Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls

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:

• Baked Apples
• Apple Butter Crumb Cake
• Apple Crisp
• Apple Fritter Focaccia
• Apple Butter

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.