Description
Soft-baked apple cinnamon rolls featuring a rich brioche dough filled with a spiced brown sugar cinnamon mixture, tender cooked apple pie filling, and toasted pecans, topped with a creamy cream cheese frosting. Perfectly soft, flavorful, and an indulgent breakfast or dessert treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Brioche Dough
- 250g whole milk, lukewarm
- 50g granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp active dried yeast
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 565g all-purpose flour
- 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
Apple Pie Filling
- 850g about four medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced small
- 30g unsalted butter
- 80g granulated sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon or apple pie spice
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp corn starch
Toasted Pecans
- 125g pecan halves
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Filling
- 190g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 280g brown sugar
- 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 115g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 225g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 250g powdered sugar, sifted
- 1-2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Make the Brioche Dough. Combine lukewarm milk, 25g of sugar, and yeast in a bowl. Stir and wait 10-15 minutes until foamy.
- Mix dry ingredients. In stand mixer bowl, combine flour, salt, and remaining sugar briefly.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add milk mixture and eggs to dry ingredients; mix on low 2-3 minutes, then medium for 5 minutes.
- Add butter gradually. Add softened butter piece by piece, mixing 7-10 minutes until dough is smooth and soft.
- First rise. Shape dough into ball, cover, and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight or let rise in warm spot 45 to 60 minutes until doubled.
- Prepare apple filling. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat; add apples, sugar, cinnamon, salt. Cook 3-5 minutes until tender, stirring often.
- Thicken filling. Stir in corn starch, cook until mixture thickens and coats apples. Chill until ready to use.
- Toast pecans. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spread pecans on lined sheet pan and toast 10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool and store.
- Make brown sugar cinnamon filling. Combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in bowl; mix well.
- Assemble rolls. Grease 9×13 inch baking dish or line with parchment. Roll dough on floured surface into 24×16 inch rectangle. Spread cinnamon filling evenly.
- Add apple and pecans. Spread apple filling evenly over cinnamon layer, sprinkle chopped toasted pecans on top.
- Roll dough. Starting with long side, roll into tight spiral. Cut log in half; place on parchment-lined pan sprayed lightly. Cover and freeze 20 minutes to firm (optional).
- Slice rolls. Remove logs from fridge; slice each into 6 equal pieces. Arrange evenly spaced on baking dish or pan.
- Final rise. Cover pan loosely and let rolls rise 45 to 60 minutes until puffy and dent springs back slowly.
- Bake rolls. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake rolls 35 to 40 minutes until deep golden brown. Let cool 15 minutes before frosting.
- Make cream cheese frosting. Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, cream, and salt; whip until light and fluffy.
- Frost rolls. Spread frosting over warm rolls. Store leftovers at room temperature in airtight container. Rewarm before serving.
Notes
- Using room temperature butter and eggs helps the dough develop better texture.
- Freezing the rolled logs before slicing is optional but creates neater, cleaner cuts.
- Apple pie spice can be used instead of cinnamon for extra flavor complexity.
- Store cinnamon rolls in an airtight container to keep them soft for several days.
- You can substitute pecans with walnuts or omit nuts for a nut-free option.
- Reheat rolls gently in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to restore softness before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cinnamon roll
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 230 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
