Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

These caramel apple cinnamon rolls are a fun twist on a classic, and perfect for sharing… or not.

This recipe actually came from getting new neighbors. I wanted something warm, homemade, and guaranteed to make a good first impression, so I showed up with a pan of these fresh from the oven. The smell alone did most of the work.

They were a hit, and now I make them every year. Not just in fall either – caramel and apples are just meant to go together any time.

Step-by-step photos and instructions are below. Jump to the recipe card if you wish!

Why you’ll love this

• You can make these with a bread machine OR stand mixer – I have written instructions for both!
• Perfect combo. Soft cinnamon rolls + gooey caramel + sweet apples = it just works.
• Make ahead. Prep them the night before and bake fresh when you’re ready.
• Great for sharing. These are made for brunch, holidays, or dropping off to someone (if you don’t eat them first).
• Smells amazing. Your kitchen is going to smell like caramel, apples, and cinnamon… which is basically the goal.

This is my regular (and awesome) cinnamon roll recipe, with some apples added in before rolling them up, and a caramel frosting in place of the original.

Step-by-step photos and tips and tricks are below. Jump to the full recipe card instead

Throwback to 2016. H was 4, almost 5 and C was 2. H devoured his, and C… well… C was fixated solely on the apple itself. Can’t say I’m unhappy with that, though!

How to make this recipe

Make the Dough

Combine the milk and sugar in a bowl and heat in the microwave until the temp is reached. We’re looking for around 114°F. it’s supposed to be lukewarm, not hot.

Sprinkle yeast over the surface, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.

(Tiny bubbles should begin to appear on the surface or around the edge of the container and it should start to smell yeasty).

Add the yeast mixture to the bowl of your electric mixer with the dough hook attached.

Add the flour, salt, eggs, and butter and knead for 8-10 minutes. It should form a ball, and be relatively smooth.

Let sit in a warm place, until doubled in size (about an hour?). Punch down.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (keep 1/4 cup of flour on hand in case of stickiness), cover and let rest for 10 minutes – this is an important step, don’t skip!

Make the Filling. Dice (and peel if you wish) the apple. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside

Rolling dough, filling and rolling up. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll dough into a 16×21-inch rectangle. Spread dough with melted butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture, then sprinkle the diced apple over the top. Roll up dough into a log.

Cut, final rise. Cut into 12 rolls about an inch thick.. I use (plain, unflavoured) dental floss to do this.

Place a piece of dental floss under the rolled dough, 1 inch from the end. Bring the floss up around the dough and cross it over the top, cutting through the dough and filling. Repeat at 1-inch intervals.

Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake rolls in oven until golden brown, about 15-25 minutes.

Frosting. While rolls are baking, beat together caramel sauce, powdered sugar, cream cheese, salt and milk. Drizzle/spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

More recipes to love

• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. Scrumptious Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls filled with pumpkin pie stuffed flavor, rolled and baked, then slathered with a spice-spiked cream cheese frosting. Hello, Fall!
• Raspberry Sweet Rolls. Soft, pillowy rolls, stuffed with raspberries (and a little lemon zest and sugar), and drizzled with cream cheese frosting – these will delight everyone!
• Cannoli Cinnamon Rolls from Snappy Gourmet

5 from 1 vote

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Author Kylee Ayotte

Servings 12

Prep Time: 2 hours hrs

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

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A delicious new take on an old favorite, these caramel apple cinnamon rolls are perfect for sharing (or not!) 

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Ingredients

 

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Dough

• ▢ 1 cup warm milk 110°F/45°C
• ▢ 1/2 cup white sugar
• ▢ 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
• ▢ 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1/3 cup butter melted

Filling

• ▢ 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
• ▢ 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/3 cup melted butter
• ▢ 1 large apple diced

Frosting

• ▢ 1/4 cup caramel sauce
• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar 4 ounces
• ▢ 4 ounces softened cream cheese
• ▢ pinch salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

• Combine 1 cup warm milk and 1/2 cup white sugar in a bowl, and put in microwave until the temp is reached (it's supposed to be lukewarm, not hot).
• Sprinkle 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast over the surface, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
• Tiny bubbles should begin to appear on the surface or around the edge of the container and it should start to smell yeasty).
• Add the yeast mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer with the dough hook attached.
• Add 4 1/2 cups bread flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 large eggs and 1/3 cup butter and knead for 8-10 minutes. It should form a ball, and be relatively smooth.
• Let sit in a warm place, until doubled in size (about an hour?).  Punch down.
• In a small bowl, combine 1 cup dark brown sugar and 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon.
• Roll dough into a 16×21-inch rectangle.
• Spread dough with 1/3 cup melted butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture.
• Sprinkle the 1 large apple (diced) over the top.
• Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. I use (plain, unflavoured) dental floss to do this.
• Place a piece of dental floss under the rolled dough, 1 inch from the end. Bring the floss up around the dough and cross it over the top, cutting through the dough and filling. Repeat at 1-inch intervals.
• Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15-25 minutes.
• While rolls are baking, beat together 1/4 cup caramel sauce, 1 cup powdered sugar, 4 ounces softened cream cheese, pinch salt and 1 tablespoon milk.
• Drizzle/spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Notes

 

I recommend using bread flour vs all purpose flour. The gluten content in bread flour is what makes these rolls super soft and fluffy.

Room temperature eggs do best in this recipe

What kind of apples to use?

I use whatever I have but particularly like both gala and granny smith apples.

Apple pie filling will work, but the filling tends to ooze so go easy!

What does “warm but not hot mean”?

It means about 110 degrees F. We don’t want to kill the yeast, but we want the milk warm enough to activate it.

Cutting the rolls

Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the rolls for a clean edge (don’t press down and squish!

The BEST way to slice cinnamon rolls is using dental floss. Place a piece of (plain, unflavored) dental floss under the rolled dough, 1 inch from the end. Bring the floss up around the dough and cross it over the top, cutting through the dough and filling. Repeat at 1-inch intervals.

Bread Machine Instructions

Place dough ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start. After the dough cycle is done, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Continue the recipe from the Filling Step

⭐️ Don’t Forget! I love to hear how this turned out for you! Share your thoughts by leaving a review and rating below.

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Nutrition

Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 357mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 530IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 0.9mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Did you make this recipe?

Make sure to follow @kyleecooks on Instagram for more and tag me #kyleecooks so I can see!

Update: This recipe was originally published in May of 2017. It was republished with updated photos in March of 2026.

About Kylee Ayotte

I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee