Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls

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Gooey, homemade Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls are filled with sweetened apple butter, baked to a soft, golden brown and spread with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

Today is a special day.

We’re sharing with you one of our favorite cinnamon roll recipes. This isn’t just any cinnamon roll, but our much-loved, classic breakfast. These are such a loved recipe (about as much as our apple dumpling recipe) that I really just wanted to be selfish and keep them my little secret.

Mom convinced me that you’d love them too, so I’m handing over to you the best cinnamon roll recipe around, dressed up for fall with apple butter inside.

closeup of apple butter cinnamon rolls

Why you’ll love this recipe:

  • Gooey & cinnamony. So good!
  • Easy dough that is easy to mix with your stand mixer, bread machine or by hand.
  • Apple butter baked inside.
  • Melt in your mouth cinnamon creamy frosting.

When you take the apple butter cinnamon rolls out of the oven, beware! Your kids will crowd around the pan, waiting until it cools off. I did it, too. Even though I still had to wait to eat them, it was just good to smell these amazing rolls. One of our best apple recipes for apple picking season.

Is apple butter the same as apple sauce?

No, the two ingredients are different. Both apple butter and apple sauce are slow cooked apples and spices. Apple butter is cooked longer than applesauce which creates a thick, smooth, intense apple flavored spread.

You’ll use apple butter for the filling of these cinnamon buns. You can buy it at the store or make apple butter at home.

Tips to Make Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls

Although there are detailed instructions below in the recipe card, here are a few key tips.

  • Mix the dough with a stand mixer, bread machine (on the dough setting) or by hand.
  • Different yeast calls for slightly different proofing methods. We follow Red Star Platinum’s temperature guidelines. Please check your yeast packet to see what temperature the milk should be at.
  • Don’t add all of the flour at once. Start with just 4 cups, then add the rest only if you need it. It’s important to note that the dough will be tacky and soft. It shouldn’t completely stick all over your hands, but if you touch it should feel tacky and not dry and floury. Don’t be tempted to keep adding flour!
  • For smaller rolls, cut the dough into 15 slices and use a 10×15″ baking pan. The larger pan will also allow the rolls to rise more evenly.
  • Our secret ingredient is dousing the rolls in heavy cream right before baking. It makes them extra gooey! If you don’t have cream, use half and half, coffee creamer, evaporated milk, whole milk or coconut cream. Any of these will work. Even 2% milk will work, but we prefer a higher fat milk.

Cream Cheese Frosting for Cinnamon Rolls

The simple cream cheese frosting on the top is only 4 ingredients:

  • cream cheese
  • butter
  • powdered sugar and
  • cinnamon

Beat it together until it is smooth. Trust me, you might want to hide it somewhere you won’t eat it so you can actually put it on the rolls.

It’s that good. And it will melt in your mouth.

Looking for something just a little different? Try swapping out cream cheese for mascarpone cheese. The frosting will be a little lighter and soak into the rolls a little more.

fork pulling out the center of a cinnamon roll

Overnight Instructions

We often make the cinnamon rolls and get them to the point of the second rise (when they are rolled out, cut up and put in the pan). Cover and refrigerate until morning.

The morning you want to bake them, pull them out of the refrigerator. They may have doubled in size in the fridge overnight. If they have, let them sit for 30 minutes to get the chill off, then bake.

If they did not rise in the fridge overnight, allow them to rise at room temperature. Plan about at least an hour for this. Then pour on the cream and let them bake.

closeup of frosted sweet rolls
closeup of frosted sweet rolls

Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls

4.59 from 153 votes
Gooey, homemade Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls are filled with sweetened apple butter, baked to a soft, golden brown and spread with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Servings 12
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 27 minutes
Rise Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 7 minutes

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Ingredients
 

Rolls:

  • 1 cup 2% or higher fat milk warmed to 110-115ºFahrenheit
  • 1 package Red Star Platinum Yeast (or any instant yeast)
  • 2 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1/2 cup salted butter  (Melted, but make sure it isn't over 110º Fahrenheit. Just softened is fine.)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4-4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

Cream drizzle:

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Frosting:

  • 6 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 5 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Pour the warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast overtop.
  • Add the eggs, butter and sugar. Mix until combined.
  • Add in salt and 4 cups (save the other ½ cup and add only if you need it) of flour and mix using the beater blade just until the ingredients are barely combined. Allow the mixture to rest for 5 minutes so the flour has time to soak up the liquids.
  • Scrape the dough off the beater blade and remove it. Attach the dough hook.
  • Beat the dough on medium speed, adding in up to ½ cup more flour if needed to form a dough. Knead for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is elastic and smooth. **The dough should be tacky and will still be sticking to the sides of the bowl. That's ok! Don't be tempted to add more flour at this point. We generally add about 4 ½ cups, but start with 4 cups.
  • Spray a large bowl with cooking spray.
  • Use a rubber spatula to remove the dough from the mixer bowl and place it in the greased large bowl. 
  • Cover the bowl with a towel or wax paper.
  • Set the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise until double. I like to turn on the oven to the lowest setting for 1-2 minutes. Then turn off the oven and place the dough to rise in there. It normally takes about 30 minutes for the dough to rise. Do not allow the dough to rise too much or your cinnamon rolls will be airy.
  • Sprinkle a pastry mat generously with flour. Turn out the dough onto the pastry mat and sprinkle the top of the dough with additional flour. 
  • Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough to about a 24×15" rectangle. (the size of the rectangle can vary…it does not have to be exact!)
  • Spread the apple butter to cover the dough. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the top.
  • Starting on the long end, roll the dough up tightly jelly roll style. 
  • Cut into 12 slices and place in a greased 9×13 baking pan.****
  • Cover the pan and allow the rolls to rise for 20 minutes or until nearly double.
  • Preheat the oven to 375º Fahrenheit.
  • Warm the heavy cream until the chill is off. Don’t make it hot…you just don’t want it cold. It should be warm to the touch.
  • Once the rolls have risen, pour the heavy cream over the top of the rolls, allowing it to soak down in and around the rolls.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden brown and the center rolls are cooked through. Note…the time will vary based on how big the rolls are, what type of pan, how close the rolls are packed, etc. Check the rolls at 20 minutes. If they are getting too browned, cover loosely with foil for the remaining baking time.
  • While they are cooling, make the frosting. In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and butter using a hand mixer. Blend well.
  • Add in the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Beat until combined.
  • Spread the frosting over the warm cinnamon rolls.
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

*Different yeast calls for slightly different proofing methods. We follow Red Star Platinum’s temperature guidelines. Please check your yeast packet to see what temperature the milk should be at.
***If you don’t have cream, use half and half, coffee creamer, evaporated milk, whole milk or coconut cream. Any of these will work. Even 2% milk will work, but we prefer a higher fat milk.
****For smaller rolls, cut the dough into 15 slices and use a 10×15″ baking pan. The larger pan will also allow the rolls to rise more evenly.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 12 rolls, with 1 serving being 1 frosted sweet roll. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Calories: 558kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 378mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 658IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 3mg
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Calories 558
Keyword apple butter recipes, breakfast recipes, brunch recipes, fall recipes, sweet rolls

More Apple Butter Recipes

What You Need to Make Cinnamon Rolls

  • Stand Mixer: Ok, you don’t 100% need this, but it does make life easier.
  • Red Star Yeast: My favorite yeast! It’s so forgiving and I have perfect baked goods, every time.
  • Saigon Cinnamon: The best flavored cinnamon.
  • Pastry Mat: This makes clean-up a breeze.
  • Dough Cutter/Bench Scraper: I JUST got one of these. What have I done without it all these years? Works as a scraper too, to get stuck-on dough off surfaces.
  • Baking Pan 9×13 or 10×15, depending on what you need.

Other Cinnamon Roll Recipes

Love cinnamon rolls? Try one of our other recipes.

About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Lauren
5 years ago

4 stars
I had a lot of trouble with this recipe! The dough was very dry, not sticky as expected based on the instructions. As a result the dough was quite difficult to knead. Also the added moisture in the dough from the apple butter made these take WAY longer than 15 minutes to bake up. I’ve added almost an extra 20 minutes of bake time and my rolls are still raw where they are touching each other. I hope the taste is worth the wait!

Angie
1 year ago

5 stars
Just made these, absolutely amazing! Best cinnamon rolls we’ve ever had. The apple butter helps to lighten up the recipe and adds extra flavor and moisture, so good. We used a recipe for frosting with no cream cheese based on preference, so good again! Highly recommend this recipe!

Danielle
4 months ago

5 stars
These turned out beautifully! Weighed all the ingredients & followed all instructions, baked for 20 minutes. The only tweak was to the frosting, I added lemon juice & vanilla extract. Next time I’ll add a thin layer of apple butter to the bottom of the pan, so it can caramelize and get that delicious golden bottom to the roll.

Alison
1 year ago

These didn’t turn out well, sadly. The directions say to cut into 12 slices and place in a 9×12 pan, but the recipe pictures show only *8* in the pan. I thought the pic was cropped, but it’s actually the full pan with only 8. Kind of annoying. The outside rolls on our batch were barely done at 35 min and the middle turned out to be still raw and inedible. The bottoms had started caramelizing nicely, but my husband was wary of letting them go longer lest that caramel burn. So, we took them out and, in the end,… Read more »

Lacey
4 years ago

5 stars
Fantastic. We used different brands because we are not in US. Turned out great! The icing is as great as you sold it to be.

Shelley
5 years ago

Can you freeze these for make ahead brunch?

Ronald Gagnon
7 years ago

This is the best recipe I have ever seen for cinnamon rolls….and doesn’t take long to make

Pool Party in Gurgaon
9 years ago

Nice post, things explained in details. Thank You.

Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie
9 years ago

I know I would absolutely love this. Great idea using apple butter

Candied Nuts
9 years ago

Cinnamon rolls sound appetizing than other rolls. Love your post. thanks

Linda
1 year ago

So SALTED BUTTER and “another” teaspoon SALT? Sounds like a lot of salt.