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image of a caramel apple cinnamon roll that's been drizzled in homemade caramel
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4.94 from 15 ratings

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

These caramel apple cinnamon rolls are made from scratch and bake up soft, fluffy, and totally packed with fall flavor!!
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Additional Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 55 minutes
Course: Bread & Cinnamon Rolls
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 449kcal
Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Filling

  • 4 large Honeycrisp apples 1000g
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 113g
  • 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar 300g
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt 1g
  • 1/4 cup water 60g
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch 30g
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened - to be spread on later 113g

Cinnamon Roll Dough

  • 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 550g
  • 4 1/2 tsp or 2 packets instant dry yeast 14g, 1/2 oz.
  • 1 tsp fine salt 6g
  • 1 cup whole milk 245g
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or 2 large eggs 125g
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 113g
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g

Caramel Sauce

  • 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature 85g
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature 60g
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt

Caramel Cream Cheese Icing

  • 1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature 56g
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 56g
  • 1/4 cup caramel sauce - made above 60g
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 8g
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 190g

Instructions

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Filling

  • Make the caramel apple filling first because it needs time to cool down. Peel 4 large apples (about 1000g before being peeled and cored), remove the cores, and cut them into small pieces (roughly 1 cm cubes).
  • Add the apple pieces, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt to a large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat, and stir occasionally. Cook until the mixture begins to bubble, then reduce the heat to medium.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of cornstarch to make a cornstarch slurry. This will help thicken the filling. Pour into the apple mixture and cook for 5-10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook just until the apples are soft - I like to test them with a fork!
  • Transfer the filling into a large bowl or tray (the wider it is, the faster it'll cool down) and chill in the fridge. Once fully cooled, the filling can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week (it doesn't freeze well). Be sure the filling is completely cooled and thickened before you spread it onto the cinnamon roll dough. A warm filling will make the dough much harder to cut and roll.

Cinnamon Roll Dough

  • In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 4 1/4 cups of flour, 2 packets or 4 1/2 tsp of instant dry yeast, and 1 tsp salt.
  • In a separate, medium-sized bowl, combine 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup room-temperature unsalted butter, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Heat for about 1 minute in the microwave and stir to combine the ingredients. The butter should be mostly melted, and the mixture should feel warm but not hot to the touch. If it's too hot, it can kill the yeast!
  • Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the flour mixture and mix at a medium-low speed with a dough hook or wooden spoon. Scrape around the edges to make sure all the flour gets incorporated. Continue to mix the dough on a medium-low speed for a couple of minutes until the dough becomes more elastic and looks smooth.
  • At this stage, I like to test the dough with my finger. It should be tacky, but shouldn't stick to your finger or leave any residue on your fingertip. If it still feels sticky and seems like it would be difficult to roll out, keep mixing the dough and add additional flour 1 Tbsp at a time until the dough is tacky but no longer sticky (it usually takes me 1-2 additional Tbsp of flour). It should pull away/no longer stick to the sides of your mixing bowl once it's ready to rest.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 10-20 minutes to allow the gluten to relax. This will make it easier to roll out.

Cut, Roll & Bake the Cinnamon Rolls

  • If you're making these the day you plan to bake them, preheat the oven to 200 F/93 C (to help the cinnamon rolls rise), and line a 9x13-inch, light-colored metal pan. Set aside.
  • Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle that's about 24 in x 18 in (I use a ruler and recommend you do too!). Spread 1/2 cup of softened butter evenly over the dough, then spread the cooled filling on top of the butter.
  • Use a pastry rolling cutter, pizza cutter, or long knife to cut 12 equal strips (roughly 2 inches in width) and then roll each cinnamon roll up individually. Place them in the prepared 9 in x 13 in pan. Alternatively, you can also roll the dough into a log and cut each piece with dental floss.
  • If you are making these cinnamon rolls the night before, cover the cinnamon rolls tightly with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge overnight. Then take them out of the fridge the following morning, preheat your oven to 200 F/93 C, turn off the oven, cover the rolls with foil, and let the rolls rise in the warm oven for about 30 minutes.
  • If you are making these the day of, turn off the preheated 200 F oven, cover the rolls with foil, and let the rolls rise in the oven for about 30 minutes. MAKE SURE YOU'VE TURNED THE OVEN OFF before placing the rolls in to rise. We want a nice cozy place for the rolls to rise, but we don't want to bake them yet.
  • At this point, the rolls should look noticeably puffier and have grown in size. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C. Remove the foil from the pan and bake for 28-34 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. Rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly.

Make the Caramel Sauce

  • While the cinnamon rolls rise and bake, make the homemade caramel. If you're short on time, you can always use store-bought caramel sauce, but this only takes about 10 minutes to make and is totally worth it, in my opinion.
  • Place a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, pour in 1 cup of sugar gradually, adding 1/4 cup at a time. Wait until the sugar is mostly dissolved, then add the next bit of sugar. As the sugar melts, it will slowly deepen in color.
  • Stir occasionally until the sugar is fully dissolved and has become a deep amber color, then turn off the heat.
  • Slowly mix in 6 Tbsp of butter (2 Tbsp at a time) then stir in 1/4 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 tsp salt. The mixture will be thin but will thicken as it cools.
  • Pour into a separate container, then set aside to cool. If you make this in advance, store it in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. When you're ready to use it, heat the caramel in the microwave in short 15-second intervals until it's a workable consistency.

Caramel Cream Cheese Icing

  • The last step is to make the caramel cream cheese icing. Mix 1/4 cup of room-temperature cream cheese, 1/4 cup of softened butter, 1/4 cup caramel sauce, 2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp salt together with a spoon or an electric hand mixer.
  • Then add 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture and stir until smooth.
  • Let the cinnamon rolls cool for about 10 minutes, then spoon the icing over the cinnamon rolls, drizzle the rest of the caramel on top, and enjoy them warm! Leftover rolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few hours, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Video

Notes

For substitutions that can be made in this recipe, please refer to the substitutions and swaps section in the post above.

 

Using the Right Type of Yeast: Active vs. Instant Yeast

Be sure you are using instant yeast! It comes in small packets that can usually be found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store.
You can use active dry yeast in place of the instant yeast in this recipe, just be sure to activate it in a small bowl with 2 Tbsp of warm water and 1 tsp sugar before adding it to the dough, and allow the dough to rise for longer (active yeast takes longer to rise than instant).

Making These Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls in Advance

This recipe can be made the evening before and baked the following morning. I walk through this option in step 4 of "Roll, Cut, and Bake the Cinnamon Rolls."

Tips for Making the Best Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

  • If you have the time, make the caramel from scratch! It only takes about 10 minutes to make.
  • Dice your apples into 1 cm, uniformly-sized pieces. It makes them easier to cook down.
  • Don't overcook the apples! You want them to be soft, but not falling apart. If they get too soft, the mixture will start to resemble apple sauce, and that is not what we're after with this recipe.
  • Cool the apple filling in the fridge before spreading it on the dough. It'll make it much easier to cut the cinnamon rolls.
  • Use a ruler to make sure your dough is rolled out to the right size (24 x 18 in) and cut into even pieces.
  • Bake the cinnamon rolls in a metal, rectangular pan if possible (mine is 9 in x 13 in).
  • Try to let the cinnamon rolls cool for about 10-20 minutes, then add the icing. This will allow it to melt perfectly over your cinnamon rolls!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 449kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 328mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 44g