There are days when breakfast shouts “cinnamon roll.” Well, at least that’s what hubby tells me. I’m just going to say it, there are no real health benefits to a cinnamon roll but they just taste soo good and satisfy a sweet tooth. And sometimes that’s what you need/want.
In an effort to add a little health value to these delicious rolls, I added apples. Hubby hardly noticed as he was inhaling them. This recipe makes quite a few (14 or so depending on size) so be prepared (or cut the recipe in half)! Our extras never made it to the freezer but we did share some with friends. It makes me feel a little better that we didn’t eat ALL of them between just the two of us. 🙂
There are a few steps to this recipe but totally worth the end result.
Honey crisp apples peeled and chopped.
Steps: saute apples, roll out the dough, spread apples and sauce on the dough, roll up, and cut.
Put rolls in prepared baking dishes and bake. Actually, these will fit in one 11″ or 13″ X 9″ baking dish. When I made the first batch I underestimated how large a baking dish I needed. Therefore you see that I had to use two dishes.
Frost and serve! This frosting is made up of simple powdered sugar and milk. If you prefer, frost with a cream cheese frosting for a thicker finish.
Indulge in a bit of sweetness!
Sweeten You Day With Apple Cinnamon Buns
Ingredients
- DOUGH FOR ROLLS
- 3/4 cup warm milk
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter soft
- APPLE FILLING
- 4 cups peeled and chopped apples
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter
- CINNAMON SUGAR FILLING
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ICING
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- OPTIONAL Icing
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray baking dish with cooking spray or generously butter.
- DOUGH
- Warm the milk and place it in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
- Add eggs, flour, sugar, and salt to the yeast mixture and mix to form a rough dough. Take pieces of the soft butter and continue to mix and knead until a smooth elastic dough forms, about 5-8 minutes.
- In a lightly oiled bowl, place the dough ball and cover. Let dough sit in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
- APPLE FILLING
- Melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the chopped apples, sugars, and cinnamon. Cook until the apples have softened and have released their juices, 4-6 minutes.
- Remove the apples from the pan, leaving the cooking liquid. Add 1/4 cup butter to the warm cooking liquid and stir until butter has melted. Set aside.
- CINNAMON FILLING
- In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- ASSEMBLE
- Once dough has doubled in size, transfer to a well-floured surface and roll into a 14 x 18-inch rectangle. Spread the surface with the apple cooking liquid. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon-brown sugar mixture, then top with an even layer of the cooked apples.
- Beginning at the bottom of the rectangle, begin to roll up the dough into a long log sealing along the empty top edge. Cut the log into approximately 14 equal pieces depending on how deep you want your rolls. (Mine were about 1 1/2 inches).
- Place the cut rolls on their sides in the prepared baking dish. Cover and let sit somewhere warm until puffy and nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Pour any extra apple liquid over the top of the rolls and bake for 40-45 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes.
- ICING
- Whisk powdered sugar with milk to the consistency you desire. Spread over the top of the rolls.
- OPTIONAL:
- Mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth, adjusting consistency with milk. Spread icing over the top of the rolls and serve.