Soft, sweet, and flavorful, these cinnamon rolls are a delightful treat. Filled with warm spices and a layer of rich apple pie filling, each bite melts in your mouth.
To make them even better, a creamy layer of cream cheese frosting sits on top, adding the perfect finishing touch.
Combining the best parts of cinnamon rolls and apple pie, this recipe feels like the ultimate pairing of two timeless favorites.
If blueberries are more your style, there’s also a fantastic recipe for blueberry-filled cinnamon rolls you might enjoy trying.
Ingredients
Here are some notes on the ingredients used in this recipe.
Apples with a slight tartness, such as Pink Lady or Braeburn apples.
White sugar is used to sweeten the bread dough and filling, but brown sugar can be substituted.
Cinnamon filling can be made with either light or dark brown sugar.
Corn starch thickens the apple filling, preventing it from settling at the bottom of the dish.
Butter adds richness and flavor to the dough, apple filling, and cinnamon mixture.
Bread flour is ideal for the dough, but good all-purpose flour works as a substitute.
Active dry yeast helps the dough rise, but instant yeast can be used instead.
Eggs provide extra flavor and richness. A medium-sized egg (US/Europe) or a large egg (Australia/South Africa) is suitable.
Whole milk is my usual choice for the dough, though lower-fat milk can work too.
Cream cheese, like Philadelphia’s full-fat block cream cheese, is perfect for frostings.
Ground cinnamon gives the filling and topping a warm, cozy flavor. Mixed spices or pumpkin spice can add extra depth.
Powdered sugar is used for frosting or icing.
Salt is essential for baking, and I use table salt. Measurement conversions vary slightly depending on the type of salt.
Reduced-Sugar Variation
These apple cinnamon rolls do contain a fair amount of sugar. And if you were going to reduce the sugar, I would half the frosting.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Start by gently heating the milk until it’s just warm to the touch. Stir in the sugar and yeast, mixing until the sugar dissolves completely. Wait a few minutes until the surface turns foamy—that’s how you know the yeast is active.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt, stirring to distribute the salt evenly.
Pour in the milk mixture and melted butter, then knead the dough using a dough hook on low speed for about 10 minutes. Check if the dough is ready by stretching a small piece—if it forms a thin sheet without tearing, it’s good to go. If it breaks, keep kneading.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm spot for an hour or more. The dough should grow by at least half its original size.
For the filling, melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl and mix it with brown sugar and spices. Stir until smooth and shiny, then set it aside to cool.
Next, prepare the apple filling by cooking peeled, diced apples with sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon, and a touch of mixed spice in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the apples soften, then add cornstarch to thicken the mixture. Once it’s ready, let it cool.
Roll out the risen dough on a floured surface into a rectangle about 35cm by 50cm.
Spread the brown sugar mixture evenly over the dough, followed by the cooled apple filling. Starting from one of the long edges, roll the dough tightly into a log, pinching the seams to seal the filling inside. Slice the roll into 12 equal pieces.
Arrange the rolls cut-side down in a greased 9″x13″ baking dish, leaving a little space between them for expansion. Cover the dish with a towel and let the rolls rise for another 30 to 60 minutes.
While they rise, preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
While they’re baking, soften the cream cheese and butter at room temperature (or microwave for a few seconds if needed).
Mix them with icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice until smooth. If the icing feels too thick, add a little milk to adjust the consistency.
Once the rolls are done baking, spread the cream cheese icing over them while they’re still warm, or wait until they’ve cooled if you prefer.
Serve the rolls warm or at room temperature and enjoy the delicious treat.
Tips for this Recipe
You can prepare the apple filling, cinnamon sugar mix, and frosting a day ahead. This saves time when making the cinnamon rolls.
To keep the dough from sticking, rub a small amount of vegetable oil on your hands before handling it.
The time it takes for the dough to rise depends on how warm the room is. If it’s cold, find a warm spot for the dough to rise. Using a stand mixer to knead will warm the dough slightly and speed up the first rise.
Always preheat your oven completely before baking.
Kneading bread dough
If you don’t have a stand mixer…don’t worry—you can knead the dough by hand with a few adjustments to make things easier.
Skip adding the salt to the flour at first because salt can slow down gluten development.
Start by mixing the flour with the milk, melted butter, and beaten eggs.
Stir until the dough looks rough and uneven. Let it rest for about 30 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the liquid.
This rest period helps kickstart gluten formation before kneading.
After the rest, sprinkle in the salt and begin kneading the dough on a clean surface until smooth.
Rate & Review
If you tried this recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Your feedback is really helpful for both me and my readers. A 5-star rating would be much appreciated.
Recipe Card
Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Emily Johnson
These cinnamon rolls are soft, sweet, and packed with flavor. They combine a classic cinnamon sugar filling with a layer of warm, spiced apple pie filling. Finished with a creamy, tangy frosting, every bite is rich and satisfying.
Start by gently heating the milk until it’s just warm to the touch. Stir in the sugar and yeast, mixing until the sugar dissolves completely. Wait a few minutes until the surface turns foamy—that’s how you know the yeast is active.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt, stirring to distribute the salt evenly.
565 grams bread flour, 1 tsp table salt
Pour in the milk mixture and melted butter, then knead the dough using a dough hook on low speed for about 10 minutes. Check if the dough is ready by stretching a small piece—if it forms a thin sheet without tearing, it’s good to go. If it breaks, keep kneading.
2 eggs, 80 grams butter
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm spot for an hour or more. The dough should grow by at least half its original size.
For the filling, melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl and mix it with brown sugar and spices. Stir until smooth and shiny, then set it aside to cool.
60 grams butter, 100 grams light brown sugar, 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon mixed spice
Next, prepare the apple filling by cooking peeled, diced apples with sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon, and a touch of mixed spice in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the apples soften, then add cornstarch to thicken the mixture. Once it’s ready, let it cool.
5 medium apples, 50 grams butter, 75 grams white granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon mixed spice, 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Roll out the risen dough on a floured surface into a rectangle about 35cm by 50cm.
Spread the brown sugar mixture evenly over the dough, followed by the cooled apple filling. Starting from one of the long edges, roll the dough tightly into a log, pinching the seams to seal the filling inside. Slice the roll into 12 equal pieces.
Arrange the rolls cut-side down in a greased 9″x13″ baking dish, leaving a little space between them for expansion. Cover the dish with a towel and let the rolls rise for another 30 to 60 minutes.
While they rise, preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
While they’re baking, soften the cream cheese and butter at room temperature (or microwave for a few seconds if needed).
50 grams butter, 110 grams cream cheese
Mix them with icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice until smooth. If the icing feels too thick, add a little milk to adjust the consistency.
Once the rolls are done baking, spread the cream cheese icing over them while they’re still warm, or wait until they’ve cooled if you prefer.
Serve the rolls warm or at room temperature and enjoy the delicious treat.
Notes
These cinnamon rolls, filled with apple pie filling, taste amazing with a light icing glaze.If you like less icing, you can easily make half the amount – just use the 0.5 button above the ingredients for this. Keep in mind, that the glaze will be thinner, so it’s a good idea to add a bit of icing on each roll first before spreading it around.To save time on the day you bake them, you can prepare the pie filling and brown sugar filling a day or two ahead.
Kneading bread dough
If you don’t have a stand mixer…don’t worry—you can knead the dough by hand with a few adjustments to make things easier.Skip adding the salt to the flour at first because salt can slow down gluten development.Start by mixing the flour with the milk, melted butter, and beaten eggs.Stir until the dough looks rough and uneven. Let it rest for about 30 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the liquid.This rest period helps kickstart gluten formation before kneading.After the rest, sprinkle in the salt and begin kneading the dough on a clean surface until smooth.
Emily Johnson
Emily is the founder, baker, & photographer behind Baked Cinnamon. She is passionate about creating and sharing simple, easy-to-follow recipes for home bakers.
