Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Kirsten Kubert

Yields 24

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Warm and gooey cinnamon rolls made that much better with the addition of crisp, tart apples in the filling. Serve them as a sticky bun, or adorned with flowing cream cheese icing.

3 hr, 30 Prep Time

20 minCook Time

3 hr, 50 Total Time

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Ingredients

For the Dough:
• 1 ½ C. 2% milk
• ¼ C. Half & Half
• ½ C. granulated sugar
• ½ C. canola oil
• 4 ½ C. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• 2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast
For the Filling:
• 1 C. unsalted butter, softened
• 4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¾ C. light brown sugar, packed
• 1 small Honeycrisp (or Granny Smith) apple, peeled, cored, and finely diced (about 1 ¼ cups)
• 1/8 tsp. salt
For the Icing:
• 2 ½ C. (1 pound by weight) powdered sugar
• 3 Tbs. half and half
• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Dough:
1. Before applying heat—pour the milk, half and half, canola oil, and sugar into a Dutch oven, whisking to combine. Heat the milk mixture over medium heat until it begins to simmer and bubble around the edges, whisking occasionally. (Do not allow the mixture to come to a rapid boil.)  Turn off the heat and allow to cool to lukewarm (warm, but not hot to the touch.)
2. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, over top of the wet ingredients. Sprinkle the yeast over everything, and stir with a wooden spoon until it comes together to form a smooth, yet sticky dough.
3. Cover the Dutch oven with a clean towel, and allow mixture to rise until it doubles in bulk--about 2 hours. After the initial rise, place a lid on the pot, and refrigerate overnight. The dough is quite sticky, and will be easier to work with after being refrigerated. Refrigeration also slows the yeast activity while still allowing the dough to rise. The cold dough also helps the rolls to better retain their shape in the oven. (Overnight refrigeration is not mandatory, it just makes the dough easier to work with.)
4. At this point, I usually take the butter for the filling, and the cream cheese for the icing out of the ‘fridge and set it on the counter so that it is ready to use in the morning. (You do what makes you comfortable.)
5. Take the dough out of the refrigerator the next morning, and allow it to stand at room temperature while preparing the filling and icing.
For the Filling:
6. In a small bowl, beat the softened butter, ground cinnamon, and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until it is fluffy and lightens in color; set it aside while whipping up the icing. Peel and core the apple, and then finely dice it.
For the Icing:
7. In a medium bowl, beat together the powdered sugar, softened cream cheese, half and half, melted butter and vanilla extract until it’s smooth and creamy.  At this point, the icing should be thick, soft, gooey, and pourable.
To Assemble the Cinnamon Rolls:
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease four 9-inch (glass or aluminum) pie plates (or two glass 9” x 13” baking dishes) with butter; set aside. (I normally use about a tablespoon of cold butter to grease the pie plates. I, however, do not recommend using dark and/or nonstick pans as they cook the outside of the rolls too quickly, darkening/crisping the outsides before the centers are done.)
9. Turn the dough out onto a clean, well floured work surface.  If possible, have a bench scraper handy when working with the dough. Lightly flour the top of the dough, and roll it evenly into a 24” x 8” rectangle. Dough should be about ¼ inch thick.  If at any time the dough sticks to the rolling pin, sprinkle the dough with a little more flour.
10. Use an offset spatula to spread the cinnamon sugar filling over the dough, to within ½-inch of the edges. Sprinkle the finely diced apple evenly over the filling, maintaining the untouched ½-inch margin.
11. Beginning with the long side farthest from you, roll the dough tightly over the filling, working towards yourself. If at any point the dough is sticking to the work surface, gently run a thin bench scraper under it to loosen without tearing the dough. Once the dough has been rolled, pinch the edges and seams together to seal the buttery goodness of the filling inside.
12. Take your time to roll it tight—we don’t want any loosey-goosey cinnamon rolls!  Use a sharp knife to cut the roll into twenty-four 1-inch pieces. Place the pieces (cut side up) into the prepared pie plates, about an inch or so apart. I usually place 6 rolls in each pie plate—one in the center, with five around the perimeter. (Or when using 9” x 13” baking dishes, I place 12 rolls in each dish—3 rows of 4 rolls.) Once all the rolls are cut and nestled in their pie plates, allow them to rest for about 10 minutes.
13. Now is an excellent time to preheat the oven, if you haven’t already. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 17-20 minutes, or until they are lightly golden brown around the edges, and the centers are set, but haven’t browned. Remove cinnamon rolls from the oven to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
14. After the 10 minute rest, pour icing over the still warm cinnamon rolls—you will have more than enough icing to cover 24 rolls. Pouring the icing while the rolls are still warm will allow it to seep into the creases of the rolls--this is a very good thing. Use an offset spatula to ensure that the icing is covering every exposed inch of the cinnamon rolls.
15. Allow rolls to cool for another 10 minutes, if you desire to serve them warm; or, allow rolls to cool completely before eating, depending on your preference. Store leftover cinnamon rolls tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Notes