Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

• servings: 12 servings
• active time: 45 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 55 minutes

Ingredients

4 large Honeycrisp apples (1000g)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar (300g)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp fine salt (1g)

1/4 cup water (60g)

1/4 cup cornstarch (30g)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened - to be spread on later (113g)

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (550g)

4 1/2 tsp or 2 packets instant dry yeast (14g, 1/2 oz.)

1 tsp fine salt (6g)

1 cup whole milk (245g)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or 2 large eggs (125g)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)

1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)

1 cup granulated sugar (200g)

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature (85g)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature (60g)

1/4 tsp fine salt

1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature (56g)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (56g)

1/4 cup caramel sauce - made above (60g)

2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (8g)

1/4 tsp fine salt

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (190g)

9 x13-inch Pan

Parchment Paper

Stand Mixer w/ Dough Hook or Danish Dough Whisk

Pastry Cutter or Pizza Cutter

Directions

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Filling

Make the caramel apple filling first because it needs time to cool down. Peel 4 large apples (about 1000g before being peeled and cored), remove the cores, and cut them into small pieces (roughly 1 cm cubes).

Add the apple pieces, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt into a large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat, and stir occasionally. Cook until the mixture begins to bubble, then reduce the heat to medium.

In a small bowl whisk together 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of cornstarch to make a cornstarch slurry. This will help thicken the filing. Pour into the apple mixture and cook for 5-10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook just until the apples are soft - I like to test them with a fork!

Transfer the filling into a large bowl or tray (the wider it is, the faster it'll cool down) and chill in the fridge. Once fully cooled, the filling can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week (it doesn't freeze well). Be sure the filling has reached room temperature and thickened before you spread it onto the cinnamon roll dough! They'll be a lot harder to roll if it isn't.

Cinnamon Roll Dough

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 4 1/4 cups of flour, 2 packets or 4 1/2 tsp of instant dry yeast, and 1 tsp salt.

In a separate, medium-sized bowl, combine 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup room temperature. unsalted butter, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Heat for about 1 minute in the microwave and stir to combine the ingredients. The butter should be mostly melted, and the mixture should feel warm but not hot to the touch. If it's too hot, it can kill the yeast!

Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the flour mixture and mix at a medium-low speed with a dough hook or wooden spoon. Scrape around the edges to make sure all the flour gets incorporated. Continue to mix the dough on a medium-low speed for a couple of minutes until the dough becomes more elastic and looks smooth.

At this stage, I like to test the dough with my finger. It should be tacky, but shouldn't stick to your finger or leave any residue on your fingertip. If it still feels sticky and seems like it would be difficult to roll out, keep mixing the dough and add additional flour 1 Tbsp at a time until the dough is tacky but no longer sticky (it usually takes me 1-2 additional Tbsp of flour). It should pull away/no longer stick to the sides of your mixing bowl once it's ready to rest.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 10-20 minutes to allow the gluten to relax. This will make it easier to roll out.

Cut, Roll & Bake the Cinnamon Rolls

If you're making these the day you plan to bake them, preheat the oven to 200 F/93 C (to help the cinnamon rolls rise), and line a 9x13-inch pan.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle that's about 24 in x 18 in (I use a ruler and recommend you do too!). Spread 1/2 cup of softened butter evenly over the dough, then spread the cooled filling on top of the butter.

Use a pastry rolling cutter, pizza cutter, or long knife to cut 12 equal strips (roughly 2 inches in width) and then roll each cinnamon roll up individually. Place them in the prepared 9 in x 13 in pan. Alternatively, you can also roll the dough into a log and cut each piece with dental floss.

If you are making these cinnamon rolls the night before, cover the cinnamon rolls tightly with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge overnight. Then take them out of the fridge the following morning, preheat your oven to 200 F/93 C, turn off the oven, cover the rolls with foil, and let the rolls rise in the warm oven for about 30 minutes.

If you are making these the day of, turn off the preheated 200 F oven, cover the rolls with foil, and let the rolls rise in the oven for about 30 minutes. MAKE SURE YOU'VE TURNED THE OVEN OFF before placing the rolls in to rise. We want a nice cozy place for the rolls to rise, but we don't want to bake them yet.

At this point, they should look puffier and have grown in size. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C. Remove the foil from the pan and bake for 28-34 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. Rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly.

Make the Caramel Sauce

While the cinnamon rolls rise and bake, make the homemade caramel. If you're short on time you can always use storebought caramel sauce, but this only takes about 10 minutes to make and is totally worth it in my opinion.

Place a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, pour in 1 cup sugar gradually, adding 1/4 cup at a time. Wait until the sugar is mostly dissolved, then add the next bit of sugar. As the sugar melts it will slowly deepen in color.

Stir occasionally until the sugar is fully dissolved and has become a deep amber color, then turn off the heat.

Slowly mix in 6 Tbsp of butter (2 Tbsp at a time) then stir in 1/4 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 tsp salt. The mixture will be thin but will thicken as it cools.

Pour into a separate container, then set aside to cool. If you make this in advance, store it in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. When you're ready to use it, heat the caramel in the microwave in short 15-second intervals until it's a workable consistency.

Caramel Cream Cheese Icing

The last step is to make the caramel cream cheese icing. Mix 1/4 cup of room temperature cream cheese, 1/4 cup of softened butter, 1/4 cup caramel sauce, 2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp salt together with a spoon or electric hand mixer.

Then add 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture and stir until smooth.

Let the cinnamon rolls cool for about 10 minutes, then spoon the icing over the cinnamon rolls, drizzle the rest of the caramel on top, then enjoy them warm! Leftover rolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few hours, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 449 kcal
• Total Fat: 25 g
• Saturated Fat: 15 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
• Cholesterol: 94 mg
• Sodium: 328 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 55 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 44 g
• Protein: 3 g