A pan of these easy Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls makes a great breakfast or afternoon snack. It's like having a warm bite of fall on a plate.
*I am partnering with Musselman's this fall. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
It's supposed to be fall here. Remember how I talked about how excited I was for the chilly weather, the changing leaves, and wearing sweatshirts?
The weather is not cooperating with my desire to be cold and have a cozy sweatshirt on. There were a few days this week when we had the windows open all night long and the house was chilly in the morning, so I got a little too excited and pulled out the sweatshirts.
Both days when I was sitting in the pick up line for school...in the 80* heat...I was seriously regretting my clothing choice. Never mind that I did that two days in a row.
I finally got smart to the fact that we are in the middle of a heat wave, and I wore a t-shirt to our son's soccer game yesterday. An hour and a half of sitting in the sun with a sweatshirt would have definitely distracted me from the game.
Until our weather decides to cooperate with the calendar, I will just dream of all things fall.
I have fall candles burning in my house, pumpkin decorations in my living room, Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls in my oven, and the air conditioner cranked to a nice chilly 72 degrees.
Take that summer. I can beat you at this game.
This fall Musselman's contacted me again to create an apple butter spin on a classic recipe.
I remember growing up eating apple butter on toast when I was little. Warm bread coated in melted butter and spicy apple butter is definitely a breakfast to get excited about. I just can't get enough of that stuff!
Apple butter is applesauce that has been slowly cooked down into a caramelized thick spread. The smell while it is cooking is absolutely amazing. It will fill your house with a spicy apple orchard kind of a feeling.
I do love to eat apple butter and toast, but I also love to bake with it. Last year I made this Apple Butter Cake that I am thinking needs to happen again with my leftover jar of apple butter.
When I was trying to decide on what sweet treat I wanted to share with you that was full of apple butter taste, I kept thinking about the classic cinnamon roll. I decided to use my recipe for these Mocha Chip Cinnamon Rolls and change it up with apple butter.
These easy cinnamon rolls can be made, rolled, and baked in about 40 minutes. That's what I like to hear when I am craving homemade cinnamon rolls.
How to make Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls
I cut back on the butter milk in the recipe and substituted apple butter. I wanted these rolls to have apple butter shining through in every element.
Pat the dough out on your counter or table. Now the dough is going to be sticky, but don't worry. Keep a layer of flour between the dough and your work space. Go ahead and knead the dough with some flour just to make it workable.
Pat the dough out with your hands to form a 10x14 rectangle, trying to keep it as even as possible all over.
Time to add some more apple butter. Spread a layer of apple butter over the dough, making sure not to go all the way to the edges.
Sprinkle that with a little bit of sugar and cinnamon. Usually I use more for my filling, but I knew that I didn't want to overwhelm the apple butter.
Start to roll up the dough from the shortest side. It will stick to your counter, so use a butter knife to gently loosen it as you go. Cut the roll into 9 even pieces and place them in a pan that has a thin layer of melted butter in the bottom.
20 minutes in the oven and these rolls will be a nice golden brown. Pull the pan out to cool slightly while you make the apple butter glaze. I told you I wanted these rolls to be full of apple butter goodness. I would say I accomplished that by having apple butter in all three elements of these cinnamon rolls.
Who else is ready for chilly weather and apple butter on everything?
More Uses for Apple Butter
- Glazed Apple Butter Shortbread Bars
- Apple Butter Crumble Cake
- Baked Apple Butter Ham & Cheese Sandwiches
- Frosted Cranberry Apple Butter Bars
- Apple Butter Oatmeal Bars
- Apple Butter Bread
Recipe
Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls
These soft Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls are a delicious and sweet breakfast for fall mornings.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 ยฝ cups flour
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ยผ cup Musselman's Apple Butter
- 5 Tablespoons melted butter, divided
For the Filling
- 6 Tablespoons Musselman's Apple Butter
- โ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the Glaze
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Musselman's Apple Butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Create a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk, apple butter, and 4 Tablespoons melted butter. Slowly beat on low with a mixer until a soft dough forms. You can also use a fork.
- Place the dough ball on a floured surface and knead a few times to make the dough more manageable. The dough is very sticky.
- Pat out the dough to form a 10x14 rectangle, making sure to keep flour underneath and to keep it evenly patted out.
- Spread the apple butter over the dough, making sure to not go all the way to the edges.
- Mix together the brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon and sprinkle over the apple butter.
- Gently and slowly start to roll up from the shortest side. The dough may stick to your work surface, so use a butter knife to gently loosen the dough as you roll.
- Cut a very small piece of each end to even it up. Cut the dough roll into 9 even pieces.
- Place the rolls cut side down into an 10x10 pan that has been coated with 1 Tablespoon melted butter. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and apple butter until creamy. Spread over the slightly cooled rolls. Serve immediately. Keep uneaten rolls refrigerated. Can be warmed in the microwave for 30-40 seconds to eat the next day.
*BruCrew Life was sent a jar of apple butter and compensated to develop a recipe for Musselman's. All opinions in this post are 100% my own.
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain
Seriously, why can't summer grow up and leave already - we've al been so patient for Fall! Apple and pumpkin treats taste better when you are wearing a sweater: it's a well-known fact. BUT I bet these apple butter cinnamon rolls taste delicious no matter what time of year! Woo for apple butter! ๐
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha! I totally agree!! ๐ Thank you Jess!!
Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl
Oh my gosh, I can't believe how beautiful these look! I want to stuff one of those into my mouth right now!
And I hear you on the weather...we're FINALLY getting some cooler temps in the morning, but it's still nearly 90 in the afternoons. Where's fall???
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you Ashley!! Yes, where is my lovely Fall??
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious
I absolutely LOVE musselman's. I just used it in a savory dish but I loved how you used it in these cinnamon rolls. Pinned!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you so much Chung-Ah!! ๐
Tieghan
So super quick and no yeast?!? Sign me up! Plus, I love apple butter! These look crazy good, Jocelyn! Perfect way to start the weekend!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha, yes! Thanks Tieghan! ๐
Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen
This is amazing how quickly these are made!!I haven't had apple butter in years, growing up I wasn't a fan, clearly I need to re try it ๐
Jocelyn Brubaker
Yes you do!! Thanks Elizabeth!! ๐
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
Yes Jocelyn! These are going to be my favorite cinnamon rolls!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Yay! ๐ Thanks girl!
Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen
This weather is crazy! It's been in the 80's in NYC. I feel like I should be enjoying it, but all I really want is to wear scarves, sweaters and boots. It might not feel like fall, but I plan to keep eating like it is. The rolls are perfect for the weekend!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha, I know!! Thank you Kelli!
Chels R.
That looks so heavenly!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you Chels!! ๐
Happy Valley Chow
Cinnamon rolls just scream fall to me in the first place, love that you used apple butter to give it an extra fall kick! Definitely need to try these, yummy!
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Jocelyn Brubaker
They totally scream Fall to me too! Thanks Eric!! ๐
LuAnn Braley
Saved the recipe. Pinned a picture. Would like to subtitle my "Desserts" board: "why I will never by skinny again"! :p Abble butter should have it's own food category.
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha!! Yes it should! Thanks LuAnn!!
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel
Our weather has been kind of funky too but I *think* it's going to finally cool off for good now. We'll see though because sometimes October is still weird here. And boy do I want one of these! Brilliant idea to use apple butter.
Jocelyn Brubaker
Crazy weather anyways!! ๐ Thank you Rachel!!
Stephanie @ PlainChicken
I love apple butter. I never thought to add it to cinnamon rolls. They look delicious!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you so much Stephanie!! ๐
Averie @ Averie Cooks
I am beyond impressed that these are no-yeast rolls and ready so fast! WOW! and I love apple butter and these look stunningly good!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you so much Averie!! ๐
Beth @ bethcakes
I cannot even believe these right now. I've seen like every combination of apple + cinnamon rolls, but not apple butter! I need these in my life!
Jocelyn Brubaker
That's what I like to hear!! ๐ Thank you Beth!!
Brenda @ SweetSimpleStuff
I covet your polka dot pan! These are my kind of rolls ... cinnamon, apple and no yeast ๐ I was so excited about cooler weather, but today the Santa Ana winds start ... it will be a lovely 93 degrees today and tomorrow ... yuck!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha, thank you Brenda!! Yuck to that hot weather!!
Maria
Oh my goodness, this is just too much!!! These look soooo yummy!!!!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha, thank you Maria!!
Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
oh I love cinnamon rolls!!! These with the apple butter look amazing!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you so much Chandra!!
Mary Frances @ The Sweet {Tooth} Life
We had 80 degree weather, too ... so disappointing when you are wearing a sweatshirt. Oh, well, soon it will be cool and breezy, right? And then I can eat these cinnamon rolls without the AC, right? ๐ They look delicious (I have no self control with cinnamon rolls) and all these apple butter recipes are going to force me to buy apple butter ... it sounds like fall in a jar!
Jocelyn Brubaker
I hope so! I will be hugely disappointed if we go straight from hot to cold! Thanks Mary!!
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes
Oh wow..YUMM!!!! Love that there's no yeast in these! Of course, that's the first thing I notice because yeast intimidates me ๐
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you so much Ashley!! ๐
Erin | The Emerging Foodie
Yum! What a delicious spin on both apple butter and cinnamon rolls. I recently posted cinnamon rolls with pumpkin butter... great minds think alike? ๐ Have a great weekend, Jocelyn!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Yes, they do!! ๐ Thanks Erin!!