These apple cinnamon rolls are made with a fluffy yeast dough rolled up with softened butter, cinnamon sugar, and chopped apples that have been caramelized on the stove with cozy spices. Top these buns with optional homemade dulce de leche, and you've found your new favorite Fall bake!
The Apple Cinnamon Rolls I Make Every Fall
Regardless of how my dentist feels about it, caramel apples are my favorite snack at the annual pumpkin patch. So I created these apple pie cinnamon rolls to capture those beloved Fall flavors in the best form ever, cinnamon rolls. They start with an enriched dough spiced with cinnamon & nutmeg, that's swirled around caramelized apples. Then they get gooey dulce de leche spooned on top while they're still warm from the oven. Made with just a can of sweetened condensed milk, it simmers while the dough rises until it turns into sticky caramel sauce.
My first test batch had completely raw centers, because all the fruit juice pooled at the bottom of the pan. So now I stir in just one tablespoon of cornstarch on the stove after the apples release their juices, and it's enough to thicken everything just right.
And the way I layer the filling matters just as much. I used to mix the butter and sugar into a paste, but that leaves you with wet-on-wet-on-wet, and no room for anything to soak up excess moisture. Instead, I go butter first, then a dry layer of cinnamon sugar, then the apples on top. That middle sugar layer acts like a buffer, catching any leftover liquid before it can seep into the dough, so what comes out of the oven is light and fluffy instead of gummy.
This is genuinely one of my favorite fall breakfast recipes to make from scratch, and it never lasts long in our home. And once these are gone (and they will be gone fast!) my cinnamon applesauce cake is where I'd send you for round two of cozy apple baking.
Let's Bake Apple Cinnamon Rolls Together!
For the full step-by-step directions, scroll down to the recipe card.
How to Make these Overnight
After shaping your cinnamon rolls and arranging them in the baking dish, cover them tightly with plastic wrap. Let them do their second rise slowly in the fridge overnight, for 8-12 hours, before baking them.
Tips from My Kitchen for Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- This dough should be a little tacky even after it's fully kneaded, meaning it should gently grab at your hands and the counter, but it should never feel like an unmanageable sticky mess. Need visuals? I walk through exactly what it should look and feel like in my YouTube video on kneading sticky dough.
- Don't rush the knead. Give it the full 5-6 minutes in a stand mixer or about 8 minutes by hand. This is genuinely one of the easiest, most effective ways I've found to guarantee fluffy, airy rolls. Because under-kneaded dough means underdeveloped gluten, which means dense, disappointing rolls, no matter how good your filling is.
- Skip the temptation to use raw apples here. On their own, they release way too much moisture as they bake (hello, soggy centers). Caramelizing them on the stovetop first concentrates their flavor and gets rid of that excess liquid before it ever meets your dough. And it ensures the apples are tender (not mushy, not crunchy) so they feel intentional, not like buns with apples thrown in.
Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Dulce De Leche
developed & tested by:
Equipment
Ingredients
CINNAMON ROLL DOUGH
- 1 cup milk
- 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (one packet)
- â…“ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt (use table salt or fine sea salt)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4¾ cups all purpose flour
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
CINNAMON SUGAR FILLING
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
APPLE PIE FILLING
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 pounds apples (peeled, cored, and diced)
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
DULCE DE LECHE (OPTIONAL TOPPING)
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
Make the Dulce de Leche
- Remove the label from the canned sweetened condensed milk. Place the can in a large pot, then add enough water to completely submerge the can under at least 1 inch of water.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 hours.
- Remove the can from the water & set aside to cool.
Mix the Dough & Let it Rise
- Warm the milk in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, until it's between 105-115°F (40-46°C).
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the warm milk, active dry yeast, and granulated sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes until it's frothy on top, to activate the yeast.
- Add the eggs, salt, vanilla extract, and spices, and mix to combine everything.
- Add the flour and mix with a large spoon just until there are no clumps of dry flour, after one minute.
- Cut the softened butter into small squares & add it to the dough. Mix it either in the mixing bowl with a large spoon or with a dough hook attachment in a stand mixer until it starts to form a sticky dough, after 1-2 minutes.
- Knead by hand on a work surface dusted with flour for 8 minutes, or knead in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment for 5-6 minutes, until the dough springs back to its original shape when you indent it with your finger.
- Shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough ball back in a clean mixing bowl, and cover with a damp kitchen towel or dinner plate. Let it rest in a warm spot (like in the oven with the light off) for 2 hours, until it doubles in size.
Make the Apple Pie Filling
- In a large saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to soften, after about 10 to 15 minutes. Then bring the apples to a boil.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water, then add that into the apples. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly, to activate the cornstarch.
- Set the apple pie filling aside to cool and thicken.
Prepare the Filling & Shape the Rolls
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix brown sugar filling by combining the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a 24-inch by 15-inch (61cm by 38cm) rectangle.
- Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough. Then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly on top, gently pressing it down into the dough with your hands. Spread the rest of the cooled apple pie filling on the dough.
- Cut the dough into twelve 2-inch (5cm) long strips. (Cut along a long edge, not a short edge. I find a pizza cutter is much easier than a knife for this.)
- Roll each strip of dough in a spiral, and arrange them in your prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap (which retains moisture better than a towel) and let them rise at room temperature for 30 minutes, until they puff up.
Bake the Cinnamon Rolls
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls for 30-35 minutes, until they're puffed up and golden. A wooden skewer inserted into the bread part of the rolls should come out clean.
- Drizzle the dulce de leche onto the warm rolls and sprinkle with flaky salt or chopped nuts, if desired. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Apples: The best apples for baking stay firm & don't become mushy, including Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Jonagold, and Fuji. And I recommend dicing your apples smaller than you think you need to, since big chunks make the dough difficult to roll.
- Shaping: Instead of rolling the dough into one big log and slicing it afterward, I prefer to cut the dough into strips (a pizza roller works great here) before rolling up each one individually. It's less messy with a juicy filling like this one, and it keeps those beautiful spiral swirls intact instead of getting squished when you slice a whole log.
- Topping: The dulce de leche is completely optional, but it's a one-ingredient caramel sauce, so really, why not?
Nutrition
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