Cultivating the Berry Patch

Apple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

While getting ready to watch General Conference a few weeks ago, I decided to make apple pecan cinnamon rolls! A few years ago I had some apple I needed to use up and tried adding it to cinnamon rolls and loved it. I decided to try it again and also add some pecans.

I always loved the cinnamon rolls my mom made growing up, but as an adult they sometimes are overwhelmingly sweet. Adding apple chunks into the filling helps bring down it down to the perfect sweetness level for me. Let’s get into the recipe!

I used AI to clean up the plate for this one because I had been too lazy to grab a fresh one from the cupboard. I regretted that when I actually went to write the post, haha. Someday I’ll remember to take pictures as I go instead of as an afterthought!

Dough:

  • 1 ¾ C. warm water
  • 1/2 C. oil
  • 3 T. yeast
  • 3/8 C. sugar

Mix together and let sit for 15 minutes. Add:

  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 5 C. flour

Knead in the mixer for 10 minutes. The dough will be a bit sticky, but you should be able to get it rolled out easily for assembly. Lightly oil the counter and roll out dough into a rectangle. I don’t have measurements for what your dough size should be, but it was about ¾ of an inch thick. See picture below filling to see the proportions I had.

Filling:

  • 1/4 C. butter (melted)
  • 3/4 – 1 C. brown sugar
  • 3/8 C. white sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 green apple (peeled and cubed)
  • chopped pecans

Spread melted butter onto the rolled out dough, leaving 1/2-1 inch of dough on the edge without. This will help with sealing the dough when you roll it up. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter. Mix the white sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle over the brown sugar. Evenly distribute apple chunks and pecans over the sugar.

I didn’t add pecans to the entire batch this time, which is why ⅔ of the dough is missing them. I also ended up with a couple of rolls that didn’t have any apple in them.

Roll up dough and cut into 1-2 inch slices and place on a greased baking sheet.

Let rise for 10-15 minutes. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Frost while warm.

Frosting:

  • 2 C. powdered sugar
  • 1/4 C. milk
  • 2 T. butter (melted)
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix until smooth and spread on warm cinnamon rolls.

Don’t mind the missing cinnamon roll, lol. I’m still working on the remembering to take pictures of the different stages of recipes :).

Notes:

  • This recipe will make about one 11×17 baking sheet worth of cinnamon rolls.
  • I think this would be delicious with a cream cheese icing! I didn’t have the time to do that for this batch. If you try it, let me know how it is!
  • You may want to make a double batch or batch and a half of the frosting. I didn’t have enough to get it quite as thick as I like 🙂