Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

One of my favorite things to make is my Dutch Apple Pie. It’s something I make for Thanksgiving, Christmas, July 4th, and, well, because who really needs an excuse to make pie?

But this post isn’t about pie. Not really. It’s about what happens when my favorite pie and one of my favorite breakfast items, cinnamon rolls, have a baby and I become the happiest girl in the world.

These cinnamon rolls have all the best parts of my Dutch Apple Pie and classic cinnamon rolls: apples sweetened and coated in warm cinnamon and spices wrapped in a blanket of fluffy dough and topped brown sugar crumble and vanilla drizzle.

Oh. The drizzle 😍

Before jumping into this one, make sure you plan ahead. The recipe itself is pretty easy, but it takes a long time due to the proofing. You can get up early and make this (plan for a 3 – 3 1/2 hour process), or make the rolls the night before you want the rolls, take them out for the second proof in the morning, and enjoy hot out of the oven.

My timeline:

I like to start the dough and once it starts the first proof, I start on the filling. When I finish the filling, I cover it and leave it out until the dough is ready to be rolled out.

I cover the counter in plastic wrap (makes cleanup so much easier!) and sprinkle with flour, roll out the dough, spread the filling across it, roll it up, and slice it into 9 equal pieces. I nestle them into a greased pan, cover, pop in the fridge… and go to bed.

Yep. No waiting around for a second proof for me! I’m not a morning person, so I do all the prep work in the afternoon or evening and leave the second rise for the morning. I take the rolls out of the fridge and set it on the counter to rise for another for another 45 minutes while I get ready for the day, then preheat the oven. Just before putting the rolls in the oven, I make the crumble topping and sprinkle it on top — if you make this ahead of time, just make sure you keep it in the fridge until the last minute. It needs to stay super cold!

Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled for a bit, I drizzle on the icing and we dig in. Yum! 🤤

Dough Ingredients

• 2 1/4 Teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
• 1/3 Cup Milk, warmed to steaming but not boiling
• 1/4 Cup Butter, melted
• 1 Egg
• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 1/4 Cups Flour, plus some for dusting
• 1 Teaspoon Vegetable Oil

Dough Instructions

• Add the yeast to the heated milk, mix, and let sit, covered, for 3-5 minutes to bloom.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except for the flour and oil and beat with a stand or hand mixer. Mixture will be liquidy.
• Add in flour and mix with a spoon until dough begins to form.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, approximately 5 minutes. If dough is wet and sticky, sprinkle flour in a tablespoon at a time as needed.
• Form dough into a round and place in a large, lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and place somewhere without a draft (an oven that is off is a good place). Leave to rise for 1 hour.
• After an hour, gently deflate and turn onto a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out into a rectangle (1/4″ thick roughly 10×12).
• Spread filling across dough, leaving a 1/4″ margin at the edges to avoid filling spilling out.
• Tightly roll dough and trim off edges. Cut into 9 even pieces. Place rolls into a lightly greased 8×8 pan. Cover and place somewhere without a draft for 30-60 minutes for rolls to proof, OR cover and refrigerate overnight. Allow to sit on the counter, covered, and rise for 45-60 minutes before baking.

Apple Pie Filling Ingredients

• 2 Cups Apples, chopped
• 1/4 Teaspoon Allspice
• 1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
• 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons White Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Flour

Apple Pie Filling Instructions

1. Toss all ingredients together and spread across dough.

Crumble Topping Ingredients

• 1/4 Cup Cold Butter, Cubed
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 3 Tablespoons Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Crumble Topping Instructions

1. Mix together all ingredients except for butter.
2. Add butter and use a pastry blender to cut into dry ingredients until mixture resembles wet sand. If you make this ahead of time, keep it in the fridge until it’s time to sprinkle on top of cinnamon rolls — it needs to be kept very cold!
3. Sprinkle over the top of cinnamon rolls right before baking.

Bake at 350 for 28-30 minutes. Allow cinnamon rolls to cool for about 15 minutes before icinng.

Vanilla Drizzle Icing Ingredients

• 1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 – 1 1/2 Teaspoon Water

Vanilla Drizzle Icing Instructions

1. Pour the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon of water in a bowl and stir.
2. If the icing is too thick, add more water, 1/4 teaspoon at a time. If it becomes too thin, add powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time. The icing should be thin enough to pour off a spoon in a steady stream, but not watery.
3. Wait until the rolls have cooled (at least 15 minutes) before drizzling the icing over the top. You can use as much or as little as you like!

Make sure you tag me on Instagram or drop a comment letting me know how your Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls turned out! ❤️