There’s literally nothing better than a morning with fresh from the oven breakfast rolls and big mug of coffee! What dreams are made of! The scent of apples and cinnamon baking away just gives me all the cozy vibes, especially on chilly mornings.
If you’re in need of a special weekend treat look no further. I present you with a new take on a classic morning pastry. Super soft dough wrapped around a golden layer of apple butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and diced apples. All topped off with a salted caramel cream cheese icing. Need I say more??
Growing up my family always enjoyed having those quick and easy cinnamon rolls that came in the refrigerated cylindrical can at the grocery store. You know, where you tried not to flinch as you pressed down on the container waiting for it to explode open! lol! You know what I’m talking about. My favorite flavor back then were the orange rolls, which I for sure am going to create my own version of one day. Anyway, my biggest complaint about those store-bought rolls were that they always seemed kind of small and never as fluffy as the giant mall version.
While those were certainly the quick and easy way to go I’d hands down say these homemade breakfast rolls taste 1000x better and are totally worth the effort. They are definitely bigger and fluffier than any grocery store version. Really the biggest thing with these is having enough time to allow the dough to rise and become pillowy soft. I find it easiest to start the process the night before you intend to eat these beauties. Prepare the dough and allow it to have it’s first rise of about 1 hour. Once risen you can cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge overnight. When you wake the next day, take out the dough and let it sit on the counter for a bit while it comes to room temp. Then proceed with the following recipe steps.
One other thing to note: you can totally use store bought or homemade apple butter here. I used a store bought kind I picked up at an orchard in the area. Many of the nearby orchards seemed to carry their own versions so check around near where you live.
Apple Butter Breakfast Rolls
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 rolls 1x
Description
Pillowy soft breakfast rolls swirled with apple butter, cinnamon and diced apples and covered with salted caramel cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup warm whole milk, divided (about 110°F)
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (0.25 oz)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 tsp salt
Filling
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup apple butter (store bought or homemade)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cups apple, peeled, cored and small diced
- 1 egg, beaten
Frosting
- 1/2 cup (4 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp salted caramel sauce (store bought or homemade)
- 1/2 – 1 tbsp whole milk (if needed)
Instructions
Dough
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine 3/4 cup warm milk and yeast. Let stand for 5-10 minutes until yeast is foamy and activated.
- Using the paddle attachment in a stand mixer, mix together the melted butter, sugar, sour cream, egg and remaining 1/4 cup of milk on a low speed.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 3 2/3 cups flour and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir on low speed. Add in yeast mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in remaining flour mixture. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at medium speed until the dough is smooth, elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If needed, add in remaining 1/3 cup flour (the dough should not be sticky).
- Grease a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Assembly
- Spray a 13×9 inch baking dish or sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Lightly punch down the risen dough and then turn out onto a floured work surface. Roll dough into an 18×12 inch rectangle.
- Spread softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border on the farthest long edge. Next, evenly spread on the apple butter. Sprinkle on the brown sugar and cinnamon. Finally, add diced apples on top of the dough. Brush the beaten egg over the long edge of dough without any filling.
- Start with the long side closest to you, begin rolling the dough into a log, pinching the seam to seal. Trim off both ends of the dough. Using a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss, cut the dough into 12 equal sections. Place in the prepared pan. Cover, and let rise until rolls are puffed, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake 25-30 minutes, until rolls are golden brown and cooked through. Let cool for about 10 minutes while you prepare the frosting.
Frosting
- In a stand mixture with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together until well combined and creamy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Stir in the caramel sauce. If frosting is too thick add in the milk.
- Spread onto warm breakfast rolls.
Notes
Overnight preparation: Make dough through step 4 and allow to rise for 1 hour. Cover and place in the fridge overnight. In the morning allow dough to come to room temperature before proceeding with instructions.
If you make these be sure to let me know! Tag me in a picture on Instagram!
As always, happy baking!!
Aunt Sandra
Thanks Courtney. I can smell the goodness just by looking at the pictures. I will definitely give this a try.