Apple Cinnamon Rolls (with Pecans!)
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If you’re into making fresh homemade cinnamon rolls that people might actually fight over, then try this recipe! Apple cinnamon rolls will be your new family favorite cinnamon rolls.
These Apple Cinnamon Rolls are sheer seasonal BLISS! Soft, tender rolls perfectly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. They’re filled with cinnamon spice, brown sugar, and apples and baked atop a caramel pecan topping. Grab a cup of coffee, you’re going to need it!
What you need to make apple cinnamon rolls
Here’s everything you need to make these rolls. If you don’t want the caramel pecan layer simply leave it out and bake as directed in a butter pan.
- butter
- milk
- active dry yeast
- all-purpose flour, if you have bread flour, use it but this will also work with
all-purpose flour too - 1 tsp salt
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- 2 TBSP corn syrup
- butter
- brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground cardamom
- peeled and chopped apples
- pecan
- corn syrup
- 9×13 baking pan
- instant-read digital thermometer (optional)
- string or flavorless dental floss (to cut the cinnamon rolls)
These rolls for the GBBO Bake-Along
Every week during the new season of the GBBO we bake along in a facebook group. If you’re interested please join us!
The bakes for the first-ever Botanical Week
The bakes were inspired by botanicals, flowers, spices and so on. Think anything floral and you’re on the right track.
- Signature Bake: One Dozen Highly Spiced Rolls
- Technical Bake: Lemon and Thyme Bundt Cake
- Showstopper Bake: a Foral Masterpiece with a Baked Element
I chose to make cinnamon rolls because we love them and I’ve been wanting to make apple cinnamon rolls for a long time. But I also wanted to make a caramel layer with chopped pecans. So I did!
I’ve got Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls, Gingerbread Rolls, and Orange Rolls, so I needed a cinnamon roll in there.
About that digital thermometer
You don’t really need it. But an instant-read digital thermometer can change your bread baking for the better! You will know when your bread is done quickly and efficiently when you do use one. I finally looked it up and voila, answers!
For enriched dough, like these rolls, bake to between 180°F-200°F. I pulled mine at 190 and they were perfect!
For regular bread, bake the loaf to between 190°F and 210°F. I will try this on my Dutch Oven Bread and we’ll see how it works out. I will report back!
What kind of apples to use?
I used Jonagold for my rolls because I wanted some tooth to the apples. Firm, crispy apples will cook up nicely and not turn to mush. I’ve got a WHOLE POST on the best apples for baking. There’s a ton of useable information in that post!
Got leftovers?
These apple cinnamon rolls are best stored tightly covered. If you have enough room, put them in Pyrex Dishes with lids. Or there is a 9×13 Pyrex with a lid, if you have one of those, and they fit, use it! Otherwise, plastic wrap works fine.
Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- string or unflavored dental floss
Ingredients
Cinnamon Rolls
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 tsp yeast
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour if you have bread flour use it but this will also work with all-purpose flour too
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
Pecan Topping
- 2 TBSP corn syrup
- 4 TBSP unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 2/3 cup pecan halves
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- 6 TBSP unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 cups peeled and chopped apples
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
cinnamon rolls
- warm the milk and butter together until just warm, use a saucepan or the microwave
- when the milk is warm whisk in the yeast and set it aside to bubble up
- mix the flour, and spices together
- when the yeast and milk are bubbly add whisk the sugar into the milk
- pour the milk into the flour
- add the eggs
- turn the mixer to low and stir to combine using the bread hook
- once the dough starts to come together let the mixer run on low and knead the dough, if it seems very sticky, add up to 1/4 cup of flour one Tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together
- knead the dough for 5 minutes or until a soft pliable dough comes together
- lightly grease a bowl and turn the dough out into it, cover the bowl tightly,and let the dough double in size
- meanwhile warm the butter, corn syrup and brown sugar together in a saucepan until melted, stir in the salt
- pour into a 9×13 baking pan
- chop the pecans and sprinkle them over the filling in the prepared pan, set aside
- mix the dry ingredients for the filling together and set aside
- melt the butter for the filling
- peel and chop the apples and set aside
- when the dough is doubled in size gently press the air out of it
- lightly flour the counter and pat the dough out to a rectangle
- then gently roll the dough out to a 12×18-inch rectangle
- brush the melted butter over the dough
- sprinkle half the filling mix over the prepared dough, add the apples evenly
- sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar filling
- sprinkle the salt over the top of the filling
- starting on one long edge and roll up the dough
- when you get a long dough roll trim off each end
- use the string or dental floss to cut the roll into 12 rolls
- lay the rolls evenly across the caramel topping in the pan
- cover the pan with foil or plastic wrap and then lay a dishtowel over the pan
- let the rolls double in size
- about 15 minutes before the rolls are done rising preheat the oven
- when the rolls are doubled remove the towel and foil
- bake the rolls for 20-24 minutes, you can use an instant read digital thermometer to check for doneness you're looking for 180-200° F for enriched dough
- once finished invert the dough on a lined platter or baking tray
