Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Dulce De Leche
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These apple cinnamon rolls are made with fluffy yeast dough, warm spices, and apples that have been caramelized on the stove. Top it all with dulce de leche for a cozy Fall bake.
Equipment
Ingredients
CINNAMON ROLL DOUGH
- 1 cup milk
- 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (one packet)
- ⅓ 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.
Keep an eye on the water level, and add more water to the pot as needed, since it’ll evaporate off as it simmers, and you want the can to stay fully submerged the whole time. Leaving the lid on the pot will help prevent the water from evaporating as quickly.
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.
Sprinkle a little flour on the counter as needed while kneading the dough to prevent it from sticking to the counter. The dough should be pretty tacky and still grabbing (not sticking) to your fingers and the counter at the end of kneading. I prefer kneading this dough in my stand mixer to avoid adding excess flour. If you are kneading by hand, keep extra flour in a small bowl, to avoid putting dough-covered hands into your flour bag and getting it all dirty.
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.
Make sure you sprinkle flour on your counter before rolling out the dough, otherwise it'll stick and be really difficult to roll 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
Serving: 1 roll (of 12)Calories: 506kcalCarbohydrates: 88gProtein: 10gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 357mgPotassium: 325mgFiber: 4gSugar: 46gVitamin A: 469IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 158mgIron: 3mg
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