This festive cinnamon roll apple pie is made with jammy cinnamon sugar apples that get cooked and thickened on the stove before getting piled into a flaky, buttery pie crust formed out of dozens of mini cinnamon roll-inspired spirals. It's a show-stopping Fall dessert to bring to Thanksgiving or to enjoy with fresh apples from the orchard.
The Cozy Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie I Make Every Fall
If you love apple pie and cinnamon rolls, this is the dessert I created that has big "why choose?" energy. For my first attempt, I took my go-to fluffy cinnamon roll dough and pressed it straight into a pie tin. It looked promising going into the oven, but came out soggy on the bottom, raw in the middle, and it rose all lopsided. My breakthrough came when I stopped trying to force cinnamon roll dough to be a pie crust, and instead let flaky pie crust become the cinnamon roll. All you have to do after rolling out the pie dough is spread softened butter & cinnamon sugar on top, roll it up into a log, then slice it into thin spirals (like teeny tiny cinnamon rolls!) The result is a crowd-pleasing pie that's tender and spiced where it should be, flaky & rich exactly where you want it, and never soggy.
The real trick here is cooking your apple pie filling before it ever sees the inside of a pie crust. Simmering peeled & chopped apples on the stove first pulls out excess moisture so you can thicken it with a bit of cornstarch. This makes it turn glossy and jammy instead of bubbling over the sides of your pan and onto your oven floor!
And when you're pressing those cinnamon roll swirls to form the crust, get the pieces as close together as you possibly can without overlapping, then press firmly with your hands or a rolling pin, so everything melds into one cohesive, unified crust, rather than dozens of little spirals waiting to unravel the second you slice in.
If you love these flavors but want the cinnamon roll front and center, my apple pie cinnamon rolls swirl homemade apple pie filling into pillowy dough (aka the flip side of this same love story.) And if you're baking for a smaller gathering (or just want a few to keep all to yourself), my mini apple pies in a muffin tin give you all that cozy, spiced comfort individual portions.
Let's Bake Apple Pie with a Cinnamon Roll Crust!
For the full step-by-step directions, scroll down to the recipe card.
How to Make Your Pie Ahead of Time
Both parts of this pie are very make-ahead friendly. The filling keeps in the fridge for a couple of days. For the crust, I like to press mine into the pie dish, wrap the whole thing in plastic, and let it chill in the fridge overnight. The top crust goes between two sheets of parchment in the freezer until it's time to bake. Future you will be very grateful!
My Tips for Perfectly Baked Pie
- Chill the rolled-up dough logs in the fridge, otherwise they're going to be too soft to get clean swirls in each slice.
- Use a firm variety of apple that won't turn mushy in the oven; I like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Fuji the best.
- This pie takes at least 40 minutes to bake to get the crust golden & flaky, so I recommend checking in periodically towards the last 20 minutes of baking, and tent a large piece of foil over the top if it looks like the edges are getting too dark.
- The hardest part of all is to let your pie cool completely before you cut it. I know. I know. How badly do you want a slice while it's still warm, right? But give it the time it needs to set, or that beautiful filling will slide right out onto the plate the moment your knife hits the crust.
Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie
developed & tested by:
Equipment
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold in the fridge (2 sticks)
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt (use table salt or fine sea salt)
- ½ cup ice water, divided (kept cold in the fridge)
- 1 egg (for the egg wash)
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- ¼ cup 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 chopped into ½-inch pieces (about 2-3 large or 4-5 medium)
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt (use table salt or fine sea salt)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
Prepare the Pie Dough
- Cut the butter sticks into ½-inch cubes and store them in the fridge.
- In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt to combine them.
- Add the cold, cubed butter to the food processor and pulse until the butter chunks are broken into smaller pieces, with none looking bigger than a pea (about 10 pulses).
- Add ¼ cup of the ice water and pulse again until the dough starts to bind together and form small lumps. If it's too dry after 10 pulses, add another tablespoon of ice water and pulse a few more times. The dough should hold its shape when squeezed in the palm of your hand.
- Dump out the dough on your counter, divide it in half, and press it into two large discs. Wrap each dough disc individually in plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.
Prepare the Apple Filling
- In a large saucepan or pot on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the apples begin to soften after about 15 minutes. Then bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water, then add that into the apples, and boil for 1 minute to activate the cornstarch. Set the apple pie filling aside to cool and thicken.
Shape the Pie Crust
- Grease a 9-inch pie pan and set aside.
- Prepare the cinnamon sugar filling by combining the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of pie crust to a rectangle about 12-in by 14-in (30cm by 35cm).
- Spread half of the softened butter (2 tablespoons) evenly over the pie crust. Then sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar (about ¼ cup) on top & gently press it down with your hands.
- Starting from a longer edge, gently roll up the pie crust into a log. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, transfer it onto a cutting board or baking sheet, then place it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes so the butter can chill and harden.
- Repeat rolling out, filling, and rolling up the second disc of dough, using up the remaining softened butter and cinnamon sugar filling. Transfer that one to the fridge to also chill.
- Bottom Crust: Remove the first log of dough from the fridge & slice into ¼-inch thick rounds (like tiny cinnamon rolls). Arrange the rounds in your greased pie pan, gently pressing them together at the edges along the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge.
- Top Crust: Repeat slicing the second log of dough into ¼-inch thick rounds. Arrange these in a circle on a large piece of parchment paper. Cover with another piece of parchment paper, then use a rolling pin to gently roll them so all the mini cinnamon rolls stick together. Transfer to the freezer so it doesn't fall apart when you place it on top of the pie.
Assemble and Bake the Pie
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Prep the egg wash by mixing one egg with one tablespoon of water, set aside.
- Remove the pie dish from the fridge & fill with the cooled apple filling.
- Remove the top crust from the freezer and carefully place it on top of the apple filling. Trim off any edges that hang over the rim of the pie pan with a knife.
- Brush the top crust with the egg wash, then cut five 2-inch (5cm) vent holes into the top crust.
- Bake the pie on the center rack at 425°F for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temp to 375°F and bake for another 25 to 35 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Let the pie cool completely before slicing.
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.
- Cinnamon Roll Crust: It's important to keep the crust cold throughout this whole process, because if the butter melts, you'll lose the flaky, tender texture. However, it does help to let it come to room temperature as you arrange all the spirals, which makes it easier to press them all together into one giant crust in the dish and then for the top. If there are any gaps, they could unravel in the oven or when you slice the pie.
- Storing & Reheating: Store fully cooled pie wrapped in foil in the fridge for a few days. To warm leftover pie slices, wrap them in foil and pop them in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes.
Nutrition
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