Apple Cinnamon Roll Muffins
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Apple pie meets cinnamon rolls in this Fall treat that you won’t want to miss out on. I mean really, is there anything quite like a fresh out of the oven cinnamon roll drenched with glaze or a slice of perfectly sweetened and spiced homemade apple pie? With that said, they were made to go together. These are what Fall baking is all about.
With these I decided to shred the apples in them for a few reasons. My Grandma would shred the apples in her apple pie so they’d all cook through, so I decided to adapt that method because I definitely wanted soft apples in these.
Second I wanted to be able to remove some of the juices without having to add another step and cooking the liquid off so what better than to shred and squeeze (by hand) some of the juices out. It also seems faster than chopping for some reason.
Maybe I’m just a slow chopper, but I’ve got grating down with all the cheese we consume around my house (and who knows why I never get out the grater attachment on the food processor – it seems like too much work :).
The first time I made these I mixed the apples with the sugars before spreading over the bread layer and didn’t juice them quite as much and seriously what a runny mess, still tasty but a much messier method, so be sure to extract some of the juices before layering them on and don’t mix the sugars with the apples (bad idea).
It may seem like a strange step to juice the apples but I believe it’s an important one. It also works out conveniently anyway because I just added it to the glaze rather than adding another ingredient like milk or cream.
Are you guys tired of me make everything in cupcake/muffin form yet?
I just love how convenient it is and I also liked how it evenly baked these cinnamon rolls, I wasn’t left with some gooey rolls in the center and dry ones around the edges.
They also baked faster this way too. Yes these could probably be baked in a baking dish if you want to stick with the traditional method or if you happen to be out of cupcake liners and are like me and wouldn’t want to make a special trip to the store just for those (if you do bake them that way though you may need to increase the baking time a bit).
If you like cinnamon rolls I’d highly recommend making these at least once in the next few weeks because once you do you’ll likely fall in love. Enjoy!
Follow Easy Cooking Zone
Apple Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk (I used 1%), warmed to 110 degrees
- 1 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp butter , melted
- 3 - 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
- 2 cups (slightly packed) peeled and grated Granny Smith apples (from about 3 medium)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 cup butter , halfway melted
Topping
- 2 Tbsp butter , melted
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 - 5 Tbsp reserved apple juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add yeast to warmed milk in liquid measuring cup and whisk to dissolve. Let rest 5 - 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add sour cream, granulated sugar, salt, egg, vanilla extract, vegetable oil and melted butter to bowl of electric stand mixer.
- Add milk mixture. Set stand mixer with whisk attachment and blend mixture to combine.Â
- Add in 1 1/2 cups flour and blend until combined, then switch to hook attachment and slowly add in remaining 1 1/2 cups flour.
- Knead mixture until smooth an elastic, about 5 minutes, adding in additional flour as needed to create a soft dough (it should pull away from sides of the bowl and may slightly stick to the bottom).Â
- Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size (I like to place it in the oven with the light on), about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
- During the last few minutes of rising, grate apple and place in a bowl then toss with lemon juice and set aside.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, set aside. Punch dough down. Roll out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface to about an 19 x 13 inch rectangle.Â
- Brush top evenly with 1/4 cup butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture and spread into an even layer.
- Squeeze 6 Tbsp of the excess liquid from apples into mixing bowl by lifting and pressing grated apples against sides of bowl (or just squeeze in your hands) and reserve juice (you'll be using most of it for the glaze). Sprinkle strained apples evenly over cinnamon sugar layer.Â
- Beginning on the long side (the 19-inch side) snuggly roll up to the other end (to the other 19-inch side, this may seem like the wrong side to be rolling, I usually begin with the shorter side, but it works best this way as you want taller not wider rolls for the muffin tins).
- Cut into 12 - 13 rolls and transfer each rolls to paper lined muffin cups that have been sprayed with non-stick spray (preferably use 2 - 12 hole muffin tins to allow muffin tops room to expand outward).
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest in a warm place 40 minutes, preheating oven to 375 during last 10 minutes of rising.
- Brush tops of rolls lightly with butter, then bake in preheated oven 14 - 17 minutes until lightly golden and centers are no longer doughy.
- Allow to cool slightly then drizzle with glaze and enjoy warm. Store in an airtight container (preferably rewarm in microwave 10 - 20 seconds before enjoying).
- For the glaze: In a mixing bowl whisk together 3 tbsp reserved apple juice, powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Add in more apple juice as needed 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.