Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls

it's delicious! no mixer recipe

I love cinnamon rolls so much. So when I was thinking about what I want to bake with apples, one of my first thoughts went to cinnamon rolls. I then started to think about what I can fill them with, and I came up with apple butter! So here’s some apple butter cinnamon rolls. :)

Have you heard of apple butter? When I first heard of this, I thought that it was butter mixed with apple sauce. Yet, apple butter actually does not have any butter at all! Instead, it is more of a concentrated apple sauce. You cook apple slowly to caramelize the sugars and create a a delicious spreadable jam. Most recipes recommended using a Crockpot to cook the apples for around 10 hours, but I chose to make mine on top of a stove to hasten the process.

Ingredients
I used this recipe as reference for the dough

Apple Butter, makes around 500 grams but will only use 350 grams
1.5 pounds apples, I used honeycrisp and granny smith
1/2 cup apple cider (not vinegar) or apple juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of salt
Juice of half a lemon

Cinnamon Roll Dough
3/4 cup (180 milliliters) milk, warm
1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) instant yeast
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 3/4 cups (340 grams) flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
Oil for coating
Egg wash

Cinnamon Sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Apple Cider Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
1 cup (236 milliliters) apple cider
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt

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Directions

1. Apple Butter
   Chop 1.5 pounds apples into smaller even pieces, no need to peel the apples. Transfer to a large pot and then add 1/2 cup apple cider, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, the juice of half a lemon, and a pinch of salt. Give everything a mix and turn on the heat to a medium high. Once the liquid starts to boil, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Simmer for 25 minutes or so until the apples soften. Remove from heat and then use an immersion blender to puree the apples till smooth. Be careful as everything will be extremely hot! Once pureed, bring the heat to low and slightly cover the pot to continue cooking the apple butter. Stir occasionally and keep cooking until the apple butter is golden brown and thickened.

2. Dough
   -Add 180 milliliters milk to a bowl and use a microwave to heat it to 105-115 degrees F. Then take 1 teaspoon sugar from the 1/4 cup sugar and add it to the milk along with 7 grams instant yeast. Give everything a mix and set the yeast mixture aside for 5-10 minutes to bloom. Once bloomed, add 3 tablespoons melted butter with the rest of the 1/4 cup sugar. You want the butter to cool off before adding it. Mix. Then crack in 1 large egg and mix again.
   -In a separate bowl, combine 340 grams flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Then add the flour into the wet ingredients a bit at a time, using a wooden spoon or spatula to mix everything together. Once everything is combined, knead the dough inside of the bowl a few times, then transfer everything to a floured surface to continue kneading. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, adding more flour if it feels too tacky (I added a small handful or so). After kneading, transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap to rise for an hour. You want it to get doubled in size.
   -After an hour, place the dough onto a floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a 10”x15” rectangle. Place 350 grams of the apple butter onto the rolled out dough leaving the long end away from you untouched. Then combine 1/3 cup brown sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon and sprinkle everything on top evenly. Now roll up the dough tightly, away from you so that the edge without the apple butter can seal the roll.
   -Cut off the ends or keep them (solely for aesthetics). Measure out either 9 larger rolls or 12 smaller rolls. Cut them out using either dental floss or a knife and place them in a 9”x13” baking dish. Cover these rolls with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let them proof for 45 minutes. At this time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
   -Once the rolls are proofed, brush the rolls with egg wash. Then bake for 25 minutes until the cinnamon rolls are golden brown.

3. Apple Cider Cream Cheese Frosting
   -While the rolls are baking, add 1 cup apple cider to a pan and cook over high heat until the apple cider to reduced to half. Put it aside in another bowl to let it cool.
   -Then add 4 ounces cream cheese and 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (both room temperature) to a bowl and mix with a hand mixer until everything is combined. Then add the cooled reduced apple cider, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Mix everything together. Sift in 1 cup powdered sugar and give everything a final mix.

4. Assembly
   -Let the cinnamon rolls cool for 10 or so minutes. Then slather on all of the frosting on top. Enjoy!

Have you tried apple butter?