A cross between cinnamon rolls and caramel rolls with an apple twist, these caramelized apple cinnamon rolls have just the right amount of sweetness with a wonderful oooey gooey caramel bottom and bits of apple throughout.
We have a box of honeycrisp apples from my dad’s tree. His apples came out really good this year, perfectly crisp and free of worms, and he had a HUGE crop of them too. My daughter decided one day to make some Caramelized Apples to top her waffles one day. It wasn’t morning, but since she is on a teenager’s sleep schedule, she wanted breakfast. My son was all for it because he loves waffles too. The Caramelized Apples recipe made plenty of saucy apples for her waffles, for eating with a spoon, AND we still had some left … so that’s how these rolls happened.
My daughter loooooves homemade cinnamon rolls. We’ve been making them together for years … ah but she loves caramel rolls too. These caramelized apple cinnamon rolls were her idea … a way of using up the last of her caramelized apples so they wouldn’t go to waste and also incorporating a drizzle of caramel sauce so the bottoms of the rolls got all wonderfully caramel-y. She pretty much did everything for these, aside from making the dough.
That part I’d already done when I made my sourdough Runza dough. My girl really doesn’t care for the Runza filling (although she likes cabbage in salads? I don’t get it …), but she loves the dough. We often make “puffs” with the Runza dough, simply shaping a third of the dough into a disc, then cutting it into eight triangular pie-shaped pieces, flatten each one slightly with the palm of the hand, set them on a baking sheet and bake at 375 F. for about 18 – 20 minutes or until golden brown. I typically make the dough, divide it into thirds, wrap in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. Then with only a few minutes notice, we can have hot, fresh puffs ready for her. She dips them in tuna salad. Or spreads peanut butter on the top. Or eats them plain.
Sometimes we make the dough into mini cinnamon rolls … another thing I’ve been MEANING to blog about, but well, then THESE happened.
If you don’t have any sourdough starter on hand, you can make the more traditional version of Runza dough for these rolls … or you can use the pre-made frozen bread dough from the store. Whatever works for you!
Before you make these rolls, you’ll want to cook up some Classic French Caramelized Apples … or if you want to try something a little different, I would suggest bourbon apples. Bourbon apples are SO freaking good on their own, so I know they would be ah-mazing in cinnamon rolls.
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Caramelized Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: About 10 rolls 1x
Ingredients
- About 1 lb. of Runza dough … or other sweet brioche bread dough
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons melted butter
- 1/2 cup caramelized honeycrisp apples, chopped into small pieces
- Caramel syrup, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 F. Spray a medium rectangular pyrex or 9×5 inch bread pan with cooking spray.
- On a clean, floured surface, roll out the bread dough into a long skinny rectangle about 6 inches wide and as long as you can make it. The dough should be thin, about 1/4 inch thick.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon.
- Brush the dough with melted butter, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. If you have any extra, save it for next time! Sprinkle evenly with the apples.
- Roll up the dough lengthwise, making a long, skinny log. Slice the log horizontally into rolls about 1 – 1 1/2 inches long. Set the rolls cut side down in the prepared pan, leaving space between them. Spray the tops with cooking spray, then cover the rolls with a clean kitchen towel and set them in the oven to rise. Turn OFF the oven while the buns are rising. In about 30 – 40 minutes, when the rolls have puffed up nicely and filled up the spaces in between them, they are ready to bake.
- Take the towel off, drizzle lightly with caramel syrup, then bake the rolls at 350 F. for about 20 – 25 minutes or until the rolls are set in the middle and lightly browned on top. Let cool briefly before eating.
Notes
We used Classic French Caramelized Apples (https://www.thespruceeats.com/caramelized-apples-recipe-1375146) for this recipe, but I think bourbon apples would also be delicious. If there is any liquid in the apples, drain off the liquid, then toss the apples with a Tablespoon of flour before spreading on the dough.
After rising if there is excess apple liquid in the bottom, use a baster to pull a good amount that liquid out of the pan before drizzling with caramel sauce.
RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/
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