Sticky Apple Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

We’ve already posted the world’s best cinnamon rolls recipe! My goodness, they are perfection! Imagine those with an apple filling and caramel-y sticky sauce drizzling down the sides. Yes, you have reached the peak of the apple dessert mountain. The pinnacle of perfection. Get your buns in that kitchen and make these sticky apple cinnamon rolls!

We usually associate apple desserts with fall, as we should! It is when apple are harvested and the cheapest at the grocery store. I live for this season when I can get honeycrisp apples for a somewhat reasonable price. Why are they so dang heavenly?!

But you don’t have to wait for fall to make these apple cinnamon rolls! They are 100% appropriate any time of year! Christmas or Easter breakfast, baby shower, Mother’s Day, family reunion, or just a random Saturday…these apple sweet rolls are a sure hit!

What Ingredients Do You Need for Sticky Apple Cinnamon Rolls?

Don’t get overwhelmed with the size of this ingredients list! There are 4 different components to this recipe, and many of the ingredients are repeated between components so it’s not really as long as it looks. Here is what you will need:

Rolls

• Water
• Whole Milk: activates the yeast, we recommend whole milk
• Instant Yeast: I almost always use instant yeast. It just gives me the best results every time.
• Sugar: feeds the yeast and makes the dough more tender
• Salt: enhances the flavor and sweetness of the dough
• Egg: adds structure to the dough
• Canola Oil
• Butter
• Flour: all purpose flour works great
• Soy Lecithin: emulsifier

Sticky Sauce

• Brown Sugar: sweetness
• Butter: give the caramel its richness
• Corn Syrup: thickness

Apple Filling

• Brown Sugar: sweetness and flavor
• Apples: half honeycrisp and half granny smith apples
• Cinnamon: flavor
• Nutmeg: flavor
• Cloves: flavor
• Butter

Icing

• Powdered Sugar: all the sweetness
• Butter: adds richness and binds the frosting together
• Vanilla: adds flavor
• Heavy Cream: allows you to choose your desired consistency

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card below.

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Rolls

You will start by making the dough, then while the dough is rising, you can make the other components. Here are the basic steps for the dough:

For the Dough

1. Heat the milk and water in the microwave until warm.
2. Add sugar and yeast and stir to combine. Allow the yeast to activate.
3. In a stand mixer, add the rest of the sugar and the salt, oil, butter and egg and mix everything to combine.
4. Add the yeast mixture and mix on low.
5. With the mixer still on low, add the flour and soy lecithin.
6. Once the flour is incorporated, turn the speed up to medium and mix until a soft dough forms.
7. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rise.
8. While the rough is rising, make the sticky sauce, filling and icing (see section below).

Three Important Apple Rolls Components

Sticky Sauce

1. Prepare your baking dish.
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter and then add in the brown sugar and corn syrup. Whisk thoroughly until it looks like caramel. Bring to a simmer.
3. Spread the caramel all over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Apple Filling

1. Peel, core and finely chop the apples. Place them in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, add the brown sugar, cornstarch and spices. Stir to combine.
3. Pour half of the brown sugar/spice mixture on top of the apples and stir to coat the apples.

Icing

1. Brown the butter. Allow it to cool.
2. Once the butter is cool, combine it with the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer until its smooth. Add cream as needed to reach the consistency you desire. Set aside until rolls are baked.

How to Assemble Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Now it is time to create the cinnamon rolls! This is my favorite part! They are so beautiful with that tight spiral and little chunks of apple sticking out. Here are the steps:

1. Roll the dough on a floured surface into a rectangle.
2. Spread the softened butter all over it and sprinkle it with the brown sugar/spice mixture (the half without the apples).
3. Then spread the coated apples evenly all over the dough.
4. Starting on the long side of the dough, roll the dough into a tight spiral. Seal the dough at the seam by pinching it shut.
5. Slice the rolled up dough with unflavored floss 1-1 1/2 inches thick. Place the rolls on top of the sticky sauce in the baking dish.
6. Allow the cinnamon rolls to rest and rise.
7. While the rolls are resting, preheat the oven.
8. Bake until the tops start to get golden brown. You don’t want to over bake them! Cover with foil if they start to brown too much.
9. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the rolls to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes.
10. Give the icing a stir and add to the rolls while they are still warm.
11. Serve while warm with extra sticky sauce!

All these instructions in full detail can be found in the recipe card below.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This probably doesn’t even need to be discussed, but just in case you need to see the reasons listed out, here you go…

• Tastes like two of your favorite desserts in one…cinnamon rolls and apple pie
• Can be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert
• That browned butter icing is a dream
• The sticky caramel sauce takes the gooey-ness factor over the top! Just like our pecan sticky buns!
• Fluffy homemade bread dough is tender, with golden crunchy edges and chewy in the middle

Other Options

If you want to add more to the filling, feel free to add in a couple of handfuls of these:

• Raisins
• Chopped Pecans
• Chopped Walnuts

What is Soy Lecithin?

Soy lecithin acts as an emulsifier so your bread will turn out softer and hold together well. I use it in everyone cinnamon rolls recipe! It really takes the rolls to the next level, but you can skip it if you don’t have any. You can keep it in the pantry and it has a shelf life of up to 2 years (even longer if you keep it in the fridge).

Can this Apple Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Be Made Ahead?

You can make these apple rolls ahead of time by baking them completely, allowing them to cool and then wrapping them without the icing in plastic wrap and then foil. When you’re ready to eat them, allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat at 375° for 15 minutes. Make the icing while they are warming up and add to the warm rolls.

Storing and Reheating

Leftover apple sweet rolls should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for 2-3 days. If you want them to last a little longer, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for a week but do tend to dry out a little faster in the refrigerator.

Apple cinnamon buns freeze extremely well. Place them in a freezer safe container and they will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

I love to reheat these babies either in the microwave or in the oven when I eat them as leftovers. Holy moly they are so delicious warmed up!

Cinnamon rolls are all about those golden edges and the warm gooey centers! Add in chunks of tart apple, a sticky caramel sauce and some browned butter icing and you have an apple cinnamon rolls recipe worth throwing an elbow for!

More Easy Apple Desserts: 

• Apple Cake with Caramel Frosting
• Apple Brown Betty
• Easy Apple Dumplings with Sprite
• Apple Pie Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
• Mini Dutch Apple Cheesecakes
• Apple Pie Bombs al la Mode
• Caramel Apple Sweet Rolls
• Apple Pie Pull-Apart Bread
• Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce
• Best Apple Crisp
• Apple Cider Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting
• Apple Pie Fried Ice Cream

REMEMBER TO SUBSCRIBE TO our FREE Oh Sweet Basil NEWSLETTER AND RECEIVE EASY RECIPES DELIVERED INTO YOUR INBOX EVERY DAY!

When you try a recipe, please use the hashtag #ohsweetbasil on INSTAGRAM for a chance to be featured in our stories!  FOLLOW OH, SWEET BASIL ON FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER FOR ALL OF OUR LATEST CONTENT, RECIPES AND STORIES.