Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls

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Fluffy cinnamon rolls filled with gooey apple butter and topped with cream cheese frosting, the flavor of autumn just doesn’t get any better than this!  This Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls recipe features our very own homemade slow cooker apple butter that is slow-cooked for a full 24 hours to achieve the deepest, most flavorful caramelized apple butter ever!

Cinnamon rolls are something that practically everyone loves.  My husband, Todd, is the kind of person who rarely craves sweets (a rare breed but yes, they exist).  But he’ll never ever pass up cinnamon rolls.  That irresistible aroma that fills the house while they’re baking, the feeling of sinking your teeth into that soft gooey goodness topped with cream cheese frosting….  There’s just something about cinnamon rolls that feels like coming home.

These Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls are a slam-dunk winner.  It’s the recipe I use for standard cinnamon rolls and creates perfectly fluffy rolls.  But after making a batch of homemade apple butter recently, I was enjoying a spoonful of it and contemplating other ways to use it.  The thought of cinnamon rolls came to mind – imagine spreading them not only with brown sugar and cinnamon but also a generous layer of rich apple butter.  So I put it to the test and the end result was absolutely divine.

This recipe features my homemade 24-hour Slow Cooker Apple Butter, but you can use store-bought as well (but trust me, it won’t taste as good!

Our homemade apple butter has such a deeply rich, caramelized flavor, I’m confident you’re going to fall in love with it.  It’s also quite thick – thicker than most store-bought apple butters, and so it’s better suited for using as a filling.

And though I realize this recipe is for apple butter cinnamon rolls, you don’t have to use apple butter at all and can omit it to make standard cinnamon rolls.  To do that, spread the dough with 1/3 cup softened butter instead of the apple butter at the appropriate step.  This recipe makes the most wonderful cinnamon rolls!

Can Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls Be Made Ahead? 

They sure can!  You have a couple options:

Option 1 (Refrigerate): After you’ve placed the rolls in the baking pan (don’t let them rise), immediately cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge overnight. The next morning place them on the middle rack in the oven (turned off), fill a shallow pan ⅔ full of boiling water and place it on the rack below the cinnamon rolls. Close the oven door. Let the rolls sit in there for about 30-40 minutes until they’ve risen. Then bake as instructed.

Option 2 (Freeze): After you’ve placed the rolls in the baking pan (don’t let them rise) place them in the freezer (don’t use a glass pan). Remove them and set them out on the counter to thaw completely (you could set them out overnight) and then continue with the rising process as instructed.

Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Let’s get started!

Stir the yeast into the warm milk and let sit for 5 minutes.  It will be frothy on top.

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, make a well in the center, and add the eggs, butter, vanilla extract, and yeast/milk mixture.

Attach a dough hook to the stand mixer and knead the dough on the bread setting (“2” on a Kitchenaid) for about 10 minutes.

The dough will be stiff but not dry or very sticky.

Remove the dough and form it into a ball.  Lightly spray the same bowl with vegetable oil and place the dough ball back in the bowl.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough sit in a warm place to rise until nearly doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

Once the dough is nearly doubled in size punch the dough down in the center and let it rest for 1 minute.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 16X21 rectangle.

The dough will likely spring back, let it rest for a minute and roll it back out to size.

Combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon in a bowl.

Spread the apple butter over the surface of the dough, leaving about 1/4 inch space around the border.

Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.

Sprinkle over the apple pieces.

Roll up the dough.

Place it seam side down and slice into 15 equal rolls.

Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch pan.  

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let them sit in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 30-40 minutes.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

To make the cream cheese frosting:

Combine the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Beat until smooth.

If you prefer more of a cream cheese glaze, spread the frosting over the rolls while they’re still warm so the frosting melts.  If you prefer a fluffier cream cheese frosting, spread the frosting over cooled cinnamon rolls.

Enjoy!

For more delicious apple goodies be sure to try my:

• Baked Apple Cider Donuts
• German Apple Cake
• Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls 
• Apple Streusel Muffins
• Slow Cooker Apple Butter
• Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Cereal
• Curried Apple & Butternut Squash Soup
• Apfelschorle (German Apple Spritzer)

Originally published on The Daring Gourmet September 30, 2013