Desserts Pastries Recipes
Apple Cider Cinnamon Roll Roses
These are cinnamon rolls in full bloom: soft, buttery vanilla dough wrapped around thin red-edged Honeycrisp apples, with gooey maple cinnamon filling tucked into every spiral. A little reduced apple cider goes into the buttery brush and the thick vanilla glaze, so you get actual apple cider flavor all the way through. Pull one apart while it’s warm for tender apples, fluffy dough, and that creamy glaze running down the sides.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples: Their red skins make the petals visible. Slice them extremely thinly and soften them just enough to roll without breaking.
- Active dry yeast: Gives the rolls their soft, fluffy texture. Make sure it foams in the warm water before mixing the dough.
- Whole milk, egg, and butter: Enrich the dough so it bakes up tender and buttery.
- Greek yogurt: Adds moisture to the dough and makes the apple cider glaze thick and creamy.
- Maple sugar and pure maple syrup: Sweeten the dough, filling, and glaze without refined sugar. Blend the glaze’s maple sugar finely so it dissolves smoothly.
- Vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, and cardamom: Give the rolls their warm vanilla cinnamon flavor, with just a little cardamom in the filling.
- Apple cider: Reducing it concentrates the flavor without soaking the dough.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They look like blooming roses: The red apple skins create the petal edges as the rolls bake.
- They taste like apple cider cinnamon rolls: Reduced cider brings more flavor than a splash of unreduced cider.
- The centers are soft and gooey: Maple cinnamon filling runs through each spiral.
- The glaze is thick and creamy: Greek yogurt helps it cling to the rolls.
- They’re refined sugar free: Maple sugar and maple syrup provide the sweetness.
- They’re made for fall mornings: You can prepare parts of the recipe ahead and finish them fresh.
How to Make Apple Cider Cinnamon Roll Roses
Step 1: Make the vanilla dough
Activate the yeast until foamy, then mix and knead the dough until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. Let it rise until doubled.
Step 2: Soften the apple petals
Slice the apples into paper-thin half-moons with the skins on. Simmer briefly until flexible, then drain, dry thoroughly, and cool.
Step 3: Mix the filling
Stir the soft butter, maple sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, and salt into a spreadable paste.
Step 4: Roll the roses
Roll the dough into a rectangle and cut eight long strips. Spread on the filling, overlap the apple slices along one edge, fold the dough over their bottoms, and roll each strip into a loose spiral. Set the roses upright in a greased jumbo muffin pan.
Step 5: Give them a short second rise
Let the shaped roses become slightly puffy while the oven heats. A full second doubling can hide the apple petals.
Step 6: Brush and bake
Brush lightly with the reduced apple cider maple butter and bake until the dough is golden and the apples are tender. Tent the tops with foil if the petals brown before the dough is done.
Step 7: Glaze the warm roses
Whisk the cooled cider reduction into the Greek yogurt glaze. Drizzle it mostly over the dough and sides, leaving the apple petals visible.
Step 8: Cover with Apple Cider Frosting
Beat the cream cheese and brown butter until smooth, then add Greek yogurt, powdered maple sugar, cider, vanilla and salt. Spread every bit of frosting over the rolls while they are still warm.
Come Cook With Me
Tips for the Best Apple Cider Cinnamon Roll Roses
- Slice the apples as thinly and evenly as possible so they roll without cracking.
- Pat the apples very dry after simmering; moisture makes shaping harder.
- Keep the cinnamon filling in a thin layer so it stays inside the rolls.
- Roll the roses gently, leaving the petals room to open.
- Use a jumbo muffin pan so the dough has space to rise around the apples.
How to Store
- Fridge: Keep the roses in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Store extra glaze separately.
- Freezer: Freeze unglazed, fully cooled roses in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Warm an unglazed rose gently in a 300°F oven until heated through, or microwave briefly. Add glaze afterward.
- Make ahead: Prepare the dough and filling a day ahead. Refrigerate the dough after its first rise, then bring it toward room temperature before shaping. The apple slices are best softened and dried on the day you assemble.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different apple?
Yes. Choose a firm apple with red skin if you want the rose effect. Honeycrisp and Pink Lady both work well.
Do I need a mandoline?
A mandoline makes the thin, even slices much easier. If you use a sharp knife, slice as thinly as you can so the apples bend without snapping.
Why do I need to dry the apples?
The apples pick up water during their quick simmer. Drying them helps the filling stay in place and keeps the dough from becoming wet.
Can I use a standard muffin pan?
These are large rolls designed for a jumbo muffin pan. A standard pan would require smaller dough strips, fewer apple slices per rose, and a shorter bake time.
Can I glaze them the night before?
You can, but the petals look and feel best when you warm the rolls first and add the glaze just before serving.
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Apple Cider Cinnamon Roll Roses
Ingredients
Method
- Stir the teaspoon of maple sugar into the warm water. Sprinkle in the yeast, stir once to wet it, and leave undisturbed for 5–10 minutes, until bubbly and foamy.
- Add the milk, Greek yogurt, egg, remaining maple sugar, and vanilla bean paste. Add the flour and sea salt; mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead in the softened butter one tablespoon at a time. Continue kneading for 8–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. Add extra flour only if it is too sticky to handle.
- Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 60–90 minutes, until doubled.
- Halve and core the apples, leaving the skins on. Use a mandoline to cut them into very thin half-moons, about 1/16 inch thick.
- Bring the water, lemon juice, maple sugar, and pinch of salt to a gentle simmer in a wide saucepan. Add the apple slices and simmer for 1–2 minutes, just until they bend without snapping. Drain, spread on clean towels, pat very dry, and cool completely.
- Mix the filling ingredients into a thick, smooth paste. Keep at room temperature so it spreads easily.
- Grease eight cavities of a jumbo muffin pan. Roll the risen dough into a roughly 12 × 18-inch rectangle. Cut it into eight strips, each about 1½ inches wide and 18 inches long.
- Spread a thin layer of filling over each strip. Overlap apple slices along one long edge, with their red curved edges extending about ½ inch beyond the dough. Fold the opposite edge of dough slightly over the bottoms of the apple slices.
- Starting at a short end, roll each strip into a loose spiral and place it upright in the pan. Cover loosely and rise for 20–30 minutes, until slightly puffy. Do not wait for the roses to double. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Simmer the cider for the brush until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the maple syrup, butter, and salt until glossy. Lightly brush the roses just before baking.
- Bake for 25–32 minutes, until the dough is golden and baked through and the apple petals are tender. Loosely tent with foil if the exposed apples brown too quickly. Rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove.
- Simmer the cider for the glaze until reduced to about 1 tablespoon; cool completely. Whisk it with the Greek yogurt, maple syrup, finely blended maple sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add a tiny splash of milk only if needed.
- Drizzle the glaze over the warm roses, keeping most of it on the dough and sides so the petals stay visible. If desired, lightly brush the petals with maple syrup and finish with cinnamon and flaky salt.
Nutrition
Notes
- Nutrition is an estimate that includes the filling, cider brush, and glaze, but excludes the optional finishing syrup. Actual amounts vary with apple size and how much simmering liquid the apples absorb.
- Dry the softened apples thoroughly. Excess water makes the filling slippery and the dough gummy.
- The strips need to be about 1½ inches wide to yield eight strips from a 12-inch-wide rectangle.
- Reduce the cider for the brush and glaze separately, or reduce ½ cup cider to about 2 tablespoons and divide it evenly.
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Warm the rolls gently and add refrigerated glaze just before serving when possible.
- For a head start, make the dough and filling the day before. Refrigerate the dough after its first rise; bring it toward room temperature before rolling and shaping.
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