Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

By vealam

Ingredients

• For the cinnamon rolls:
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar, plus a pinch for the yeast
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt
• For the apple filling:
• 1 small apple, cored and diced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• For the caramel frosting:
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• flaky sea salt, for garnish

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 45mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from dessertfortwo.com

Preparation

Step 1

First, make the dough: in a small cup, combine the milk and water. Heat in the microwave for about 15 seconds to bring the temperature to 105-110 degrees F.
Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter and set aside.
Sprinkle the yeast into the milk-water mixture along with a pinch of sugar, and stir. Let sit in a warm place until foamy, about 10-15 minutes.
Next, combine the flour, remaining tablespoon of sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
Stir the yeast mixture into the flour, followed by the melted butter. Stir until a dough forms.
Next, make the apple filling: in a small skillet, add diced apple, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the apples soften. The sugar should caramelize and bubble. When the apples are done, stir in the heavy cream and cook until the sauce thickens slightly and resembles apples in caramel sauce. Scrape the sauce into a bowl, but don't clean the skillet.
Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 8" by 4".
Evenly spread the apple filling mixture over the dough. Beginning with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough up into a log. Slice into 4 equal pieces.
Place cinnamon rolls in a buttered 6" round pan (or equivalent).
Let the cinnamon rolls rest and rise while you preheat the oven to 400-degrees F.
Bake the rolls for 13-15 minutes, until the tops start to lightly brown.
While the rolls bake, make the frosting in the same skillet you made the filling in. Melt the butter and sugar over medium heat. Let the sugar lightly caramelize around the edges, stirring occasionally. When the sugar is a golden color, stir in all of the heavy cream at once--be careful, it can splatter.
Stir the caramel sauce as it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar. Keep stirring until the sugar dissolves--it may look too thick at first, but the heat of the pan will make it come together.
Drizzle the caramel sauce over the rolls, sprinkle with salt, and serve.