This cinnamon roll recipe with apples and caramel sauce is easy, ready in 30 minutes, and you don’t even have to make scratch cinnamon roll dough. Use two tubes of refrigerated cinnamon roll dough, chop it into pieces, pour a milky egg mixture over the top, before adding apples, frosting, and caramel sauce. As the dough rises around the apples, the apples become trapped in the dough, and every bite is filled with tender, juicy apples. A perfect contrast to the chewy, buttery dough. After baking add frosting and drizzle salted caramel over the top for an added boost of caramel flavor. Perfect for lazy weekend breakfasts, impromptu company, or a special holiday brunch or event.
vanilla ice cream or whipped toppingoptional for serving
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a 9×9-inch pan with foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
Cut the cinnamon roll dough into 3 even strips, then cut those strips into 3 pieces, making 9 pieces total per cinnamon roll. Scatter in prepared pan, separating the pieces from one another because they stick together if you slice them in stacks; set pan and the icing from the packaging aside.
To a medium bowl, add the eggs, 1/2 cup milk, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and whisk until smooth; set aside.
To a large skillet, add the butter and heat over medium-low heat to melt.
Add the apples, brown sugar, and cook over low heat until the sugar starts to caramelize and thicken, about 10 minutes; stir frequently. Remove pan from heat; set aside.
Pour the milky egg mixture over the cinnamon rolls, top with the apples and all the caramel sauce in the pan, and evenly drizzle the icing. If the icing is cold, heating it in the microwave for 10 seconds will make drizzling easier.
Place pan on a baking sheet (insurance against overflow and highly recommended) and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top is set in the center and lightly golden brown. Place pan on a wire rack to cool momentarily while you make the frosting.
To a medium bowl, add the confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons cream or milk, and whisk to combine until smooth.
Evenly drizzle the frosting and the salted caramel over the rolls, and optionally serve with ice cream or whipped topping. Serve immediately. Cinnamon rolls are best warm and fresh but will keep airtight at room temp for up to 5 days.