Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing

Cinnamon Rolls… but better!

Traditional cinnamon rolls are always a hit, but adding apples to the mix really does take them to the next level. The apples create a sweet, tangy bite that pairs perfectly with the warm cinnamon-sugar filling. Then, to take it from good to great, these apple cinnamon rolls get a good dollop of maple icing, bringing all the flavors of fall to the forefront!  

What You’ll Need

Let’s talk about the dough. Obviously, most of a cinnamon roll is dough so we know it’s the most important ingredient. While you could pick up some pre-made bread dough for this treat, I really encourage you to make your own. I promise it is not hard and just takes 10 minutes in a mixer and then 2 hours to rise. That little extra work makes a huge difference in flavor because cinnamon roll dough is enriched with egg yolk, butter and milk. It’s soft and sweet and your apple cinnamon rolls deserve it! Aside from the dough, you’ll just need two apples, cinnamon, brown sugar and some butter.

How to Roll Apple Cinnamon Rolls

There are really just two tips for rolling cinnamon rolls. The first is to make sure you leave one long end of the dough uncovered and dry. You’ll see in the images above that I chose the end closest to me. The second tip is that once you’ve rolled the dough out, brushed it with butter and sprinkled the cinnamon sugar and apples on top, it’s important to roll the dough up as tightly as you can. Tightly rolled cinnamon rolls look best when baked. 

Make Ahead Option

These apple cinnamon rolls have a second rise once they are placed together in a 9″x13″ baking pan. This is where the rolls spread into each other, which forces them to rise vertically when baked (because there’s no room to spread outward). It takes about an hour in a warm part of your kitchen for them to be ready to bake, but…. if you want to make these the day before you bake them, you can stop at this point, wrap the pan with plastic wrap and pop the pan into the refrigerator overnight instead. It makes freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the morning a dream. Just take the pan out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for an hour before baking.

How Long to Bake Cinnamon Rolls

It will take about 30 minutes at 375˚F to bake these beauties. Keep some aluminum foil near by to pop on top of the rolls if they start to get too brown. Let them rest in the pan after baking for about 10 minutes before icing.

Icing for Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Speaking of icing… To make the icing, whisk together powdered sugar and milk until smooth. The consistency should be thick but pourable. Then, stir in the maple syrup. Once the rolls are out of the oven and slightly cooled, drizzle the icing generously over the top. It will sink down into all the crevices spreading that maple flavor around. (If you prefer cream cheese icing, you could substitute the icing from the traditional cinnamon rolls.)

How to Store Apple Cinnamon Rolls

If you have leftovers (which, honestly, would be unbelievable), store the apple cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, refrigerate them for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the rolls individually for up to 2 months. Just reheat them in the microwave for about 30 seconds or in the oven at 300°F for 10 minutes.

Apple cinnamon rolls combine the best parts of cinnamon rolls and apple pie, making them a must-try for fall. With make-ahead options and easy storage, there’s really no reason not to give these a try!