Caramel apple cinnamon rolls

Name: Caramel apple cinnamon rolls
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 330 g (2 and ¾ cups) plain / all-purpose flour; 3 tbsp granulated sugar; 1 tsp salt; 1 packet dried fast action yeast (1 packet = 2 and ¼ teaspoons); 120 ml (½ cup) water; 60 ml (¼ cup) milk; 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter; 1 large egg; For the filling:; 60 g butter; 2 tablespoons cinnamon; 1 apple; caramel (we used a tin of Carnation Caramel); For the topping:; Caramel

Caramel apple cinnamon rolls are a delicious soft bun filled with the best combination of flavours. Slightly sharp chunks of apple are perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the caramel, all bound together in a soft bun. Best of all our cheats way of making them means they will be ready in no time.

These caramel apple cinnamon rolls are a delicious twist on our ever popular cinnamon rolls. They’re a lovely soft bun, filled with apple and cinnamon, all topped with a caramel drizzle.

Cinnamon rolls are one of our favourite recipes. My kids love making them as well as eating them!

These are just like our favourite cinnamon rolls but with the addition of little chunks of apple, all balanced with a little bit of sweetness from the caramel.

This combination flavours always works well, and in these buns it’s no exception. They’re the perfect autumnal treat which always go down well in our house.

These caramel apple cinnamon rolls rolls are made using the same quick base recipe as our cinnamon rolls so you don’t need to leave them to prove for hours. Simply pop them in the oven on a low temperature before you bake them and viola!

How can kids help make these caramel apple cinnamon rolls rolls?

These sweet rolls are really fun for kids to make and one of my kid’s favourite bakes. There are few steps they can get involved in when they make the dough from measuring and mixing all together as well as kneading it.

Your kids can also help to roll the dough out before adding the filling and rolling it up to make the swirl. If you mark out where you want to cut the dough and have older children you trust with a knife, they can cut the swirl into portions before putting them into your baking tin.

How long do caramel apple cinnamon rolls keep?

These sweet rolls will keep in an airtight container for a day or two.

If you want to keep them for longer you can also freeze them for up to three months. It’s possible to freeze them either before or after you’ve baked them. Just make sure you wrap them well before putting them in the freezer and leave them to thaw at room temperature overnight before you want to eat them. Once they’re thawed, either bake or reheat them in the oven before drizzling over the caramel.

Can you make caramel apple cinnamon rolls ahead of time?

Yes, you can make these rolls up the day before.

Make them up to where you put them in the baking tray to prove. At this point, wrap them well in cling film / glad wrap and pop them in the fridge overnight. When it’s time to bake them, just make sure they have doubled in size before you put them in the oven. If they haven’t risen well in the fridge, pop them in the oven for about 30 minutes at a low temperature until they have doubled in size, then bake them.

What kind of apple should I use?

I like an apple with a slight tartness to it to balance the sweetness of the caramel buttercream topping. Granny Smith apples, Bramley apples or even Braeburn apples all work well in these sweet rolls.

Similar recipes

If you have more apples to use up, or have some more caramel in your tin, why not try our favourite caramel or apple recipes below:

Caramel recipes
Caramel apple crumble
Caramel apple poke cake
Chocolate caramel cupcakes
Caramel banana bread
Caramel stuffed cookies

Apple recipes
Apple loaf cake
Eve’s pudding
Apple and blackberry cake
Plum and apple crumble
Apple cinnamon muffins
Apple traybake
Apple crumble
Mary Berry’s apple cake
Apple flapjacks
Apple scones
Blueberry and apple muffins
Apple turnovers
Apple pinwheels
Apple cupcakes

Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these caramel apple cinnamon rolls

Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Apple corer and slicer
9 inch baking tin
Wire rack

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Difficulty: A wee bit harder

Time: 40 minutes plus 20 minutes baking

Serves: 9

Ingredients

For the dough
330g (2 and ¾ cups) plain / all-purpose flour
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 packet dried fast action yeast (1 packet = 2 and ¼ teaspoons)
120ml (½ cup) water
60ml (¼ cup) milk
30g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the filling
60g butter
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 apple
3-4 table spoons of caramel (we used a tin of Carnation Caramel)

For the topping:
2-3 tablespoons of caramel

How to make caramel apple cinnamon rolls

Line a 9 inch square baking tray with baking paper.

We often find the easiest way of doing this is to cut a strip the width of the baking tin and lay it inside in one direction then do the same with another piece in the other direction. Leave a little bit of baking paper overhanging the edge to make it easier to remove once it’s baked.

Measure out the dry dough ingredients

Start by adding the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, and yeast) into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a free-standing mixer.

When you add the salt, sugar and yeast, add them to separate sides of your bowl and make sure your kids use their finger to level the tea spoons so that they add just the right amount. Set it aside for now.

Add the wet ingredients

Measure the water and milk out and add them to a microwaveable bowl. Get your kids to measure the butter and cut it into a few small pieces then add it to the bowl.

Pop your bowl with the milk/water/butter into in the microwave for approx 45-60 seconds until the butter has melted. Test that the mixture is warm rather than hot – I just dipped my finger in to check. It should feel like a nice temperature. (If it’s too hot it’ll kill the yeast and if it’s cold the yeast won’t activate properly).

Get your kids to crack the egg into a small bowl then add it to your flour. We never add it straight in just in case any shell goes in. If it does, simply fish it out with a larger piece of shell or a teaspoon.

Pour the milk/butter mixture into the flour.

Knead the dough

Knead your mixture for 5-10 minutes, either by hand or using the dough hook on your stand mixer. We tend to use use our mixer as it’s a bit easier and quicker and less messy. It’s ready when it’s not quite as sticky any more.

If you’re using your hands get your kids to pull and push the dough for about 10 minutes until it stops being quite so sticky. This is quite a sticky dough however so you might find it easier if you use a dough scraper.

Pop the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it and leave it to rest for about 10 minutes.

Prepare the fillings

Preheat your oven to 90C / 80C fan / 200F and turn off after 10 minutes or just before your put your rolls inside.

While your dough is resting, prepare the filling.

Measure out the butter and make sure it is soft enough so spread. If it’s not, pop it in the microwave until it has softened.

Get your kids to measure the cinnamon and sugar into a small bowl, and mix them in together.

Prepare the apple

Peel and core the apples, then get your kids to cut them into small pieces. If you have one, use an apple slicer to core and slice the apples, and then get your kids to use regular knives to chop them up into smaller pieces.

Dishes like these apple cinnamon rolls are a great way for your kids to practice their chopping skills as you can do it with a relatively blunt knife and it doesn’t really matter too much if the apple pieces are a little uneven. If there are any larger chunks left after your kids have cut them up, chop them up a little more as you don’t want any really big bits of apple in the cinnamon rolls.

If you find it easier, you can get your kids to use a coarse grater to grate the apple.

Make the caramel apple cinnamon rolls

Get your child to sprinkle some flour down on your work surface and then help you roll the dough out to a 15×9 inch (23 x 38 cm) rectangle.

Spread the butter all over the top, making sure your kids go right to the edges. We used a rubber spatula rather than a knife as it was a bit kinder on the dough. If you have a silicone pastry brush, that works as well, or the back of a spoon.

Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over the top of the dough, then add the pieces of apple.

Finally, get your kids to drizzle the caramel over the top of the apple. If your caramel is too thick to drizzle, measure it into a small bowl then pop it in the microwave for ten seconds or so to warm it and make it a bit runnier.

Roll up the caramel apple cinnamon rolls

Get your kids to help roll the dough up tightly from long end. Try and make the rolls as tight as possible.

Cut off the ends of the roll with a sharp knife to neaten the edge, then cut the remaining roll into 9 even pieces. It might be easier to make sure your pieces are even if you mark where the cuts are supposed to go first.

Bake the caramel apple cinnamon rolls

Put each piece or roll in your baking tray, swirl side facing up. You should end up with three rows of three rolls. Lightly cover your tin with foil.

Pop the caramel apple cinnamon rolls in the oven to rise. Make sure you remember to turn the oven off. Let it rise for 20 minutes or so.

After 20 minutes, keep the buns in the oven, remove the tin foil and turn the oven up to 190C / 180C Fan / 375F.

Bake the caramel apple cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes. They’re ready when they have turned golden and are cooked right through to the bottom.

Remove them from the oven and leave them to cool in the tin.

Add the caramel drizzle

Once the rolls have cooled, drizzle over the caramel. Remove them from the tin.

Serve and enjoy!