If ever you decide to make cinnamon rolls (and you really should), do yourself a favour and stuff them with a bunch of caramelised apples first. You will have no regrets. Slathering them with a cream cheese frosting takes them to extra amazing status and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate apple season. They’re soft, fluffy, incredible warm from the oven and I want to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

I updated this post recently based on my classic cinnamon rolls, making a few changes to the recipe and refreshing the photos as well. I’m so glad I did because they’re better than ever! The part I love the most, apart from the super soft texture and silky frosting, is that when reheated, they taste as good as day one. Win win!

Each bite of these rolls with those tender juicy apples is pure heaven. It’s like apple pie, but without any fiddly panic-causing pie crusts. Win win. The cream cheese frosting complements the apples perfectly and since it’s not an overwhelmingly thick layer, the apples are still the star!

Since the apples are cooked before layering them on the dough, so that they became nice and tender after baking, they do release some juices as you begin to roll the dough. This makes it a little messy, but nothing you can’t handle. The extra moisture is welcome here, for rolls that stay tender even straight out of the fridge. In a warm kitchen, the dough is likely to be a little sticky, so if you can’t roll it super tight, it’s ok, as long as the apples stay in.

Despite the dough, the apples and the frosting, all containing some sugar, the rolls are not crazy sweet, I promise. All the flavours work just perfectly together and if you have a cup of hot coffee on hand, I’m not responsible if you eat the entire batch in one sitting. These rolls are also super fun to make so get baking!

Soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls filled with caramelised apples!

Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting (Eggless)

Tender, buttery cinnamon rolls filled with caramelised apples!

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1 10

Makes: 9 rolls

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Ingredients

For the dough

2 and 1/4 tsps active dry yeast (see notes)
1/2 cup warm water (125 ml; you should be able to comfortably dip in a finger)
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature (125 ml)
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 tbsps butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp salt (increase to 1 tsp if using unsalted butter)
3 cups all-purpose flour (360 gms) + 1/2 cup (60 gms) as needed

For the apple mixture

3 medium apples (any variety of red apples is fine)
2 tbsps butter
2 tbsps soft brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

For the cinnamon filling

2 tbsps caster sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature (55 gms)

For the frosting

1/3 cup cream cheese, at room temperature (75 gms)
1/3 cup icing sugar, sifted (40 gms)
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix the yeast and warm water with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Cover and set aside for a few minutes till dissolved and frothy.
To make the dough, combine the milk, remaining sugar and butter in a large bowl. Mix well. A stand mixer with the dough hook is useful but this dough can also be mixed by hand with a little extra effort.
Pour in the yeast mixture and beat for a few seconds. Now add 3 cups of flour as well as the salt, and let the mixer run on medium speed. Gradually add the remaining half cup of flour, a tablespoon at a time and continue beating. If you don't use the entire remaining amount, that's fine. You need a dough that is soft and smooth, with a bit of stickiness. The amount of extra flour you need will depend on how humid it is that day.
If using a stand mixer, beat for 3 to 5 minutes after adding all the flour till the dough leaves the sides of the bowl and begins to form a ball. At this point I prefer to knead the dough with my hands. The dough should be soft, pliable, only slightly sticky and spring back slowly when poked with a finger and this is when you know it's ready to rise. Kneading entirely by hand may take a little longer but it's absolutely doable.
Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled, large bowl (I just use the mixing bowl itself). Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm area for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled. If your kitchen isn't very warm or you want to speed up the rise, turn your oven on to 100 C for a few minutes, switch it off, then place the bowl in it.
In the meantime, prepare the apple mixture. Peel, core and finely chop the apples. Heat the butter in a non stick pan on low heat, then add the sugar and stir. Add the chopped apples and cinnamon and mix very well, cooking for 5 to 10 minutes until the apples are tender but not mushy, and the liquid is bubbling. Set aside to cool completely. Many recipes use raw chopped apples in the dough, but I really prefer doing it this way first, giving the apples a chance to soften and absorb more flavour from the cinnamon and butter, even if they release more liquid when cooked.
When the dough has doubled in size (see photos below), lightly flour your kitchen counter or a silicone mat which is more convenient for clean up.
Punch down the dough to release any air bubbles, then turn it out onto the floured mat. Pat into a 10x12 inch rectangle using your fingertips, ensuring it's the same thickness all over.
Now make the cinnamon filling. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Spread the butter onto the rectangle of dough, making sure it reaches every inch of it. It will seem like a lot of butter, but it's needed! Sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar, covering the dough entirely.
Finally, spread the apple mixture onto the dough, pressing it down gently so it sticks to the dough. Make sure you leave the liquid behind in the pan, because the apples are already very moist.
Slowly roll the dough up as tightly as possible, lightly flouring your fingertips as needed. The dough will be wet because of the apples, so this step will be a little messy but it'll come together in the end. Once rolled up, pat the ends to shape it properly and push any apples that may have fallen out, back in. Cut the dough into 9 equal pieces.
Place each roll, cut-side up (so you can see the apples like in the photo below), in a lightly greased 8-inch square baking pan or line the pan with non-stick baking paper (I prefer this). It's ok if they stick to each other a bit. Cover with clingfilm and let rise again for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until puffy and roughly doubled in size.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 190 C. Take the clingfilm off the dish and bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes until browned on top, puffy and cooked through. If you find the rolls are browning too fast, lightly cover the top with foil and continue baking. Allow the rolls to cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
To make the frosting, simply combine the cream cheese, sugar, milk and vanilla and mix well with a silicone spatula or whisk, till smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting on top of the rolls while they're still warm. Use a sharp knife to take each one out and dig in! If you really like your cinnamon rolls drenched in frosting, feel free to double the amount of frosting.
Once fully cooled, you can store the rolls in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. You can even freeze them for longer. They reheat beautifully in the microwave! Happy baking 🙂

Notes

*Prep-time does not include rise time and cooling time.

*I usually use active dry yeast by Blue Bird, although any brand is ok. For this one, I also tried it with instant yeast and it worked just fine. If using instant yeast, 2 tsps are enough. While you can add instant yeast straight to the mixing bowl without activating it as written in step 1, I still prefer making sure the water and milk are lukewarm just to help it along.

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