Cozy up to these Apple Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes! This fall comfort food is a fun twist on a classic dessert that’s perfect for fall entertaining. Made with seasonal apples, an easy homemade dough, and topped with a delicious Cinnamon Glaze.
What are your favorite fall flavors?
Fall means cool nights, warm sweaters, and comfort food and nothing brings fall flavors together more than apples and cinnamon. I decided to merge those two flavors together into a yummy Apple Cinnamon Roll. To make it fun, I popped those sticky buns into a muffin liner and added this delicious Cinnamon Glaze. The result is pure fall comfort food!
Connecting the seasons with your food!
In this busy, on-the-go world we are in, we often forget the connection with our food. This is why I love the fall season. Everything in nature slows down and it is a time to go inward and reflect. I love this recipe because it makes the emotional connection with you and what you put inside of your body.
The first thing you want to do is make sure you get to your farmers market to get some local apples. Make the dough using regular white or whole wheat flour, sugar, instant yeast, milk (I used a plant-based milk), and butter (I used a vegan butter). If you have a stand-in mixer with a dough hook, you can make your dough in that, but I would recommend kneading your dough by hand. I find kneading dough to be very relaxing and it keeps you in direct contact with your food. Bake with love!
The Cinnamon Glaze recipe is super simple with powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and a touch of cinnamon to keep with those fall components. Glaze your Apple Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes as little or as much as you like.
These Apple Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes with Cinnamon Glaze are filled with comforting fall flavors and are a fun twist on a classic dessert. If you are a cinnamon roll lover, I highly recommend giving this recipe a go!
Ingredients
- 2 cups white or whole wheat flour (plus extra to lightly flour your surface to roll out dough)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 pkg instant yeast
- 4 tbsp softened (not melted) butter* (see notes)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 cup warm milk* (see notes)
- 1 tsp neutral tasting oil (light olive oil or pan spray)
- 2 small apples, chopped
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tbsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tbsp softened (not melted) butter plus extra for topping* (see notes)
- 2-3 tbsp milk* (see notes)
- 3/4-1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat milk in a bowl by popping it in a microwave for 30-seconds. Let cool for a few minutes. It should be warm, but not too hot or it will kill the yeast.
- Add warm milk, softened butter, sugar, instant yeast, and salt. Stir slightly to combine.
- Add in flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring as you go. Keep adding flour and stirring until the dough is not super sticky. I ended up adding the entire 2 cups. When it becomes too thick to stir, that is when it is ready to be kneaded.
- Transfer to a lightly-floured surface and knead for 30 to 60 seconds until it forms a loose ball, being careful not to over mix. Grab another bowl or rinse your mixing bowl out, coat it with a oil, and add your dough ball back in. Cover with towel or plastic wrap and allow it to rise for about an hour until doubled in size.
- While the dough is setting, grab your apples and begin to rinse, peel, and chop thinly. Then grab a small bowl and mix in your brown sugar and cinnamon powder. Feel free to add more or less brown sugar and/or cinnamon powder according to your tastes.
- Once dough is ready, lightly flour a clean surface or large cutting board and roll out the dough into a thin rectangle. Brush with softened vegan butter and dust with your brown sugar, cinnamon powder, and thinly-chopped apples.
- Starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough until completely rolled. With a serrated knife or a string of floss, cut the dough into 1-inch sections and position in large cupcake liners. Add to a cupcake baking pan.
- Brush with some more butter (softened or melted) and cover with plastic wrap so it can rise some more for about 5 or 10 minutes while you preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Once the oven is hot, bake rolls for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before adding glaze.
- Grab a bowl and whisk together milk and powdered sugar. Glaze your apple cinnamon roll cupcakes and serve immediately.
Notes
*For milk, I used almond milk, but you can use any type of milk you desire.
*For butter, I used the vegan butter, Earth Balance, but you can use any type of butter you desire. I have not tested this recipe with coconut oil.
*Depending on how thick and how light you like your glaze will determine how much milk to add.
*Using instant yeast (NOT active yeast) makes the process quicker as you can add it straight to your ingredients without having to proof it.
*I have not tested this recipe using gluten free flour.
*You can skip the kneading part if you have a stand in mixer with a dough hook.
We hope you love these Apple Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes from SoFabFood Home Chef, Gina Marie from Vegan with Curves, as much as we do. If you love this delightful recipe, stop by our Desserts section to find more like it. For daily recipe inspiration, like us on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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