These spiced apple cinnamon rolls have a fluffy brioche dough filled with cinnamon sugar and spiced apples, then topped with tangy cream cheese frosting! They're the perfect fall brunch treat!
Best of all, you can prep them the night before and then just pop them in the oven first thing in the morning for breakfast for a lazy holiday morning!
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Why You'll Love These Cinnamon Rolls!
- Soft and fluffy brioche dough
- Filled with cinnamon sugar and spiced apples!
- Topped with light cream cheese frosting
- Rise overnight so they're easy to just pop in the oven for breakfast
- Perfect for a cozy fall morning or holiday brunch!
You might also like these pumpkin cinnamon rolls or these apple cider muffins!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few ingredients to make these spiced apple cinnamon rolls!
Flour - All purpose flour works best for cinnamon rolls!
Vanilla Bean Paste - I like using vanilla bean paste because it has a much stronger, richer flavor! However, you can easily substitute pure vanilla extract.
Instant Yeast - The yeast is what helps the dough rise! I like using instant yeast (as opposed to active dry yeast) because you don't need to bloom it first.
Whole Milk - The whole milk helps keep the brioche dough tender, but you can substitute skim milk or water if you prefer.
Apples - For the apple filling, you want to choose a firm, crisp apple variety! My favorites for baking are Honeycrisp or Granny Smith!
Spices - I use a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg to flavor the apple filling. But you can instead substitute 2 teaspoons of apple pie spice!
Cornstarch - I use cornstarch to help thicken the filling, but you can also substitute flour or clear jel. This is a great guide for making those substitutions!
Cream Cheese - It's not a cinnamon roll without a thick layer of tangy cream cheese frosting!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Spiced Apple Filling
Peel and finely dice the apples.
Add the diced apples to a large pot over medium heat, along with the brown sugar, lemon juice cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Cook gently over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the apples have softened.
Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water then add to the apples and stir until the mixture thickens. Taste and adjust flavorings if needed.
Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine all dough ingredients (flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon, salt, vanilla bean paste, milk, eggs, and, butter) and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together as a smooth cohesive mass (5-10 minutes).
The dough should be slightly sticky. If it's too dry and won't come together, add an additional tablespoon or two of milk. If the dough is too sticky, add in an additional tablespoon or two of flour.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours; it should roughly double in size.
While the dough is rising prepare the filling. In a medium bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix together until it forms a thick paste. Set aside.
Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll into a large 13x15 inch rectangle. Try to make the edges as even as possible. If the dough keeps shrinking back as you roll it out, cover and let it rest for 5-10 minutes to help the gluten relax before rolling again.
Spread the brown sugar filling in an even layer over the top of dough, leaving about an inch of space at the top of the long end (this helps to seal the log).
Then spread the cooled spiced apple filling evenly over the dough.
Beginning at the long end, roll up tightly and pinch to seal. Trim about ½ inch off of each end so that the log is 12 inches long.
For even slices, measure the dough and score the top at even intervals (about 1 inch apart).
Then using a very sharp serrated knife (or unflavored dental floss) cut the log into 12 1-inch pieces. [To cut with dental floss, break off a long piece and carefully slide underneath the dough. Then pull the ends of the floss and cross over the top. Pull gently to slice cleanly through the dough.]
Arrange the apple cinnamon rolls in the greased baking dish.
Same Day Option: Cover loosely and let rise at room temperature for about 1 hour or until the dough has puffed up and filled in some of the empty space.
Overnight Option: Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight (8-16 hours). The next morning, remove from the fridge at let rise at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the apple cinnamon rolls for 20-30 minutes or until they are golden brown and cooked through. The filling will be bubbly.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly while you make the glaze.
Spread the cream cheese frosting over the warm spiced apple cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Recipe FAQ's
Cover and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can be stored either frosted or unfrosted!
Pop in the microwave for about 30 seconds and they'll taste like they just came out of the oven!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Spiced Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Spiced Apple Filling
- 2 large apples
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water, cold
Dough
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, substitute vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, substitute vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons milk, as needed
Instructions
Spiced Apple Filling
- Peel and finely dice the apples.
- Add the diced apples to a large pot over medium heat, along with the brown sugar, lemon juice cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Cook gently over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the apples have softened.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water then add to the apples and stir until the mixture thickens. Taste and adjust flavorings if needed.
- Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
Dough
- Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine all dough ingredients (flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon, salt, vanilla bean paste, milk, eggs, and, butter) and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together as a smooth cohesive mass (5-10 minutes).
- The dough should be slightly sticky. If it's too dry and won't come together, add an additional tablespoon or two of milk. If the dough is too sticky, add in an additional tablespoon or two of flour.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours; it should roughly double in size.
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- While the dough is rising prepare the filling. In a medium bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix together until it forms a thick paste. Set aside.
Assembly
- Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll into a large 13x15 inch rectangle. Try to make the edges as even as possible. If the dough keeps shrinking back as you roll it out, cover and let it rest for 5-10 minutes to help the gluten relax before rolling again.
- Spread the brown sugar filling in an even layer over the top of dough, leaving about an inch of space at the top of the long end (this helps to seal the log).
- Then spread the cooled spiced apple filling evenly over the dough.
- Beginning at the long end, roll up tightly and pinch to seal. Trim about ½ inch off of each end so that the log is 12 inches long.
- For even slices, measure the dough and score the top at even intervals (about 1 inch apart).
- Then using a very sharp serrated knife (or unflavored dental floss) cut the log into 12 1-inch pieces. [To cut with dental floss, break off a long piece and carefully slide underneath the dough. Then pull the ends of the floss and cross over the top. Pull gently to slice cleanly through the dough.]
- Arrange the apple cinnamon rolls in the greased baking dish.
- Same Day Option: Cover loosely and let rise at room temperature for about 1 hour or until the dough has puffed up and filled in some of the empty space.
- Overnight Option: Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight (8-16 hours). The next morning, remove from the fridge at let rise at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the apple cinnamon rolls for 20-30 minutes or until they are golden brown and cooked through. The filling will be bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and let cool slightly while you make the glaze.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- While the rolls are baking, beat the room temperature cream cheese, softened butter, and vanilla bean paste until smooth and there are no lumps. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix until fully combined.
- Add in 2-4 tablespoons of milk or cream a little bit at a time until you reach your desired spreading consistency.
- Spread the cream cheese frosting over the warm spiced apple cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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