Soft, buttery, cozy apple cinnamon rolls ready in under an hour! Baked in a 9x13 pan to yield 12 rolls, they're perfect for weekend treats, cozy Fall mornings, or a thoughtful gift for neighbors!
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Why I Love These Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- 1 Hour, no overnight rise: wake up in the morning craving cinnamon rolls? No problem! Whip these apple cinnamon rolls up in just an hour. They use my 1 hour cinnamon roll dough, so overnight rise is needed!
- Soft & tender: super soft, fluffy gooey cinnamon rolls with bites of perfectly tender apples mixed in!
- Best fall treat: not only are these easy apple cinnamon rolls delicious but will make your house smell like the ultimate Fall bakery with lots of cozy apple pie vibes!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter in most of my baking but if you only have salted, you can use that and simply omit the salt.
- Milk: The milk definitely gives the rolls a more moist, stretchy, and perfect bread texture. Water will work, the texture will just be a little less tender. So I definitely recommend using milk when you can! Using 1%, 2% or whole milk is best (or even buttermilk!), as we want a little fat in there that skim milk doesn't offer.
- Yeast: You can use either instant or dry active yeast in these; I most often use Fleischmann's brand. In the past, I would only use dry active yeast in my one hour cinnamon rolls but I've since started using instant yeast and it works just as well. Even though you don't technically need to bloom instant yeast in liquid, I still do this step for these cinnamon rolls (as written in the recipe).
- Sugar: You'll need both white granulated sugar and light brown sugar for the cinnamon rolls and powdered sugar for the frosting.
- All-purpose flour: This recipe does not work well with gluten-free flour, so I do not recommend swapping it out. If you want a chewier texture, you can try them with bread flour.
- Fresh apples: Honeycrisp apples or granny smith apples work best! You want an apple that bakes well (and doesn't get too mushy like red delicious).
- Spices: Grab some cinnamon and apple pie spice! Do not add cinnamon to the dough, as it impacts the rise.
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Rolls:
Step 1: Make Dough
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt unsalted butter(¼ cup, i.e. ½ stick) for 45 seconds. Pour into a larger, medium-sized bowl. Using that same small bowl you just microwaved the butter in, pour in milk (1 cup) and microwave for 45 seconds.
- Once done, pour warm milk in with the butter. Add in active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons, i.e. 1 packet) and granulated sugar (¼ cup); stir with a whisk until dissolved. Cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Once your yeast mixture has been sitting for 10 minutes, remove cover and mix in egg (1 large), salt (½ teaspoon), and vanilla extract (1 teaspoon). Once combined, start adding in all-purpose flour (3½ cups total), one cup at a time. You should be able to mix this with a spatula until you get to the end of adding the flour. At that point, you will need to use your hands. Keeping the dough in the bowl, gently form it into a ball. If dough is sticky, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour to the outside. Cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes (while waiting, proceed to next step to make filling).
Step 2: Chop Apples
- Chop apples into small ¼" cubes. I use my Fullstar vegetable chopper on the smaller grid size for even sized diced apples.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together light brown sugar (½ cup), granulated sugar (½ cup), cinnamon (2 tablespoons), apple pie seasoning (1 teaspoon) and vanilla extract (1 teaspoon). Add chopped apples and toss until coated.
Step 3: Roll Dough
- After 10 minutes, remove cover and place cinnamon roll dough on a lightly floured surface (about ½ - 1 tablespoon flour). I prefer taping down a piece of parchment paper to my counter, but you can also roll directly on a clean countertop. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and on the rolling pin, then roll the dough in a large rectangle (approximately a 14×18") that is ¼" thick.
- Once rolled, spread softened unsalted butter* (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick) over the dough, followed by the cinnamon sugar apple filling, making sure to spread to the outside edges.
- Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 strips, then roll each one individually. This method helps the rolls puff up more and gives a nicer appearance. Alternatively, you can roll the dough from the short side into a log and slice it with a serrated knife.
- Step 1: Combine all spices into a large bowl and combine thoroughly with mixture
- Step 2: Form into ball shape with your hands
Step 4: Bake
Place cut cinnamon rolls in a greased 9×13 baking pan and bake at 350°F for 24-26 minutes until the tops are slightly golden brown.
Step 5: Frost
Allow to cool for a bit (10-15 minutes) before adding frosting to prevent the frosting from totally melting. If you plan to eat them later, wait to frost until they're cooled for a prettier frosting presentation.
- Add softened unsalted butter(¼ cup, i.e. ½ stick), softened cream cheese (4-ounces), powdered sugar (1 ½ cups), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), and a pinch of salt to a medium-sized bowl and use a hand mixer or stand mixer on low speed to mix until combined and smooth (about 30-60 seconds).
- Slather on warm rolls and enjoy!
Tips & Variations
- Pan size: You can technically split this into two 9-inch round pans, but I prefer 9×13 because you'll get more soft rolls (as the round pan exposes more edges and the edges will be a little harder). I don't know about you, but the center rolls are the best ones!
- For a non-cream cheese frosting: try this easy cinnamon roll frosting with NO cream cheese!
- Want to take these cinnamon rolls to the next level? Drizzle a little extra caramel sauce for an extra decadent treat!
Storage & Freezing
- Storage: If frosted, cover and place in fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. If unfrosted, no refrigeration is needed.
- Freezing: Cover and freeze baked cinnamon rolls for 1-2 months. I don't suggest freezing the unbaked dough for these.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I make these homemade cinnamon rolls the night before?
You can, although they will end up being much puffier than what these photos show (which can sometimes mean they bake faster & are more airy & therefore crunchy).
To make the night before: prep the recipe up until baking, cover the pan with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When ready to bake, allow to come to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before baking.
Can I make these homemade apple cinnamon rolls without yeast?
I tested my 1-hour traditional cinnamon rolls with 1 tablespoon of baking powder instead of the yeast and while they did puff up a bit, the texture wasn't great. So I wouldn't recommend it unless you're OK with the texture being more dense, less "bread-like" and a little gummier. But if it was me, I'd just wait to make these until you pick up a packet of yeast - it's worth it! (If you do add this, skip the first 10 minute proof and add baking powder at the same time as the flour.)
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Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Makes: 12
Soft & cozy apple cinnamon rolls ready in under an hour! Baked in a 9x13 pan with no overnight rise needed, these are the perfect Fall treat!
Ingredients
⭐️ Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor afterwards and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- Be sure to view images in post above for visuals for each step!
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt ¼ cup unsalted butter (½ stick) for 45 seconds. Pour into a larger, medium-sized bowl. Using that same small bowl you just microwaved the butter in, pour in 1 cup milk and microwave for 45 seconds. Once done, pour milk in with the butter. Add in 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast teaspoons, i.e. 1 packet) and ¼ cup granulated sugar; stir with a whisk until dissolved. Cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Once your dough starter has been sitting for 10 minutes, remove cover and mix in 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Once combined, start adding in 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour total, one cup at a time. You should be able to mix this with a spatula until you get to the end of adding the flour. At that point, you will need to use your hands. Keeping the dough in the bowl, gently form it into a ball. If dough is sticky, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour to the outside. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes (while waiting, proceed to next step to make filling).
- Chop Apples: Chop 2 apples into small ¼" cubes. I use my Fullstar vegetable chopper on the smaller grid size.
- Make Filling: In a medium-sized bowl, mix together ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon apple pie spice and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add chopped apples and toss until coated.
- After 10 minutes, remove cover and place dough on a flour-covered surface (about ½ - 1 tablespoon flour). I prefer taping down a piece of parchment to my counter, but you can also roll directly on a clean countertop. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and on the rolling pin, then roll the dough until it is approximately a 14×18" rectangle that is ¼" thick.
- Once rolled, spread softened ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick) over the dough, followed by the cinnamon sugar apple mixture, making sure to spread to the outside edges.
- Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 strips, then roll each one individually. This method helps the rolls puff up more and gives a nicer appearance. Alternatively, you can roll the dough from the short side into a log and slice it with a serrated knife.
- Place cut cinnamon rolls in a greased 9×13 baking pan and bake at 350°F for 24-26 minutes until the tops are slightly golden brown. Allow to cool for a bit (10-15 minutes) before adding frosting to prevent the frosting from totally melting. If you plan to eat them later, wait to frost until they're cooled for a prettier frosting presentation.
To Make Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Add softened ¼ cup unsalted butter (½ stick), softened 4 ounces cream cheese, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoons vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to a medium-sized bowl and use a hand or stand mixer to mix until combined and smooth (about 30-60 seconds). Slather on warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
This recipe is amazing! The portion size and the measurements of everything are just the right amount! I made this for my family tonight and they are requesting more this weekend!
I am so glad to hear you and the fam enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for leaving a review!