Cinnamon Rolls With Apple Pie Filling

Name: Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Pie Filling
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs apples (small dice, I use Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Opal Apples ); 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 tbsp apple pie seasoning; 2 tbsp brown sugar; ½ tsp pure vanilla extract; ½ tsp fresh lemon juice; ¼ tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal ); 3¾ cups all purpose flour (you may need more, depending on the dough); ⅓ cup granulated sugar; ¾ tsp kosher salt; 2¼ tsp instant yeast (equal to 1 packet ); 6 tbsp unsalted butter (melted then cooled to 115°F); ¾ cup warm water (115°F); ½ cup buttermilk (115°F); 1 egg (room temp); ⅓ cup heavy cream (slightly warmed); 6 tbsp unsalted butter; ½ cup brown sugar; 1 tsp apple pie seasoning; 2 tsp cinnamon; ½ cup unsalted butter; ½ cup granulated sugar; ½ cup heavy cream; ½ tsp pure vanilla extract; ½ tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal )

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When we spend all week hustling, we deserve sweet, wholesome breakfasts on the weekend! That’s why I’m excited to share this cinnamon rolls recipe with you.

It’s a combination of two classic comfort foods: cinnamon rolls and apple pie. Oh, and it is glazed with a creamy, vanilla butter sauce. Every bite of these cinnamon rolls with apple pie filling will leave you feeling extra warm and satisfied.

If you love cinnamon rolls with apple pie filling then you’d also love Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls, Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls and Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookies. I’m here for all the baked goods with cinnamon!

Cinnamon rolls with apple pie filling and vanilla butter sauce.

Recipe Ingredients

I’ll break the ingredients section into four main parts: the dough, the cinnamon roll filling, the apple pie filling, and the butter sauce.

For the (cinnamon roll) dough:

All-purpose flour – I use 3 ¾ cups of flour, but you may need more, depending on how your dough turns out. We want it to be soft, but not too sticky.
Granulated sugar, Kosher salt, and instant yeast
Unsalted butter – Melted and then cooled to 115°F
Water – 115°F
Buttermilk – 115°F
Egg – At room temperature
Heavy cream – Slightly warmed

For the cinnamon filling:

Unsalted butter
Brown sugar and cinnamon powder
Apple pie seasoning – These are usually displayed in the spice rack at grocery stores, and are a simple mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

For the apple pie filling:

Apples – I use Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Opal Apples.
Unsalted butter
Apple pie seasoning, brown sugar, and pure vanilla extract
Fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt – I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

For the butter sauce:

Unsalted butter
Granulated sugar
Heavy cream
Pure vanilla extract
Kosher salt

Yeast, apples, flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, buttermilk, butter, brown sugar.

How To Make Cinnamon Rolls With Apple Pie Filling

We start with making the apple pie filling.

Step 1: Add the diced apples and butter to a large skillet on medium heat. Once the butter melts, add the rest of the apple pie filling ingredients. Reduce to medium-low heat and stir until the apples are fully covered with the ingredients. Remove from heat and set aside.

Diced apple pie filling cooking in a pan.

Then, let’s make the cinnamon roll dough.

Step 2: Whisk 2 cups of the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer then attach it to the mixer, fitted with the dough hook.

Step 3: Add butter, water, and buttermilk (all at 115°F) to the flour mixture and mix until combined (about 1-2 minutes), scraping the sides down.

Step 4: Add the remaining flour and mix together on low. Once combined, turn the mixer to low-medium speed for about 7 minutes. You know it’s ready when the dough is soft but not too sticky and pulls away from the sides into a ball.

Step 5: Spray a bowl with non-stick cooking spray then set the dough ball in it. Cover it with a towel and let it rise in a warm area for 1 hour.

Step 6: One hour later, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle of 12”x16″, about ¼ inch thick.

Next, we’ll flavor the rolls with cinnamon and add the cooked apples.

Step 7: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 13×9 pan.

Step 8: Spread the room temperature butter over the dough from edge to edge

Step 9: Stir the brown sugar, apple pie spice, and cinnamon together then sprinkle it evenly over the dough.

Step 10: Spread the cooked apples over the dough.

Step 11: Roll the dough starting from the longer side, tightly into a log. Trim the edges off so the dough is as even as possible.

Step 12: Cut the log in half then cut each of those pieces in half so you have 4 pieces. Cut each of the 4 pieces into 3 even pieces to make 12 total.

Step 13: Place the rolls in the greased pan. Cover and let it rise in a warm spot for 20 minutes.

Step 14: Pour warm (not hot) heavy cream over the top of the risen rolls. Bake for 30 minutes. Baking time can vary depending on roll size but be sure not to overbake them or you’ll end up with dry rolls.

Heavy cream poured over the top of the cinnamon rolls with apple pie filling.

While the cinnamon rolls are in the oven, we’ll make the butter sauce.

Step 15: Add all the sauce ingredients to a medium sauce pot. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally. Continue at a low simmer until the sauce has thickened.

Step 16: Pour warm sauce over the cinnamon rolls when they come out of the oven and serve immediately.

Butter sauce being poured over cinnamon rolls in a pan.

Recipe Variations

Cinnamon rolls are fun because you can play with many different variations. Here are a few things I like to mix things up with:

Canned Pie Filling – You don’t have to make it from scratch if you don’t want. Canned apple pie filling works just fine.
Different Pie Fillings – You can use blueberry pie filling, peach pie filling or even cherry pie filling.
Different Spices – Adding a bit of cardamom, lemon zest or orange zest is very nice in these rolls.
Cream Cheese Frosting – Traditional cream cheese frosting is delicious on Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Pie filling.

One cinnamon roll on a plate with butter sauce over the top.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Canned Apple Pie Filling Instead?

Canned apple pie filling is 100% approved! Not everyone wants to cook apple pie filling from scratch, so definitely go for canned if you need a shortcut. Taste it first and adjust the flavor if you need to, by adding more spice or more sugar.

Can I Use Premade Cinnamon Rolls?

Unfortunately, premade cinnamon rolls will not do any justice to this recipe. Store Bought cinnamon rolls aren’t fixed and are not easy to “unroll” for when you need to stuff it with the apple pie filling.

Why Did My Rolls Turn Out Soggy?

Soggy cinnamon rolls are caused by too much liquid content. Perhaps there was too much heavy cream, or your cream was runnier than usual.

Should I Pre-Cook My Apple Pie Filling?

Yes. Pre-cooking the apple pie filling will allow the butter, brown sugar, and spices to dissolve and meld together.

Expert Tips + Tricks

Don’t overbake your Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Pie Filling. This will cause dry rolls.
Use a digital thermometer to make sure your butter, water and buttermilk are between 110-115°F before adding the yeast. Too cold and it won’t work, too hot and it kills the yeast.
Let the rolls cool for about 10 minutes after coming out of the oven.
Find a warm spot for the rolls to rise, otherwise the dough doesn’t rise well.

Storage Instructions

The key to storing these apple pie cinnamon rolls is to make sure they don’t dry out. After the rolls have cooled, store them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly with plastic.

You can keep them at room temperature for up to 2 days – away from ants! I wouldn’t refrigerate them, as that dries out the buns much quicker. A microwave works best for reheating the apple pie cinnamon rolls. If you must bake it in an oven, be sure to cover it with foil to keep the buns moist.