Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

A cinnamon roll that has a bite out of it on a white plate. A clear baking pan with the rest of the cinnamon rolls in it, sits behind the plate.

These caramel apple cinnamon rolls have an apple pie filling, a caramel cream cheese topping, and are finished off with a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine North American

Prep Time 50

Cook Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 671kcal

Author Nina

Ingredients

Caramel Sauce

1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup salted butter room temperature
¼ cup heavy whipping cream

Cinnamon Roll Dough

1 teaspoon yeast
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk warm
2 large eggs room temperature
⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
4-5 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Filling

⅔ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup salted butter divided, room temperature
2 apples cored and finely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 ½ tablespoons water

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
¼ cup caramel made earlier
1 ½ cups powdered sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Caramel Sauce

Add sugar to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. The sugar will start to melt in a few minutes. Start whisking until all the sugar has melted. It will clump up a bit as it melts and that's okay.
Once the sugar has melted, stop whisking. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir until the sugar turns to an amber colour.
Immediately add the butter to the pan, and stir to mix it in.
Remove the pan from the heat once the butter has melted, and add the whipping cream. Stir to combine. Pour caramel sauce through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl.
Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the caramel. Let the caramel cool at room temperature, and then store in the refrigerator.

Cinnamon Roll Dough

Place yeast, sugar, and warm milk into a large bowl. Add eggs and combine. Then add butter and mix.
Add 3 ½ cups of the flour and salt to the bowl. Knead, adding more flour as needed. Add flour just until the dough is not too sticky and cleans the side of the bowl if using a stand mixer.
Place dough into a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm environment until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Filling

While the dough is rising, make the filling. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, ¼ of the butter, and chopped apples together in a medium saucepan.
Heat over medium heat until the sugar and butter has melted, stirring occasionally. Add water and cornstarch to a small bowl and mix until cornstarch has dissolved. Add it to the saucepan and stir to combine.
Lower the heat and continue cooking the mixture until the apples have softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Assembly

Place risen dough on to a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 15x20 inches.
Spread the remaining ¼ cup butter from the filling ingredients all over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border.
Add spoonfuls of the filling mixture over the dough, then spread it evenly over the dough.
Roll the dough starting at the long side of the rectangle. Cut the dough into 12 rolls and place them into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
If you are baking right away, preheat oven to 350°F. Cover the cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap and place in a warm environment until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven onto a wire rack to cool slightly before frosting.
For overnight cinnamon rolls, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until morning. The next day, let the cinnamon rolls come to room temperature and then double in size. I do this in a warmed up oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven onto a wire rack to cool slightly before frosting.

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Add cream cheese and butter to a large bowl, and mix until they are well combined and smooth. Add ¼ cup of the caramel and the powdered sugar. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add frosting to tops of baked and slightly cooled cinnamon rolls. Drizzle remaining caramel sauce over top of the frosting.
Store leftover cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

You can make the caramel sauce the day before (or buy it).

I don't suggest using store bought apple pie filling. It will have too much liquid in it, and will make your cinnamon buns soggy.

You can substitute unsalted butter for salted butter. Leave out the extra salt in the recipe.

To speed up warming the cinnamon buns the next day, preheat your oven to 100°F (40°C). Turn off the oven and put the plastic wrap covered cinnamon buns in the warm oven. They should warm up and double in size in about 30-45 minutes.

Nutrition