Warm, fluffy rolls filled with fragrant fall flavors… These Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls are breakfast and dessert rolled into one decadent, delicious dish that’s perfect for breakfasts, brunches, and holiday gatherings!
The warm spices and fall fruit aromas filling the air when cinnamon rolls are baking in the oven are absolutely irresistible.
We love making overnight orange cinnamon rolls with cardamom for holiday breakfasts and special brunches. And when fall rolls around, these Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls take center stage!
Imagine all those luscious apple pie flavors rolled into fluffy dough layers and topped with a sweet icing.
Cinnamon rolls are actually fairly easy to make, but they do take a little more time than your average breakast. But they are always SO worth it!
I love baking cinnamon rolls on weekend mornings when we want to slow down a bit and savor our family time after a busy week. These fluffy, sweet pastries with warm fall spices are super comforting and just the thing to put a smile on everyone’s faces to start the day.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
Make these once, and I bet you’ll be making these at least once each year when fall rolls around! These yummy cinnamon rolls are:
- made with simple, wholesome ingredients.
- full of warm fall spices that make your house smell AMAZING while they bake!
- taste SO much better than store-bought.
- gorgeous on any holiday, birthday, anniversary, bridal shower or wedding shower dessert table.
- perfect for adding a special touch to family breakfasts and brunches.
Ingredient notes
You probably already have most of the ingredients you need to make this dish in your pantry and refrigerator!
Above are photos for ingredients by step:
- apple pie filling
- dough
- filling
- icing
Note that you’ll be using a few ingredients in different parts of the dish, so it helps to measure everything out as you are going to use them in the recipe before you start baking. The ingredients you’ll use twice are:
- cinnamon: in the apple pie filling and filling
- butter: in the apple pie filling (softened), filling (melted), and frosting (softened)
- granulated sugar: in the apple pie filling and dough
- light brown sugar: in the apple pie filling and pie filling
- vanilla extract: in the apple pie filling and icing.
Step-by-step instructions
You’ll find more detailed instructions and the full ingredients list with measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. But I wanted to share some step-by-step photos and a quick overview to help you make these yummy apple cinnamon rolls.
Make the dough
- Start by mixing the yeast with milk and activating the yeast by letting it sit for 5 minutes, until it’s foamy.
- Add the eggs, then the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Beat together just until combined.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
5. Lightly grease a large bowl, then add the dough, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes.
6. After 30 minutes, uncover, punch down, then cover and let sit for another 30 minutes until it has doubled in size.
7-8. While the dough is on its second rise, make the apple pie filling. Let cool slightly.
9. Then once the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
10. Roll out the dough into a rectangle.
11. Brush top of dough with melted butter.
12. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the top.
13. Spread the apple pie filling mixture evenly over the top.
14. Roll up tightly from one long side to the other into a log.
15. Slice off the ends, then slice the log into 2-inch pieces.
16. Place each slice into a greased 9″ x 13″ baking dish, with one of the open sides facing up.
17. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes.
18. While the rolls are baking, make the icing. Allow the rolls to cool slightly before drizzling the icing over the rolls. Serve while they’re still warm.
Marlynn’s Tip
Recipe Tips
Three important things to keep in mind when making this recipe:
- Make sure you are using yeast that hasn’t expired or gone bad. If it doesn’t foam up in the first step, it won’t properly rise.
- Your water should be right around 110°F. If it’s hotter than that, you run the risk of killing the yeast, and not getting a good rise in the dough.
- Take your time with this recipe. The dough needs at least 30 minutes during both rise times and needs to have doubled in size in order to create that classic, fluffy cinnamon roll texture we all love.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. Some pre-packaged apple pie filling comes with a lot of liquid, so you may need to drain out some liquid before adding it to the top of the cinnamon roll dough. Otherwise, you may have too much liquid spilling out.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Serving suggestions
These apple pie cinnamon rolls are so perfect for weekend brunch! I love serving them as part of a beautiful brunch board, along with some raspberry mimosas or champagne floats.
For the holidays, these are great to serve if you have overnight guests or are hosting a holiday brunch. A savory overnight breakfast casserole will help balance this sweet dish.
A slice of these cinnamon rolls would be so delicious with mugs of peppermint hot cocoa or white chocolate peppermint mocha.
More breakfast recipes
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Apple Cinnamon Loaf
Breakfast Recipes
Chili Crisp Eggs
Breakfast Recipes
Breakfast Flatbread
Breakfast Recipes
Strawberry Peach Smoothie
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- 1 9" x 13" baking dish
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup milk, warmed to 110°F
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast , 1 package
- 2 large eggs, lightly whisked and at room temperature
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Apple pie filling
- 3 green apples, cored, peeled, and diced into small cubes
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Filling
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons melted butter, cooled slightly
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Frosting
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar, plus more as needed
Instructions
- Lightly flour a large flat, clean surface like a countertop or large cutting board. Lightly grease a large bowl and set it aside. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" baking dish and set aside.
Make the dough
- In a large bowl, add the milk and then add the yeast. Allow to sit undisturbed together for 5-10 minutes, just until the mixture starts to get foamy.
- Then gently beat in the eggs.
- Gradually add the flour, sugar, and salt to combine.
- On the lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and knead it for a few minutes, just until it's smooth.
- Add the dough to the prepared greased bowl, lightly cover, and allow it to sit for 30 minutes, until the dough has nearly doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough, flipping it over, then cover and allow to sit for another 30 minutes to rise and double in size again.
- Meanwhile, make the apple pie filling.
Make the apple pie filling
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the apples, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Allow the mixture to come to a low boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 4-5 minutes, just until the apples are softened. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Shape the cinnamon rolls
- Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, until you have a rectangle that is approximately 14" by 21" long.
- Using a pastry brush, brush melted butter over the surface of the dough rectangle. Then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the butter. Use the pastry brush or your fingers to spread out the spices evenly across the top so that most of the surface is covered evenly.
- Spoon the apple pie filling mixture and spread it out evenly over the top.
- Starting from one long side, gently roll up the dough until it reaches the other side. Slice off each end.
- Using a pastry bench or knife, slice the log into 12 even sections, each approximately 2-inches wide.
- Carefully place each cinnamon roll with one of the open sides facing up into the prepared 9" x 13" baking dish. Cover and allow to site and rise for 30 minutes.
Bake the cinnamon rolls & make the frosting
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Uncover the rolls and bake for 35-40 minutes, just until the tops are a golden brown.
- Meanwhile, make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl and using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar. Continue adding more powdered sugar, about 1 Tablespoon at a time, as needed, until the frosting reaches your desired level of thickness.
- After the rolls are done baking, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.
- Drizzle the frosting over the rolls and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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