These cinnamon rolls with apple pie filling are soft, gooey and delicious. These enriched rolls are filled with the traditional brown sugar cinnamon roll filling, with a cooked apple pie filling and topped with a cream cheese frosting.
This particular recipe was inspired by a gift of the first of season Pink Lady Apples! I was pretty stoked when they arrived as they are the favourite apple variety in this house!
With the cold weather knocking at the door, I decided that I needed to revamp my Chelsea Bun recipe into a Cinnamon Roll with Apple Pie Filling recipe.
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Ingredients
Here are some notes on the ingredients used in this recipe. Please see the recipe card for quantities.
Cinnamon Roll Dough Ingredients
- Bread, High-Grade or Strong Flour - need the bread flour with it's high protein content to be able to form gluten for the bread to rise.
- Salt
- Yeast
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Milk
- Butter
Cinnamon Roll Filling Ingredients
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Cinnamon
- Mixed Spice - for a little bit extra depth to the spice combo, pumpkin spice can be used as an alternative
Apple Pie Filling Ingredients
- Apples – I like using an apple with a bit of tartness. My absolute favourite is the Pink Lady variety (which was also recently gifted to me by Pink Lady Apples New Zealand), or Braeburn apples.
- Cinnamon
- Mixed Spice - again pumpkin spice can be used as an alternative
- Cornstarch (also known as Maizena in South Africa) thickens the apple pie filling.
- Granulated sugar to add a little sweetness.
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- Butter
- Cream Cheese
- Salt
- Icing Sugar (powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar)
Salt is a crucial ingredient in all baked goods. I use table salt in all my recipes. One teaspoon of table salt equals 1.5 teaspoons of Morton Kosher Salt equals 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal.
Room Temperature Ingredients
Use room temperature ingredients! Using room temperature ingredients ensures that ingredients in the batter or dough will incorporate easier. Take note that room temperature refers to around 20°C/68F.
- To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, place them into warm water for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- To quickly bring butter to room temperature, cut the butter into cubes and zap in the microwave at 20% power in 10-second intervals. Or place the cubes in a bowl over warm water (such as with a double boiler) over low heat for 1 minute!
- Milk, buttermilk, and cream can be brought to room temperature by zapping in the microwave at 20% power in 10-second intervals. Or on a low heat for a minute or two swirling every 10-15 seconds.
Weighing Ingredients
Weighing & Measuring Ingredients
Weighing ingredients with a kitchen scale is more accurate than using measuring cups. All my recipes are developed and tested using grams only.
However, I have activated the metric-to-cup conversions. Simply click on "cups" or "metric" for your preferred measurements. For these conversions, cups are equal to 240 millilitres/8 fluid ounces, tablespoons are 15 milliliters and teaspoons are 5mL.
How to Make the Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Pie Filling
Step 1 - Warm up the milk until it is lukewarm. Add in the sugar and yeast and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once the mixture is foamy, the yeast is alive.
Step 2 - Combine the flour and salt in a bowl of a stand mixer. Mix the salt through the flour.
Step 3 - Add the milk mixture and melted butter to the flour. Mix on a low speed with the dough hook for 10 minutes until the dough passes the window pan test. Take a small piece of dough and stretch it out until the dough is thin and you can see light through it. If the dough tears easily, it needs to be kneaded further.
Step 4 - Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and allow to proof for an hour to an hour and a half, or until the dough has risen at least 50% in size.
Step 6 - For the brown sugar filling, combine the brown sugar, spices and butter in a heat-proof bowl and microwave until the butter has melted. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth and shiny. Set aside and allow to cool.
Step 7 - To make the apple pie filling, combine the peeled and diced apples, sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon and mixed spice into a skillet or large frying pan. Cook over medium heat until the apples are tender. Add in the cornstarch and stir until combined and the mixture is nice and thick. Set aside to cool.
Step 8 - Once the dough has proofed, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 35cm by 50cm big.
Step 9 - Spread the brown sugar filling over the dough using a spatula or the back of a spoon.
Step 10 - Spread the apple pie filling over the dough.
Step 11 - Beginning on the long side of the dough, roll the dough up tightly. Pinch the seams together to seal in the filling along the length of the dough. Cut the roll into 12 equal portions using a sharp knife, or bench scraper.
Step 12 - Place the rolls cut side down into your baking dish (9"x13" -23cm x 33cm- rectangular cake tin) leaving about 2 - 3 cm of space between the rolls to allow them to rise.
Step 13 - Cover the rolls with a tea towel and allow to proof for 30 to 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/355F. Bake the rolls for 25 - 30 minutes.
Step 14 - While the buns are baking, let the butter and cream cheese come to room temperature, you may need to pop them into the microwave for 10 seconds if they are too cold for creaming.
Step 15 - Add the icing sugar and lemon juice, and whip until well combined using either a stand mixer, electric mixer or whisk. If the icing sugar is too thick, add in 1-2 tablespoons of milk if needed.
Step 16 - The cinnamon rolls with apple pie filling can be frosted as soon as they come out of the oven or they can be cooled first.
Step 17 - Serve warm or at room temp! Enjoy.
Pro Tips for this Recipe
Cover your hands with some olive or vegetable oil before handling the dough, it prevents the dough from sticking.
Rising and proof times depend on how warm the environment of the bread is. If it's chilly, place the bread dough somewhere warm to rise. Keep in mind that using a stand mixer to knead the dough will result in warmer dough overall and will accelerate the first rise.
Make apple pie filling a day or two ahead of making the rolls to reduce the day of tasks.
BTW - this apple pie filling would make a great pancake filling!
Kneading bread dough by hand
No stand mixer? No problem! If kneading by hand - do the following to make life a little easier. Don't add the salt to the flour, salt prohibits gluten formation, so we are going to add this a bit later.
Combine the flour with the milk, melted butter and beaten eggs. Stir through until you have a shaggy dough and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This allows the flour to hydrate, stimulating gluten formation before you even begin kneading. Then add the salt and knead on a clean surface.
Ovens
The temperatures stated are for conventional ovens. For convection, fan-forced, fan-assisted, or air-fryers, the temperature must be reduced by 20°C/25°F.
For baking, make sure the oven is fully preheated, and that the rack is in the middle of the oven. Open the oven as little as possible. For best baking results use an oven thermometer.
Remember that all ovens work slightly differently and bake times may need to be adjusted for your specific oven.
Bakeware
Metal bakeware is superior when it comes to baking biscuits, cookies, brownies, muffins and quick bread, scones, cakes. These heat up and cool down faster than glassware. Glassware is heavier, heats up and cools down slower than metal and is more suited for bread puddings, pies, crisps, crumbles and cobblers.
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📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Pie Filling
Equipment
- 13"x9"(33cmx23cm) Rectangular Cake Pan
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 250 grams milk
- 50 grams white granulated sugar (caster/granulated)
- 2½ teaspoons yeast
- 565 grams bread flour (strong/high-grade)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs (medium/large/size 6)
- 80 grams butter (melted and slightly cooled)
Brown Sugar Filling
- 60 grams butter
- 100 grams light brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon mixed spice (pumpkin spice)
Apple Pie Filling
- 5 medium apples (Peeled and diced into small pieces)
- 50 grams butter
- 75 grams white granulated sugar (caster/granulated)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon mixed spice (pumpkin spice)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 50 grams butter
- 110 grams cream cheese
- 300 grams icing sugar (powdered/confectioner's sugar)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Warm up the milk until it is lukewarm. Add in the sugar and yeast and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once the mixture is foamy, the yeast is alive.250 grams milk, 50 grams white granulated sugar, 2½ teaspoons yeast
- Combine the flour and salt in a bowl of a stand mixer. Mix the salt through the flour.565 grams bread flour, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the milk mixture, eggs and melted butter to the flour. Mix on a low speed with the dough hook for 10 minutes until the dough passes the window pan test. Take a small piece of dough and stretch it out until the dough is thin and you can see light through it. If the dough tears easily, it needs to be kneaded further.2 eggs, 80 grams butter
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and allow to proof for an hour to an hour and a half, or until the dough has risen at least 50% in size.
- For the brown sugar filling, combine the brown sugar, spices and butter in a heat-proof bowl and microwave until the butter has melted. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth and shiny. Set aside and allow to cool.60 grams butter, 100 grams light brown sugar, 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon mixed spice
- To make the apple pie filling, combine the peeled and diced apples, sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon and mixed spice into a skillet or large frying pan. Cook over medium heat until the apples are tender. Add in the cornstarch and stir until combined and the mixture is nice and thick. Set aside to cool.½ teaspoon mixed spice, 5 medium apples, 50 grams butter, 75 grams white granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Once the dough has proofed, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 35cm by 50cm big.
- Spread the brown sugar filling over the dough using a spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Spread the apple pie filling over the dough.
- Beginning on the long side of the dough, roll the dough up tightly. Pinch the seams together to seal in the filling along the length of the dough. Cut the roll into 12 equal portions using a sharp knife, or bench scraper.
- Place the rolls cut side down into your baking dish (9"x13" -23cm x 33cm- rectangular cake tin) leaving about 2 - 3 cm of space between the rolls to allow them to rise.
- Cover the rolls with a tea towel and allow to proof for 30 to 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/355F. Bake the rolls for 25 - 30 minutes.
- While the buns are baking, let the butter and cream cheese come to room temperature, you may need to pop them into the microwave for 10 seconds if they are too cold for creaming. Cream the butter and cream cheese together until well combined. About 3 to 4 minutes.50 grams butter, 110 grams cream cheese
- Add the icing sugar, salt and lemon juice, and whip until well combined using either a stand mixer, electric mixer or whisk for about 3 minutes. If the icing sugar is too thick, add in 1-2 tablespoons of milk if needed.300 grams icing sugar, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1-2 tablespoons milk, ¼ teaspoon salt
- The cinnamon rolls with apple pie filling can be frosted as soon as they come out of the oven or they can be cooled first.
- Serve warm or at room temp! Enjoy.
Notes
Kneading bread dough by hand
No stand mixer? No problem! If kneading by hand - do the following to make life a little easier. Don't add salt to the flour, salt prohibits gluten formation so we will add this a bit later. Combine the flour with the milk, melted butter and beaten eggs. Stir through until you have a shaggy dough and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This allows the flour to hydrate, stimulating gluten formation before you even begin kneading. Then add the salt and knead on a clean surface.Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate. If scaling the recipe remember to scale your cook and bakeware accordingly. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs,I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ann Taylor says
I love the ease of this recipe and the great taste
Mary-Lou says
Thank you so much Ann!
Debbe’ Baker says
These Apple stuffed cinnamon rolls are BEYOND DELICIOUS ‼️They’re my family’s newest Favorite ‼️I have to make these for my Pastor and Church Family 💞♥️❌♥️DEELISH ALL THE WAY 🥰
Mary-Lou says
Thank you so much, Debbe! Positive feedback like this always puts a smile on my face! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!