I didn’t know how much I loved cinnamon rolls until I stuffed them with brown sugar cinnamon apples and entered autumn heaven. Last Christmas I made my friend Cook Like Lauren’s viral cinnamon rolls and they were such a hit I wanted to see if I could fall-ify them. (Here is the original recipe)

She taught me about a Japanese technique that helps make the bread dough extra chewy and soft. It’s called tangzhong which is basically creating a paste out of milk, water and flour to add to the dough and it makes ALL the difference.

That and covering your rolls in heavy cream and using a baking sheet vs 9×13 dish are two other secrets that make every bite in these rolls consistently chewy and delicious no matter what part of the roll you get.

Cinnamon Rolls before baking.

Cinnamon Rolls covered in heavy cream.

Here is what these rolls look like straight out of the oven and I mean… COME ON.

And here are them frosted… I know… it’s not fair.

I’m thinking we are going to need a pumpkin version of these, what do you think?!

I hope you love these as much as I (and my whole family) do but I don’t even have to tell you that I know you’re going to love them. Enjoy!

Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Paste

• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup hot tap water
• 1/3 cup bread flour

Rolls

• prepared paste
• 3 tsp instant yeast (2 packets)
• 2/3 cup milk warmed to 100° F
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 Tbs salted butter melted
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 2/3 cup bread flour
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream to pour over rolls before baking

Cinnamon Filling

• 1 cup light brown sugar packed
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 8 tsp salted butter softened

Cinnamon Apples

• 2 honey crisp apples, chopped
• 2 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp allspice

Icing

• 1/3 c salted butter (5 1/3 tbsp) softened
• 6 Tbsp cream cheese softened
• 2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla
• 2 Tbs milk

Directions:

1. In a sauce pan, heat 2/3 cup milk to 100-110 degrees. Use a candy thermometer to check. Pour into a mixing bowl and sprinkle yeast over the top, gently stir and let sit to bloom.
2. Meanwhile, in the same sauce pan, combine, water, milk and flour and whisk until a thick paste forms. Remove from heat.
3. To the yeast and milk, add sugar, melted butter, egg salt and prepared paste. Mix until everything is combined.
4. Add bread flour 1 cup at a time to the mixture, stirring and allowing to incorporate between each cup. Once it’s come together, switch out the paddle for the dough hook and knead for 15 minutes. (this is where having a stand mixer comes in handy!)
5. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and put somewhere warm for 1 hour to rise. (Cook Like Lauren sets her oven to 100 then turns it off and puts it in the oven. Thanks for the tip!)
6. While the dough is rising combine the ingredients for the cinnamon filling in a bowl. You can spread the butter onto the dough and then sprinkle these ingredients on top of that but I prefer to mix them into the butter so I have a cinnamon butter spread that can go directly onto the dough and not worry about the spices falling out.
7. Chop your apple and toss it in the sugar, spices until apples are fully coated.
8. Once dough has risen, roll out onto a floured surface into a rectangle, about 25 x 15.
9. Spread cinnamon butter mixture on dough reaching all the way to the edges and sprinkle cinnamon apples on top of that leaving some space around each edge.
10. Tightly roll the dough starting at the short end and rolling down the 25″ side. Press and seal dough at the end.
11. Using unflavored dental floss, shimmy the floss under the dough log and bring it up, cross the floss and pull tightly to make a nice clean cut of cinnamon roll.
12. Place roll on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
13. Repeat with the rest of the rolls.
14. Pour heavy whipping cream on top of rolls.
15. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
16. While the rolls bake, make your icing by whipping together butter and cream cheese. Slowly add powdered sugar and vanilla and finally milk to reach desired consistency.
17. Cool cinnamon rolls for about 5 minutes and then lather icing on top and INHALE!!