Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
These caramel apple cinnamon rolls are a delicious fall twist on my traditional best homemade cinnamon rolls recipe. Soft, fluffy sourdough rolls are filled with tender cinnamon apples, made with my recipe on how to can apples, then topped with rich caramel cream cheese icing and a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce. You can prepare them the night before and bake them fresh in the morning, making these caramel apple cinnamon rolls perfect for a cozy fall breakfast, holiday brunch, or special gathering.
Quick Look: Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 30 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 1 hour
- 👥 Servings: 12
- 📊 Calories: ~8333 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Oven-baked in cast iron skillet
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Sweet and slightly tangy with tender sourdough layers, warm cinnamon, soft caramelized apples, and rich caramel icing.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy – beginner-friendly, mostly assembly and baking.
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Why You'll Love These Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Classic fall flavors – Apples, cinnamon, and caramel are the perfect combination for a cozy fall breakfast or dessert.
- Made from scratch – From the sourdough dough to the apple filling, caramel sauce, and cream cheese icing, everything is homemade.
- Make them the night before – Let the sourdough rolls rise overnight and bake them fresh in the morning for an easy breakfast.
- Use fresh or home-canned apples – Fresh apples work beautifully, but home-canned apples make this recipe especially quick and convenient.
- Perfect for sourdough lovers – If you love the combination of apples, cinnamon, and sourdough, you'll also want to try my apple cinnamon sourdough bread and apple cinnamon focaccia.
- More delicious sourdough treats – For another twist on a classic, try my orange cinnamon rolls recipe or homemade cinnamon twist
- Perfect for fall gatherings – These soft, flavorful caramel apple cinnamon rolls make a special breakfast for holidays, brunches, or cozy weekend mornings.
Ingredients
For a full list of ingredients needed to make this recipe, see the recipe card below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here
How to Make These Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Step 1: Make the dough and apple filling. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the first six dough ingredients. Slowly add the flour and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If mixing by hand, knead until a soft dough forms. Then, in a large cast-iron skillet, combine the apples, ½ cup butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cook over medium heat until the apples are tender.
Step 2: Finish the filling and develop the dough. Mix the water and cornstarch in a small jar, add to the apples, and cook until bubbly and slightly thickened. Let the filling cool for at least 30 minutes. If using a mixer, knead the dough until smooth and elastic. If mixing by hand, stretch and fold or knead every 15–30 minutes for a couple of hours. Baking powder and baking soda are optional for sourdough discard or a same-day bake.
Step 3: Roll out the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a ¼-inch-thick rectangle.
Step 4: Fill the dough. Spread the remaining butter over the dough, then spread the cooled caramel apple filling evenly over the top.
Step 5: Shape the rolls. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 strips. Roll each strip into a cinnamon roll and place in a greased cast-iron skillet or baking dish.
Step 6: Let the rolls rise. For long-fermented rolls, cover and let rise on the counter overnight. If you need more time, refrigerate the rolls and let them finish rising at room temperature for a couple of hours before baking. You can also freeze them at this stage.
Step 7: Preheat the oven: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 30–40 minutes, or until golden brown and the center is completely cooked.
Step 8: Make the caramel sauce. Heat the sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once it turns caramel brown, add the butter, then the cream and salt. Stir well and remove from the heat. Let cool and thicken.
Step 9: Make the frosting. Combine the frosting ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well with a hand mixer.
Step 10: Finish and serve. Spread the caramel frosting over the warm rolls and drizzle with caramel sauce. Serve warm with apple cider, a caramel latte, or a cold glass of milk. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Tips For These Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Freeze for later. Freeze the shaped rolls before baking, then thaw, allow them to rise, and bake when you're ready.
- Use fresh or home-canned apples. Home-canned apples make this recipe especially quick and easy, but fresh apples work great too.
- Let the apple filling cool. Be sure the filling has cooled before spreading it over the dough so it doesn't make the dough difficult to work with.
- Don't skip developing the dough. Proper kneading or stretch-and-folds help create soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls.
- For overnight rolls, cover the shaped rolls and let them rise on the counter overnight. If you need more time, refrigerate them and let them finish rising at room temperature before baking.
- Want to bake them right away? Use sourdough discard along with the baking powder and baking soda for a quicker version.
- Watch the caramel sauce closely. Once the sugar turns caramel brown, immediately add the butter so it doesn't burn.
- Let the caramel cool slightly. The sauce will thicken as it cools and is easier to drizzle once it has thickened a little.
- Check the center before removing the rolls from the oven. The tops may be golden before the centers are fully baked.
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls FAQs
Yes! Fresh apples work perfectly in this recipe. Peel and chop them into small pieces so they cook evenly and become tender.
Yes. Use sourdough discard and add the baking powder and baking soda listed in the recipe. This allows you to make the rolls without a long fermentation.
Absolutely. Prepare and shape the rolls, cover them, and let them rise on the counter overnight. Bake them fresh in the morning.
Yes. If you don't want to leave them on the counter overnight, refrigerate the shaped rolls. Take them out a couple of hours before baking so they can finish rising.
Yes. Freeze the shaped, unbaked cinnamon rolls. Thaw them, allow them to rise, and then bake as directed.
Firm apples that hold their shape when cooked work best. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji, or a combination of apples are all good choices.
Caramel thickens as it cools. If it becomes too thick for drizzling, gently warm it until it reaches the desired consistency.
The rolls should be golden brown on top and cooked through the center. If the center still looks doughy, continue baking for a few more minutes.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Warm them before serving for the best texture.
More Cinnamon Roll Recipes Like This
If you try this recipe and love it, please come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @wagonwheelhomestead21. I can’t wait to see what all you make!
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer You can mix these rolls by hand, but I like using my Bosch mixer. It makes the dough quick and easy while I clean up the kitchen.
- 1 measuring cups and spoons
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Sharp knife or pizza cutter
- 1 12-inch cast-iron skillet or 9 x 13 baking pan
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Medium bowl
- 1 Hand mixer
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients:
- ½ cup apple cider or apple juice
- ½ cup sourdough starter
- ½ cup softened butter
- ½ cup sugar or honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder optional - (only use if baking right away)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (optional - only use if baking right away)
Filling Ingredients
- 4 apples, peeled and diced
- ½ cup butter
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup butter (for spreading on the dough)
Caramel Sauce:
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 Tbl. butter
- ¼ cup cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Caramel Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup caramel sauce (recipe above)
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Make The Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the first six ingredients.
- If using a mixer, mix on low and slowly add the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Baking powder and baking soda are optional for sourdough discard or same-day baking.
- If mixing by hand, knead until the dough forms a ball. Stretch and fold or knead every 15–30 minutes for a couple of hours to develop the gluten.
Make The Caramel Apple Filling:
- In a large cast-iron skillet, combine the apples, ½ cup butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
- Saute over medium heat until apples are tender.
- In a small jar, combine the water and the cornstarch and mix well.
- Add to the apple mixture and cook until bubbly to thicken slightly.
- Allow the filling to cool for at least 30 minutes.
Assemble The Rolls:
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough using a rolling pin to ¼” thick in the shape of a rectangle.
- Spread the extra butter onto the surface of the dough.
- Then spread the filling ingredients on the dough (see video)
- Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into 12 strips.
- Then roll each strip into a roll individually. This makes more uniform cinnamon rolls.
- Place in a greased cast-iron skillet or baking dish.
- For the long-fermented version: Cover and let rise on the counter overnight. If needed, refrigerate and let rise at room temperature for a couple of hours before baking.
- You can also freeze the cinnamon rolls at this point and thaw them to raise and bake later.
- For the quick version: proceed with baking.
Baking The Rolls
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure the center is completely done.
- Remove from the oven. Spread with the caramel frosting and drizzle with the caramel sauce.
- Enjoy with a steaming cup of hot apple cider, a warm caramel latte, or a cold glass of milk.
- Savor every bite! Store any leftover rolls in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to one week, although I know they'll never last that long.
Caramel Sauce
- To a small saucepan, add the sugar and toast it over medium-high heat until starts to turn a caramel color, stirring constantly.
- As soon as it starts to turn a nice caramel brown, immediately add the butter and mix well.
- Then add the cream and salt, all while stirring constantly.
- Turn off the heat and allow the caramel to cool. It will thicken as it cools, but can be warmed back up for easy drizzling if necessary.
Caramel Frosting
- Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix well with a hand mixer.
- If you try this recipe and love it, please come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @wagonwheelhomestead21
Notes
- For the long-fermented version, let the dough rise at room temperature overnight for the best sourdough fermentation.
- If your starter is very thin, you may need to add a little extra flour. The dough should pull away from the mixer bowl or be soft and slightly tacky when mixed by hand.
- Use a mixer or knead and stretch-and-fold the dough for about an hour to develop the gluten.
- Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into strips, then roll each strip individually for more uniform cinnamon rolls.
- You can make the apple filling, frosting, and caramel sauce ahead of time to make assembly quick and easy.
These look delicious, can't wait to try the recipe!