of the bowl, add more flour (I ended up using 2 additional tablespoons as I made these on a humid day).
- Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, gently punch it down and transfer it to a floured surface. Use a rolling pin to shape the dough into a 16-inch by 12-inch rectangle.
Filling
- Whisk the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a bowl. Brush melted butter evenly across the dough rectangle. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch clear at the far, long side of the rectangle. Arrange chopped apples over the cinnamon.
- Roll the dough beginning with the long edge closest to you. Use your fingertips to pinch the dough as you roll. Dap the top 1/2-inch with water to seal the roll. Press on the ends of the cylinder if necessary to make a uniform roll.
- Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan (or two 9-inch round cake pans) with butter. Use dental floss (or a sharp knife) to cut the roll in half and then into quarters. Cut each quarter into 3 equal pieces (you will have 12 rolls total about 1 ½ inches thick). Place rolls in prepared pan. Cover it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and allow rolls to rise until doubled in size (about 1 to 1 ½ hours).
Cream Cheese Icing
- Preheat oven to 350° F and adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Remove plastic wrap from the cinnamon roll dish. Bake cinnamon rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove rolls from pan and let them cool slightly on a wire cooling rack (about 10 minutes).
- While the rolls are baking, prepare the icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until light, fluffy and no clumps remain (about 2-3 minutes). Add confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix again until combined, about 1 minute. Use a knife to spread icing on top of cinnamon rolls and serve.
