Salted Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Salted caramel apple cinnamon rolls are the perfect combination of salty and sweet, making them the ultimate breakfast treat! The caramel adds an amazing flavor to these delicious rolls.

We love salted caramel syrup here with everything from our salted caramel apple Bundt cake (yes it is as amazing as it sounds) to these salted caramel apple cinnamon rolls. Sometimes we even add it to our coffee, seriously it is delicious in coffee.

The first time I made these rolls I tried something completely different. It didn’t turn out so well because I put the apples in the caramel and then spread it over the dough. Don’t do that, trust me the dough got wet and fell apart. Lesson learned!

So then it was back to the kitchen to perfect these – I can be determined sometimes. I figured out what I did wrong (added wet caramel drizzle to dough) and then created an amazing cinnamon roll. The second time making them turned out perfect and we made them a few times again to be sure before sharing them with you.

We now have our recipe perfected and we hope you enjoy the salty sweet flavors of these rolls as much as we do!

Ingredients

• Flour – We used all purpose flour and weighed it on a scale to give you an accurate amount. If you do not have a kitchen scale, you want to spoon and level the flour to get the closest amount.
• Yeast – Instant yeast is what we recommend. Rapid rise bread machine will work also, but regular yeast (non instant) has not been tested and is not recommended.
• Sugar – Granulated sugar, either minimally processed or granulated white sugar is good. Be sure if using minimally processed that it is a 1 for 1 substitute for granulated and the same texture.
• Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon, no substitutes recommended. This is used in the dough for the rolls and the filling.
• Salt – Regular iodized salt or you can use fine sea salt.
• Butter – Unsalted is recommended. Butter is used in the dough and also the filling.
• Milk – We use and recommend whole milk, but you can use a lower fat if you prefer. You can substitute water for milk, but milk is best for the taste and texture.
• Egg – No substitutions recommended. Best if it is at room temperature and not just out of the fridge.
• Heavy cream – This is optional but recommended for the best taste and texture. You can use milk or half and half in it’s place if needed. Should be room temperature.
• Apples – We love honey crisp apples for ours, but you can use your favorite apple.
• Brown sugar – We use dark brown sugar, but you can use light brown sugar if you prefer.
• Salted caramel – We use a homemade salted caramel sauce for cinnamon rolls. It’s easy to make and only requires heavy cream, butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and salt.

Making the salted caramel apple cinnamon rolls

These apple cinnamon rolls are easy to make but they do take a little bit of time. Working with yeast always takes a little bit of time for rising.

The dough

Start by mixing the flour, salt, sugar (all but about 1 tablespoon) and cinnamon in a small bowl. Use a whisk to mix well to break up any flour clumps. Set aside.

Melt the butter and add the milk to it. Check the temperature, it is is around 115 degrees Fahrenheit, it is perfect. If it is too cold, heat it carefully until it is around 115 degrees. Be sure it is not hotter then 119 degrees, if it is let it cool for a few minutes.

Add the warmed milk and melted butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour in the yeast and the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Allow it to sit a few minutes until the yeast starts to get a little frothy.

Once the yeast is a little frothy, turn your mixer on low with a paddle attachment. Add in the egg and then the flour mixture. Mix until it is just combined. Change over to the dough hook and knead on stir for about 5 minutes, until it is elastic and smooth.

As a note, the dough for these salted caramel apple cinnamon rolls will be tacky. You may need to add more then the 3 cups (390 grams) of flour, but do not add too much. It will be a bit more sticky then bread or dinner roll dough. We usually add about 3-4 tablespoons more.

Allow the dough to sit for about 10 minutes while cutting the apples.

Filling and rolling

First you want to prepare the filling. I use just barely melted butter, but you can use softened butter. When I say just barely melted, I mean that you have it in the pan and some is melted but there may be a small bit of butter that is still a soft clump.

Why did I use just barely melted butter? I started by accident as it can be struggle in the winter time to soften butter without slightly melting it. While this wouldn’t work in dough that requires softened butter, it will work here mixing for the filling.

In a small bowl mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together until there are no large brown sugar clumps. Add in the butter and mix well.

Peel and cut the apples into small pieces. Pour the heavy cream now and allow it to sit at room temperature so it’s not cold when you need it. Do not add it until after they rise.

Rolling

Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a floured surface to a rectangle about 18 inches by 12 inches. Doesn’t have to be exact but this is about how big ours is every time we make the salted caramel apple cinnamon rolls.

Spread the sugar mixture as evenly as you can across the dough. Add the apple pieces all over the sugar mixture. You can use less then the 2 apples if you prefer. We do not recommend using more or you may struggle rolling it into a log.

Roll it into a log as best as you can. It is best to have a dough scraper in case some of the dough sticks on the bottom as you are trying to roll it into a log.

Cut the log into 12 equal pieces.

Rising, baking and serving

Once you cut them into 12 equal sections, place them in a slightly oiled or non stick 13×9 baking dish. We do not use oil in the bottom of the pan, it is a non stick pan.

Cover and allow to rise in a draft free environment. We use the bread proof feature on our oven which creates a temperature of around 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit with no drafts. We let them rise about 30-40 minutes. They will be almost double in size.

As you can see by the picture, they are not huge after rising and that is ok. They will rise more in the oven! The upper left is before rising and the upper right is after rising with cream over them.

Once you have let them rise, pour the heavy cream over the salted caramel apple cinnamon rolls. Place in the oven preheated at 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 25-30 minutes. They will be starting to turn golden brown and they will be much bigger in size.

If you are using the homemade caramel syrup, be sure that it is warmed up enough to be easy to pour. It does start to solidify as it cools down but reheating it will turn it to liquid again.

Pour the salted caramel syrup over the top of the apple cinnamon rolls and serve.

Can I make these cinnamon rolls without a stand mixer?

Sure you can! Making the dough is similar to with the mixer but you will stir with a spoon like a wooden spoon instead of using the paddle attachment on the mixer. Follow the same directions for making the dough but mixing with a spoon.

You also will be kneading it by hand. Once you get to where we switch to the dough hook, you will be using your hands to knead the dough. Like in the mixer, you may need to add a little bit more flour for it to become elastic, but be careful not to add too much flour. Remember the dough should be tacky and likely sticking to your hands a little bit. I recommend kneading it in the mixing bowl instead of a floured surface.

Follow the rest of the instructions for the salted caramel apple cinnamon rolls after kneading the dough by hand.

Frequently asked questions