Apple Cinnamon Rolls

How to mix the dough

1. Cut the butter into small chunks and place on a plate in the freezer to chill.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the yeast and warm apple cider and let sit for 10 minutes until bubbly.
3. Pour the vinegar into a 2 cup measuring cup and then fill the cup up to the “2 cup” line with milk and let sit for 10 minutes to make a fake buttermilk.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
5. Remove the butter from the freezer and cut the butter into the flour until it resembles course sand, with a few pea sized bits of butter remaining.
6. Pour the milk and yeasted cider into the flour mixture and mix until combined. It will be a sticky mess.
7. Place some plastic wrap over the bowl and place the dough in the fridge overnight.

How to make the filling

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter.
2. Stir in the apples, brown sugar, and spices until all the apples are evenly covered.
3. When the brown sugar melts, stir in the apple cider.
4. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the apples are tender and the brown sugar is thick and caramelizing.
5. Allow to cool before use (you can even refrigerate this part until you need it if you want to make it ahead).

How to assemble the cinnamon rolls

1. The next morning, remove the dough from the fridge and dump it out on a lightly floured surface.
2. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle.
3. Brush with 5 TBSP of melted and slightly cooled butter.
4. Spoon the filling on the dough and evenly spread it around.
5. Roll the dough up into a long log.
6. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log into 24 even pieces (I find it easiest to cut it first in halves – so first cut the into 2 pieces, then cut each half into half (so you have 4 pieces) and then you can cut each fourth into thirds – getting you 24 equal sized pieces).
7. Place each circle cut side up into the bottom of two greased 9×13 pans.
8. Cover the pans with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1.5-2 hours.

Baking

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Remove the plastic wrap from the pans and place the pans in the oven, spacing them out so one pan is on the top left of your oven and the other pan is on the bottom right.
3. Bake 15-20 minutes, rotating halfway so they brown evenly.
4. Brush with the 2 TBSP of melted butter and then place the pans back in the oven for another minute.
5. Cool in the pans completely before frosting.

How to frost

1. In a small sautee pan, melt the butter and carefully watch it until it browns. You want it to just start to turn brown and it starts to smell nutty and rich.
2. Turn the heat off and allow the butter to cool (you might even need to place the butter in a bowl so the hot pan doesn’t continue to cook and accidentally burn it).
3. Allow the brown butter to cool.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, coffee, powdered sugar and cooled browned butter until fluffy.
5. Spread evenly over the cooled rolls.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I store these? Keep these cinnamon rolls in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Can I make these in advance? Yup! This recipe calls for the dough to have an overnight rest in the fridge so you can bake them fresh in the morning. You can also roll them in advance and place the pre-rolled rolls in the fridge.

How to reheat? You can reheat individual cinnamon rolls in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

Try these other great apple recipes:

• Sourdough Apple Cake
• Apple Baked Oatmeal
• Apple Dutch Baby
• Apple Rose Tartlets