Apple Cinnamon Rolls

I know everybody has their pumpkin spice lattes in hand, but for me the start of fall always makes me think of apples. Crisp mornings, Nora Jones playing softly through the house, my local orchard open for picking, and little hands reaching for just one more apple to crunch on during our homeschool breaks. Even though the mid days are still hot here in the desert, it still feels like the true beginning of autumn. This year, a dear friend asked me if I could create a recipe for apple cinnamon rolls. She wanted something special, that captured the cozy flavors of fall in one bite, something she could make with her sweet daughters, crowded together in the kitchen. Challenge accepted!

Let me tell you, these apple cinnamon rolls turned out to be the taste of fall I didn't even know we were missing! Brioche is richer than standard bread, because of the egg, milk, and butter, which give it that tender, bakery style softness. Brioche dough, swirled with warm cinnamon, buttery brown sugar, and tender apple pieces cooked just until they’re sweet and fragrant. The apples bring that little burst of tartness and texture that makes these rolls so much more than your classic cinnamon roll. But the real magic is in the brown butter cream cheese frosting. Brown butter adds a nutty, caramel-like depth that balances perfectly with the tang of cream cheese. Spread generously over the warm rolls, it melts into the swirls, making every bite sticky, sweet, and full of fall flavor.

Ingredients:

Makes 8 large apple cinnamon rolls.

For the Brioche Dough:

350g (2 3/4 cup) all-purpose flour

50g (1/4 cup) white sugar

180g (3/4 cup) milk, warm

1 egg

10g (3 1/4 teaspoons) dry active yeast

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

40g (4 tablespoons) butter, at room temp

For the filling:

107g (1/2 cup) brown sugar

50g (1/4 cup) white sugar

1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

84g (6 tablespoons butter), browned

2 apples, chopped

For the brown butter cream cheese frosting:

57g (4 tablespoons) butter, browned

6oz cream cheese, room temp

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

300g (2 1/2 cups) powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

1 Start by making the brioche dough. Add all the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a bread hook and mix until just combined. Next, with the mixer on low, add the butter one tablespoon at a time. Mix the dough on low until it pulls cleanly from the sides of a bowl and a nice soft dough forms, about 15 minuets of mixing. Cover and allow the dough to rise for about 1.5 hours.

2 While the dough is rising, make the filling and frosting. Mix all the filling ingredients together, chop the apples and set aside. For the frosting, whip everything up with a hand mixer or whisk (it's so important that the cream cheese is room temperature, otherwise with you will have a hard time getting the frosting smooth).

3 Once the dough has risen, roll it out to about 20x15. spread the sugar mixture and sprinkle over the apples. Roll up the dough starting from the short end. Cut into eight pieces and place in a 13x9 buttered baking dish. Cover and allow the apple cinnamon rolls to rise again for 30 minuets.

4 Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minuets. Check the rolls, if they are getting too dark, cover with foil and bake for another 10 minuets for a total of 40 minuets. Once the rolls are done, allow them to cool for 30 minuets then slather on the frosting. Enjoy warm with a giant cup of hot coffee or a cold glass of milk. Happy apple fall!

Side note: I used a 10-inch cast iron pan to make mine, but they did get a bit squished. Next time I will use a 13x9 baking dish, so the rolls have more room to rise up.

For me, recipes like this are about more than food. They’re about slowing down, marking the change of seasons, and sharing something homemade with people we love. Baking these apple cinnamon rolls with my kids by my side, little fingers sneaking apple slices, flour dust in the air, is exactly how I want to remember the start of fall. I have to thank my friend for asking me to create this recipe, because now it’s one I know will become a tradition in our home every apple season!

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I hope you get to jump into your first fall leaf pile soon! Want to stay in the loop and never miss another blog post? Don't forget to subscribe to my email list!

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