These Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls are pillowy soft, filled with homemade apple butter, and topped with a maple glaze.
Looking to bake more fall recipes? I’ve got you covered:
Apple Butter Cinnamon Roll Ingredients
All-purpose flour: I use the King Arthur brand. Spooned and leveled.
Milk: Warmed
Active dry yeast: To help the dough rise
Large egg: At room temperature
Granulated sugar: Just ¼ cup
Unsalted butter: Melted
Apple pie spice: Can sub pumpkin pie spice
Salt: To bring it all together
Apple butter: Either homemade or store-bought
Vanilla: For the dough and the glaze
For the filling: Softened butter, apple butter, and brown sugar
For the glaze: Powdered sugar, maple syrup, heavy cream, vanilla
How to Make Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls
Step 1: Make the dough
You’ll start by adding the warm milk and yeast to the bowl of a standing mixer. Let that bloom for about 5-10 minutes, or until it’s a bit foamy like this:
Next, add the melted butter, egg, sugar, and vanilla to the milk. Mix on low until it’s all incorporated, and then slowly add the flour about ½ cup at a time. While adding the flour, you can also add the salt and apple pie spice. Turn the mixer up to medium, and let it go for about 3-5 minutes.
Step 2: Knead the dough (& let it rise)
Scrap the dough onto a clean work surface that’s been dusted with a bit of flour. Flour the dough, and knead it just for a couple of minutes, or until it’s nice and supple. Then oil a clean bowl and add the dough. Cover it with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled in size (about 2 hours):
Step 3: Make the cinnamon rolls
Deflate the dough by punching it down, then scrape it onto a clean work surface that has been dusted with flour. Roll it out until it’s a rectangle, about ¼ of an inch thick. Brush softened butter all over it, and then add the apple butter.
If you’d like, now would be the time to sprinkle brown sugar (and some cinnamon if you’d like) all over the apple butter. Once done, you’ll want to make a log by rolling from the long end. Once at the other side, stretch the dough to wrap it around the log and seal it.
Step 4: Cut the cinnamon rolls
I like the score the log so I know how many I’ll be getting (about 9 from this recipe), and then I use kitchen twine to wrap around the log and make the cuts. I find it much easier, and you’ll get a better result than if you use a knife (I feel like knives just smoosh the rolls). Add them to your 8×8 pan. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let them rise until about doubled in size and touching — about 45 minutes. You can also preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit during this time.
Step 5: Bake the cinnamon rolls
Once the rolls have risen, brush them with a bit of melted butter, and then bake them in the preheated 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until browned and beautiful like this:
Step 6: Add the maple glaze
Make the glaze by combining the ingredients and whisking until smooth. Pour over the rolls while they’re still warm. To get them out cleanly, use a knife to make initial cuts.
Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- 1 8×8 cake pan
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 cups AP flour spooned and leveled
- ½ cup milk warmed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ⅛ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 large egg room temp
- 3 tbs unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp apple pie spice or sub pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Splash vanilla extract
For the filling
- 3 tbs unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup apple butter
- brown sugar optional
- cinnamon or apple pie spice optional
For the maple glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbs heavy cream
- 1 tbs maple syrup
- Splash vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and apple pie spice) and set aside. Add the milk and yeast to the bowl of a standing mixer. Let sit until a bit foamy, about 5-10 minutes. Add the melted butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Mix on low until combined, then slowly add the dry ingredients about ½ cup at a time. Then turn the mixer to medium and let knead for about 3-5 minutes.
- Dust a clean work surface with a bit of flour, then scrap the dough onto it. Use a little flour and knead for just a couple of minutes, or until it's nice and supple. Add to a clean, oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. (I let mine rise in the oven with the light on.)
- Remove the dough, then preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Punch the dough down, then scrap it onto a clean work surface that's been dusted with flour. Roll it out until it's a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Spread the softened butter all over it, then the apple butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar and spices if using, then roll it into a log (from the long side).
- Have your cake pan ready to go by spraying it with non-stick spray, greasing it, or lining it with parchment paper.
- Score the log so you know when you'll make your cuts. I like to do about 1.5 inch thick rolls. I use kitchen twine to cut mine by wrapping it under the dough, then pulling it at the top. This will cut the dough without flattening it. Add each roll to the baking pan, leaving a bit of room between each one. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size and all are touching eachother.
- Brush a little bit of melted butter on the top of the rolls, then bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until browned. Make the maple glaze while they're baking, and immediately glaze them while they're still hot.
- For clean removal, outline the rolls with a sharp knife. They'll be easier to lift that way.
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