Easy to make, delicious to eat, and beautiful to look at, this Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie recipe combines two classic fall dishes – cinnamon rolls and apple pie – into one, dream-come-true dessert.
Somewhere in between fall and winter comes the season where you have to scramble to use up all the apples you picked when fall first arrived (because if you don’t, you’ll let perfectly good apples by the pound go to waste).
Trust me, we’ve all been there! The excitement wears off and you start to wonder what the heck you can do with all your leftover apples.
Lucky for you, the fruit happens to be one of my favorite things to cook with. If you’re like me and may or may not be obsessed, you’ll like all my other apple recipes too:
Caramel Apple Bark
Apple Roses
Apple Bread
Braided Apple Puff Pastry
Oven Baked Apple Chips
Of course, if you like apples, you’ll love apple pie. And if you love apple pie, you’re about to fall even more in love with my Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie. This dessert recipe combines two of the best sweets of all time: cinnamon rolls and apple pie.
Actually, cinnamon rolls were my biggest craving throughout my pregnancy with R. With apple pie being another favorite and a fall staple dish, I decided to combine the two for Thanksgiving!
This two-in-one dessert always gets a reaction from people because of the beautiful, elevated presentation. With the cinnamon roll pie crust and the warm, spiced aroma of baked apples, you will be seeing this pie in your dreams.
I also love that the apples add a light touch to the traditional, creamy heaviness of a cinnamon roll.
If you want to take this elevated classic to a new level, you can also use brown butter. Browning butter gives you a delicious, toasted, and nutty flavor to your dish and is perfect for baked goods like this one. You can learn more about brown butter in my Brown Butter Pumpkin Cookies recipe.
Either way, you’ll never go back to any other pie recipe once you try this one!
Whether you want to make a classic holiday dessert or you’re just in the mood for the mouthwatering taste of cinnamon and apples, this recipe is perfect to try around this time of year.
Although a can of apple pie filling makes your life a whole lot easier, making your own apple pie filling is really simple and allows you to get creative with this recipe. Not to mention, it always tasted a thousand times better!
Simply take peeled and chopped apples and add to a pan with a bit of water, sugar, and cinnamon or nutmeg. If you want that classic, thick filling, you can add a bit of cornstarch slurry in there.
Of course, the most important part of apple pie filling is which apple you choose. As it turns out, there are over 2,000 apple types commercially grown and sold in the United States.
Granny Smith is the go-to for most pies because they are firm and do not mush easily. They are also easier to find in supermarkets. However, since they tend to be a bit more sour, many people combine Granny Smith with a sweeter apple for a more balanced flavor. For this recipe, the Granny Smith could work well on its own since it will be balanced by the Cinnamon Roll pie crust.
Another safe option is a Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious apple. Both of these are versatile for cooking with apples and are still relatively easy to find at orchards and grocery stores.
At the end of the day, you’re baking the apples in warm spices beneath a delicious cinnamon roll crust (and then eating it!), so don’t sweat the apple variety too much!
To get the best Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie, use these tips:
Use a string to slice your pastry dough instead of a knife. While a knife will cut just fine, the string helps maintain the fluffiness in your cinnamon roll slices, which is key.
Always use an egg wash or brush with butter for that irresistible crunch golden pie top.
Top with a classic vanilla glaze or pair with the ice cream of your choice (vanilla or maple are great options!) and serve right out of the oven for an unforgettable dessert experience.
2 tbsps of sugar mixed with cinnamon for sprinkling
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F
Lay 1 pie crust into greased pie plate. Press firmly against the side and bottom of the pie plate. Use a fork to pierce the crust gently all over the bottom and up the sides of the pie and then refrigerate.
On a lightly floured surface roll the other piecrust into a rectangle shape and brush with the melted butter, sprinkle with the sugar and the cinnamon mixture, and start to tightly roll into a log. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to make sure it holds together when cutting.
Remove the pie from the fridge and fill it with the apple pie filling. Now cut the dough log (I always recommend using floors or thread instead of a knife! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find mine, but a knife worked just fine too.
Arrange cinnamon roll slices over the apple mixture, brush the pie crust edges and the slices with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350°F, place a crust ring (or aluminum foil) on the pie to prevent it from burning, and bake for another 40 minutes.
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