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Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Caramel apple cinnamon rolls are everything you love about crisp autumn nights at the carnival – in breakfast form. Imagine waking the whole family up to these gorgeous sweet rolls!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Rise Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings 18 rolls

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 6-1/2 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 envelopes active dry yeast 4 ½ teaspoons
  • 2 cups milk
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 large eggs

For the filling:

  • ½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon apple pie spice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup unsalted butter cold, cut into chunks
  • 1 ½ cups peeled and small-diced tart apples such as granny smith

For the caramel syrup:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup light corn syrup
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the dough:

  • Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and dry yeast the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat or in the microwave on high in 30-second increments until warm (100˚F to 110˚F).
  • Add milk mixture and eggs to the flour mixture; beat 2 minutes at medium, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, to make a soft dough.
  • Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Make the filling:

  • Mix sugars, flour, apple pie spice, and cinnamon in a bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into sugar mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Make the caramel syrup:

  • Lightly grease (1) 9x13-inch pan AND (1) 9x9-inch pan OR 9-inch round cake pan.
  • Place butter, salt, brown sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until sugar dissolves and the mixture comes together. Pour about ⅔ of the caramel mixture into the prepared 9x13-inch pan and the remaining ⅓ into the 9-inch pan. Set aside.

Make the rolls:

  • Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide in half. Roll out one portion of dough to a rectangle about 15x10 inches. Sprinkle half of the filling over the dough; top with half of the diced apples. Starting from the long side, roll up jelly-roll style. Pinch the edges to seal, then turn the dough so the sealed side is down.
  • Using a very sharp knife or dough blade, cut the dough into 9 pieces. Place pieces, cut-side down, on syrup in pans. 12 rolls will go in the 9x13-inch pan and 6 in the 9-inch pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes, or until nearly doubled.
  • While rolls are rising, preheat oven to 350˚F. Bake rolls 40 to 45 minutes, or until lightly browned.
  • Cool for about 5 minutes, then carefully invert the rolls onto serving platters or rimmed baking sheets.

Notes

  • For overnight rolls, assemble according to the directions, stopping before the second rise. Cover the pans with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, let the rolls sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before baking as directed.
  • Store rolls at room temperature for 2-3 days. Rolls can be rewarmed in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.
  • If you prefer to bake the rolls in 3 pans, you can use 3 9x9-inch or 9-inch round cake pans instead of a 9x13-inch and a 9x9-inch pan.