These vegan apple stuffed cinnamon rolls are decadent, fluffy and drizzled with a luscious cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
I have always had a sweet tooth. Move over chocolate, my taste buds are lighting up with these vegan apple stuffed cinnamon rolls. This is my third cinnamon roll recipe this fall so I think it’s safe to say I have an obsession. If you’re obsessed to, keep reading. If you’re not obsessed … yet … keep reading and maybe you will be too!
The Cooking Process
Making cinnamon rolls is actually rather easy so don’t let the idea of proofing yeast or letting dough rise intimidate you.
- Proof the yeast
- Form and knead the dough
- Let it rise
- Roll out the dough
- Fill the dough
- Bake the dough
First, we start by proofing the yeast. All this means is that we active the yeast in warm milk. It’s really important that you don’t heat the milk past 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Liquid that is too hot can kill the yeast and then the dough won’t rise.
Next, after the yeast bubbles (proofs), we add flour and knead on a floured surface. And knead. Knead some more. Then knead again. For about ten minutes until you have a fluffy ball of moist but not sticky dough.
Then we let the dough rise in a greased and covered bowl in a warm and draft-free area of your kitchen. Once the dough doubles in size, it’s ready to be rolled.
I like to punch a hole in the ball of dough (it’s weirdly satisfying) to help remove the air. Then I knead it again to try and eliminate as many air pockets as possible. It’s best to knead on a floured surface so that it doesn’t stick.
Then we roll it out in a rectangle, about the size of your oven safe dish, usually about 9×13 inches. Next, we slather with room temperature butter and sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar and sautéed apples. I don’t recommend using melted better at this stage because it will simply seep out of the roll. Room temp butter will better stick to your dough and keep the dough moist as it bakes.
The only added step in this recipe versus my regular cinnamon rolls is that we sauté the apples beforehand. That’s it!
Finally, we tuck and roll the dough into a cigar-like shape and slice into 1 inch circles. To slice the dough, I use floss. Yes, floss. A knife can often flatten the dough. Slip the floss under the roll and then pull the end across the roll past each other, almost like you’re tying a shoe. When you pull across, the floss will cleanly slice the dough.
You won’t want to skip this decadent cinnamon cream cheese frosting, I promise!
If apple cinnamon rolls aren’t your thing, check out my simple vegan cinnamon rolls.
Apple Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup plant milk warmed to 110
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp melted vegan butter
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast or 1 packet instant yeast
- 2 1/2 cups white flour
Filling
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1.5 large apples, peeled and diced into cubes
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 cup water
Frosting
- 3 oz vegan cream cheese
- 2 tbsp cold vegan butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Proof the yeast: warm up milk to 110 F (any hotter will kill yeast). Sprinkle in the yeast and set aside to bubble for ten minutes.
- After ten minutes, add the melted butter, sugar and salt to the yeast mixture.
- Add the yeast mixture to a big bowl. Start adding flour to yeast 1/2 cup at a time using a wooden spoon/hands. Start kneading the dough. As it gets bigger and less sticky, transfer it to a floured surface and knead with your hands about 10 mins. Dough should be soft but not sticky.
- Lightly grease the bowl, place dough back in, cover & let it rise in a warm area for 1 hour. Dough should double in size.
- Ten minutes prior to using the dough, begin sauteing the apples. Add the peeled and diced apples to a small saucepan with the water and maple syrup. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to med-low, sauteing the apples until they're softened and the water is evaporated.
- After 1 hour, place dough in a floured surface. Knead to get air out. Then roll out into a rectangle , about 9×13”, about 1/4” thick. This should be the size of your pan. Preheat oven to 350.
- Lather the dough with room temp butter. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the butter and lightly press in. Then sprinkle the apples on top.
- Tuck and roll the dough like a cigar into a big roll.
- Using floss, slice the roll into 1” circles. Place in greased pan.
- Brush all rolls with melted butter and bake for 20-25 mins until golden brown. 𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 overcook!
- While the rolls are baking, make the frosting. Cream the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer. Then add the vanilla and cinnamon. Then add the powdered sugar. Set aside.
- Let rolls cool for 10 mins before frosting them.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thewholescoopblog
