Easy Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Recipe

When tired of regular cinnamon rolls and the traditional apple pie, make these apple cinnamon rolls to combine the best of both! Apples add extra texture and contrast to the sweet cinnamon rolls, creating a velvety filling that is hard to resist.

This is an iteration of the classic cinnamon rolls worth considering the next time you crave cinnamon buns. It's an easy way to make one of your favorite desserts even more special.

Some say cinnamon rolls originated in Denmark, while others claim they are a staple of Dutch pastry. Regardless of where the truth lies, this sweet goodness has a Nordic vibe to it.

If you've spent some time on our blog, you'll probably have noticed that several cinnamon roll recipes are based on the same dough recipe. This is for a reason. After so many trials and errors, this is finally a dough recipe that is soft, rises well, contains no refined sugar, and allows you to bake rolls that taste good for several days, not only the first day. Don't change it if it works, they say!

And, if you're looking for more recipes featuring warming cinnamon, check out our sugar-free hot cross buns!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• This recipe offers a twist on the famous cinnamon roll, incorporating juicy, sweet-and-sour apple filling. This is one of our favorite desserts and apple recipes in the autumn.
• This is a rather easy recipe that requires no complex equipment except a rolling pin and an oven.
• The recipe contains zero refined sugar!

Ingredients

• Apples: Medium-sweet or lightly sour apples will work best and balance out the sweetness of the filling. Sweet apples can also be used but won't provide equal contrast. You'll want to chop apples finely in small cubes. Diced apples will make it difficult to cut the rolls and can easily slide out.
• Wheat Flour: Use regular all-purpose wheat flour, not the self-raising type, since we'll be adding yeast. Save a bit of extra flour to sprinkle on top of the surface on which you'll be rolling the dough.
• Warm Milk: You can use low-fat or whole milk, depending on your preferences. Milk needs to be warm—slightly warmer than lukewarm. Heat it if necessary.
• Eggs: you'll need two raw, medium-sized eggs. When using yeast-based dough recipes, it's always best to take eggs out of the fridge an hour earlier so they are at room temperature.
• Honey OR Sugar: Since we always look for sugar-free alternatives and avoid refined sugar whenever possible, this recipe contains no refined sugar. However, if you don't like honey, don't have any at home, or want to make regular cinnamon roll dough regardless of the sugar count, feel free to substitute honey with regular sugar (1:1).
• Active Dry Yeast: We used instant dry yeast. If you prefer fresh yeast, use it instead (you'll need 34g or approx. ⅓ of a block).
• Butter: You'll need regular unsalted butter.
• Salt: A pinch of salt will balance the taste; don't miss out on it!
• Brown Sukrin Sweetener OR Brown Sugar: In this recipe, we used Sukrin Gold brown natural sweetener—our region's most popular brown sugar alternative. Basically, any stevia—or erythritol-based brown sweetener should serve just as well. If you don't mind using sugar, feel free to add regular brown sugar instead.
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon goes so well with baked apples! While these are not typical cinnamon rolls, you'll want to add enough cinnamon to feel its distinct taste and scent.

Directions

1. Add the instant yeast to a mug or a small bowl with warm (not hot!) milk. Stir using a spoon and leave in a warm place for 10-15 mins. If the yeast is fresh, it will become bubbly. If not, check the "best before" date and repeat with a fresh portion of yeast, if needed.

2. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with honey (or sugar) in a large bowl, then add melted butter and a pinch of salt, and continue mixing until combined.

3. Once the yeast has become bubbly after 10-15 mins, add it to the egg mixture and stir to combine.

4. Start adding sieved flour to the egg mixture. You'll want to add it in 2-3 batches to ensure it incorporates well.

There's no need to use a stand mixer or a bread machine. Combine all the ingredients using your hands until uniform and shape a ball. The dough won't be rollable just yet, but it doesn't have to be too sticky, either.

5. Cover the dough ball with a towel and set aside to rise in a warm place. The rising time will depend on the type of yeast, the sweetener used, and the temperature. To speed up the process, you can proof the dough in a warm oven (at 85 °F (30 °C)).

We've noticed that a honey-based dough tends to rise much slower than a sugar-based dough. Check occasionally to see if the volume is rising (it needs to double in size). 

For a sugar-based dough, proof for 1-1.5 hours, and for a honey-based dough, increase the proofing time to 2.5-3 hours.

6. Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a clean, floured surface. Roll the dough into an approximately ¼-inch-thick rectangular shape. Aim for an even layer for best results.

7. Spread the soft butter over the dough, leaving 1 inch along the longest rectangular edges. This will allow you to close the roll once it's ready and ensure it doesn't open up while baking.

In a separate bowl, combine the brown sweetener (or brown sugar) with cinnamon. Then, spread the cinnamon sugar on top of the dough greased with butter. Finally, spread finely cut apple cubes over the cinnamon filling. Leave the same 1 inch along the long edges untouched.

Roll dough starting from one of the longer edges. Keep it tight, but don't press it. Once you've reached the other long edge, pinch it to close.

8. Cut the long roll into even pieces, approximately ¾-1 inch thick, using a sharp knife or an unflavored dental floss. You'll end up with approx. 18 -20 pieces.

Transfer all the roll pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with a towel, and let it proof for another hour.

9. About 15-20 minutes before the estimated end of proofing, switch on the oven and preheat it, setting the temperature to 390 °F (200 °C).

Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Your kitchen will soon be filled with a delicious cinnamon and apple scent.

Once ready, remove them from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Variations

• Consider serving while still warm with a ball of vanilla ice cream and some caramel sauce to create an amazing dessert that anyone with a sweet tooth will enjoy.
• Cinnamon rolls are frequently glazed with cream cheese icing, which can also be used for these apple mini pies. 
• To make apple brioche rolls, bake the rolls in a casserole dish, leaving a 2-3 inch spacing between the rolls to allow for expansion. Top with cream cheese frosting.
• You can also bake these apple cinnamon rolls as mini apple pies in a muffin pan. Simply add one roll to each muffin tin cavity. Keep in mind that you'll have about 18-20 rolls to bake, so you might need to bake them in batches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Easy Dutch Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Recipe

Foodywise Editorial Team

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 4 hours hrs

Cook Time 2 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs 2 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 9 people (2 per serving)

Ingredients

  

Dough:

• 1 tablespoon (10g) instant yeast
• 5 cups (600g) all-purpose flour
• 7 oz (200ml) fresh milk (warm)
• 2 eggs
• 5 tablespoon (100g) honey (or sugar)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Filling:

• 3.5 tablespoon (50g) butter
• 1 cup (180g) Sukrin Gold Brown natural sweetener (or brown sugar)
• 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 large apples (chopped finely)

Instructions

 

Making the Dough:

• Add the instant yeast to a mug or a little bowl with warm (not hot!) milk. Stir using a spoon and leave in a warm place for 10-15 mins until the yeast becomes bubbly.
• Meanwhile, beat the eggs with honey (or sugar), then add melted butter and a pinch of salt, and continue mixing until combined.
• Add the yeast to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
• Start adding sieved flour to the egg mixture. Add it in 2-3 batches to ensure it incorporates well. Combine all the ingredients using your hands until uniform and shape a ball. The dough won't be rollable just yet, but it doesn't have to be too sticky, either.
• Cover the dough ball with a towel and set aside to rise in a warm place. For a sugar-based dough, proof for 1-1.5 hours, and increase the proofing time to 2.5-3 hours for a honey-based dough.
• Once the dough has rised, transfer it to a clean, floured surface. Roll the dough into an approximately ¼-inch-thick rectangular shape.

Filling and Shaping the Roll:

• Spread the soft butter all over the dough, leaving 1 inch along the longest rectangular edges. This will allow you to close the roll once it's ready and ensure it doesn't open up while baking.
• In a separate bowl, combine the brown sweetener (or brown sugar) with cinnamon, then spread the "cinnamon sugar" on top of the dough greased with butter. Leave the same 1 inch along the edges untouched.
• Distribute finely cut apples on top of the cinnamon filling.
• Roll dough starting from one of the longer edges. Keep it tight, but don't press it. Once you've reached the other long edge, pinch it to close.
• Cut the long roll into even pieces, approximately ¾-1 inch thick. You'll end up with approx. 18-20 pieces.
• Transfer the roll pieces onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, cover with a towel, and leave it for a second rise (about an hour).

Baking:

• About 15-20 minutes before the estimated end of proofing, switch on the oven and preheat it, setting the oven temperature to 390 °F (200 °C).
• Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
• Once ready, take them out of the oven and let them cool.

Notes

• The rising time will depend on the type of yeast, the sweetener used, and the temperature. For a sugar-based dough, the rise time is 1-1.5 hours, and it increases up to 2.5-3 hours for a honey-based dough.
• Add some raisins to the filling for extra texture and flavor.
• Honey and/or brown sweeteners can be replaced with refined sugar for a more traditional iteration.
• Bake in a casserole dish for cinnamon apple brioche rolls!

P.S. If you love apples and are mindful of the amount of sugar in your meals, you might want to have a look at our amazing apple sheet cake recipe that also contains a sugar-free option!

Nutrition Information

Disclaimer: This nutritional value label has been created using an online analyzer and might not be 100% accurate.