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Serving a cinnamon roll with apple butter filling.
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Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls

These apple butter cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy, and filled with a cozy apple butter swirl, then finished with maple cream cheese frosting. They’re simple to make, very forgiving, and perfect for a slow fall morning or holiday breakfast.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Rising1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 20 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 12 rolls
Author: Nora from Savory Nothings

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 envelope active dry yeast (1 tablespoon)
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 6 tablespoons butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Filling

  • 1 cup apple butter
  • ½ cup light brown sugar packed
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon feel free to add more, keep in mind the apple butter is spiced as well!

Frosting

  • ¾ cup cream cheese
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch salt

Instructions

  • Prep:
    Get your ingredients ready. A stand mixer with the dough hook attachment makes it easy to knead the dough, but you can also knead it by hand - it just takes a while.
    groceries for apple butter cinnamon rolls
  • Activate yeast:
    Activate the yeast according to package directions (I usually mix it in a large measuring jug with 1 tablespoon milk and 1 tablespoon sugar, then let it sit 5 minutes until it’s bubbly.)
    Tip: The mixture should look foamy and smell pleasantly yeasty; if it stays flat, discard it and start again with fresh yeast.
    1 envelope active dry yeast
    activated yeast in a bowl
  • Add remaining liquid ingredients:
    Once the yeast is bubbly, whisk in remaining milk, remaining sugar, eggs and melted butter (add the butter last so the yeast doesn’t get too hot.)
    1 cup whole milk, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 6 tablespoons butter
    liquid ingredients for cinnamon roll dough
  • Knead dough:
    In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour and salt. Add yeast mixture, knead with the dough hook attachment on medium speed for 8-10 minutes, or until dough is soft and stretchy.
    If needed, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a soft ball.
    Tip: The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky but not stick in large clumps to your fingers.
    4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt
    Cinnamon roll dough
  • Let dough rise:
    Place dough in a large greased bowl. Cover and let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes.
    Tip: If your kitchen is cool, place the bowl in a slightly warm (but turned off) oven or near a warm spot to help it rise - make sure it's not hotter than 100°F.
  • Roll out and add filling:
    Punch dough down, then remove to a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll dough into a rectangle, about ¼-inch thick and about 18×12 inches in size.
    Spread apple butter evenly over dough. Combine both sugars for filling with cinnamon. Evenly sprinkle over apple butter.
    Tip: Leave a small border along one long edge bare so the roll seals more easily when you roll it up.
    1 cup apple butter, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
    Cinnamon rolls before rolling up
  • Assemble rolls:
    Starting on one long edge, roll up dough jelly-roll style. Slice into 12 rounds; arrange in a well-greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise one more time until puffy, about 20-30 minutes.
    Tip: Use a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss to cut the rolls cleanly without squashing the spiral.
    Apple butter cinnamon rolls before baking
  • Bake rolls:
    While rolls are resting, heat oven to 350°F. Once ready, bake rolls for 18-25 minutes, until golden and just done in the middle. Be sure to check the rolls often.
    If middle rolls aren't baked after 20 minutes or tops are getting too dark, tent pan with foil and continue baking until done. Place pan on a wire rack to cool slightly.
    Tip: The centers should look set and no longer doughy, but still feel soft; overbaking yields dry rolls.
    Baked apple butter cinnamon rolls
  • Make frosting:
    In the meantime, beat all frosting ingredients together. While rolls are still hot, spread with frosting.
    ¾ cup cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch salt
    Spreading cinnamon rolls with frosting
  • Serve:
    The rolls are amazing served warm, but they also taste great cold the next day!
    Serving apple butter cinnamon rolls with maple frosting.

Notes

  • Make sure the milk and melted butter are just warm, not hot (around 100°F), before adding them to the yeast mixture; hot liquid can kill the yeast and keep the dough from rising.
  • Keep the dough on the softer side and resist the urge to add too much extra flour; a soft, slightly tacky dough bakes into much fluffier rolls.
  • Give the dough enough time to rise until almost doubled on both proofs; underproofed dough leads to dense, tight rolls.
  • Check the rolls early and tent the pan with foil if they are browning too quickly; properly baked but not overdone rolls stay soft and moist, especially in the center.