There’s apple pie. There’s fluffy cinnamon rolls. And then there’s apple pie cinnamon rolls. A scrumptious fall treat made with basic pantry ingredients and minimal effort!
My corner of the world is still grappling with heat. But with a seasonal fruit doing its magic in the oven, I’m ready to welcome the cooler months.
The aroma of these fall cinnamon rolls with bits of bright, fresh apple and cinnamon wrapped around warm, yeasty dough, creates a perfect moment. A moment when the world quietens and you get to enjoy having an apple pie filling but in a roll.
That’s what I call a win in my books!
Jump to:
Why We Love Apple Cinnamon Rolls
It’s a no-fail recipe for super soft and fluffy rolls.
It's a wonderful make-ahead recipe
Great breakfast or weekend brunch to set the tone for the day.
The perfect recipe to have up your sleeve to make festive entertaining simple.
Recipe Ingredients And Swaps
Apples: From Granny Smith to Red Delicious, any variety of fruit works in cinnamon roll apple pie. I simply prefer to use whatever is locally grown, in season, and easily available.
Vegan apple pie cinnamon rolls: Switch butter with coconut oil and milk with a plant-based option, as I did for my classic vegan cinnamon rolls.
Add-ins: Brown sugar and cinnamon powder create a blend that makes the apple flavor shine. Add some nutmeg and clove powder if you like. You could definitely mix some chopped nuts in the filling and/or on top of the apple rolls like I did for my easy baklava cinnamon rolls.
How To Make
Step 1: Dice the apples and mix them with sugar and cinnamon.
Step 2: Warm milk, oil, and sugar over medium heat. Take it off the heat as soon as the sugar dissolves. Let it cool. Mix yeast. Set aside until frothy and bubbly.
Step 3: Add the flour and mix to make apple pie cinnamon roll dough. Cover it with a damp kitchen towel and then tuck it into a cozy corner of your kitchen until it doubles in size.
Step 4: Add the leftover flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder to the dough.
Step 5: The dough is now ready to be baked into cinnamon rolls with apple filling. I like to use it the next day, after chilling overnight. It just makes handling the sticky dough so much easier.
Step 6: While your oven preheats, butter your baking pan, flour your work surface, and then gently roll the dough into a thin, large rectangle.
Step 7: Brush it with a generous amount of melted butter. Cover with chopped apples tossed in cinnamon sugar.
Step 8: Shape the apple rolls by rolling the dough into a tight log, starting from the long side of the rectangle.
Step 9: Pinch the seam. Turn the log seam-side facing down. Cut into 1.5" - 2 " slices.
Step 10: Place the cinnamon rolls in the pie pan. Wait for the second rise (about 15–20 minutes or until puffy).
Final step: Bake until apple juices are bubbling and the top is beautifully golden.
Pro Tips
- Tossing apples with brown sugar and cinnamon powder will make the apples release their juices.
- The juices caramelize at the bottom of the pie roll, giving the cinnamon apple buns a lovely flavor. But if you’re nervous about runny juices, here’s a trick–layer. Brush the dough with butter. Then sprinkle cinnamon sugar on it. Then place your chopped apples on top. Since this doesn’t macerate the fruit, there are no messy juices.
- This recipe for apple cinnamon rolls makes a soft dough that’s tacky to the touch. The softer the dough, the softer your rolls will be. So please don't add more flour.
- Trust me, I’ve used this recipe for a dozen bakes, and so far, it’s translated into resounding success each time. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or up to 3 days. Give it a 30-second knead after taking it out, and it’ll be a breeze to handle.
Is This A Make-Ahead Recipe?
Yes, yes, it is. You can make the dough up to 3 days in advance.
Baked and unglazed can be frozen for up to a month. Make sure to cover them well with cling wrap. Thaw to room temperature before reheating in the oven or microwave, and they’re wonderfully tender, soft, and light!
How To Serve
Let the apple pie cinnamon rolls cool a bit. While still warm, drizzle cinnamon glaze over them so it’s nice, ooey, and gooey.
To make the glaze for apple cinnamon buns, whisk together icing sugar, milk, and cinnamon powder till you have a thick, pourable consistency.
Whether you decide to glaze the rolls or not, a scoop of vanilla or a drizzle of vegan caramel sauce would take the recipe from 60 to 120 in two seconds flat!
📖 Recipe
Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1/4 cup Oil
- 1.5 tsp Dried active yeast
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Baking soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp All-purpose flour
Filling
- 1/4 cup Butter, softened or melted
- 1/4 cup Brown sugar
- 2 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 3-4 Apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces
Cinnamon Glaze
- 1/4 cup Icing sugar
- 3-4 tbsp Milk
- 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
Instructions
- Heat the milk until lukewarm. Stir in sugar, oil, and yeast.
- Set aside for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is bubbly.
- Whisk in the 2 cups of flour. Cover and place in a draft-free place for 1 hour or until the dough is doubled in size.
- Mix in the extra 1/4 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- The dough is now ready for use immediately. You can refrigerate it for 30 minutes or up to 3 days.For easier handling, I like to refrigerate the dough overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 200 C. Butter your baking pan. I used 2 9" pie dishes.
- Sprinkle flour on your work surface and roll out the dough into a large rectangle.
- Brush the dough liberally with melted butter.
- Combine the apples with brown sugar and cinnamon powder and spread evenly over the butter.You can also spread brown sugar and cinnamon powder on top of the butter and then top with the apples.
- Starting with the long side of the rectangle, start rolling the dough as tightly as possible. Pinch the seam together and make sure the seam is facing down.
- Cut into 12 slices, and place in your greased baking dish.
- Let the rolls rise for another 15-20 minutes, until puffy.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until they are golden brown on top and juices from the apples are bubbling.
- Let the rolls cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then pour the cinnamon glaze over the rolls
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Cinnamon Glaze
- Combine all the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl until the mixture has a thick, pourable consistency.
Sara says
These were a big hit at home! Making them again soon for guests. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Natasha Minocha says
So happy to hear this Sara! Thanks so much! xx