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overhead shot of apple pecan cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven iced with cream cheese icing
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4.66 from 26 votes

Apple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

These Apple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect weekend bunch or breakfast. Loaded with cinnamon sugar, juicy shredded apples, and crunchy pecans. Topped with cream cheese icing, these rolls are what dreams are made of.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Rising Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 55 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple pecan cinnamon rolls, pecan cinnamon rolls
Servings: 12
Calories: 551kcal
Author: Joanna Cismaru

Equipment

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 cup water warm
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3½ cups all-purpose flour

Filling

  • 6 tablespoon butter unsalted, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon ground
  • 2 apples peeled, cored, and shredded
  • 1 cup pecans chopped

Cream cheese icing

  • 6 tablespoon butter softened, or margarine
  • ¼ cup cream cheese softened
  • 1½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt or to taste
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In the bowl of your mixer add the warm water, ¼ cup of granulated sugar and yeast. Stir and then let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the yeast starts to foam.
  • Add the rest of the dough ingredients to the bowl with the yeast mixture and using the dough hook attachment, mix until the dough comes clean from the side of the bowl. The dough should be smooth and elastic. If the dough is too sticky add a bit more flour, a tbsp at a time, or if the dough is too dry add a bit of water, a tbsp at a time.
  • Place the dough in a clean bowl that's been sprayed with cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap or a clean damp kitchen towel and let it rest in a warm, draft-free environment until the dough doubles in size.
  • In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar with the cinnamon together.
  • Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.
  • Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approximately 16 inches long by 12 inches wide. It should be approximately ¼ inch in thickness.
  • Spread the 6 tbsp of softened butter evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with the cinnamon brown sugar mixture evenly over the surface of the dough.
  • Sprinkle the shredded apples evenly all over the cinnamon sugar, and follow with the chopped pecans.
  • Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
  • Cut the dough into 1½ inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan. Place the cut rolls in the prepared pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rise for another 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
  • Preheat oven to 375℉.
  • Transfer the rolls to the preheated oven and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
  • To make the icing whisk all the ingredients together until smooth.
  • Spread the cream cheese icing over the rolls while still warm from the oven. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  1. TIP: To speed up the dough rising process, heat your oven to 200 F degrees. Turn off the oven and place your dough as specified in step 4 in the oven with the door closed. This will ensure a warm environment for your dough and the dough will rise fairly quickly, assuming the yeast was good.
  2. Make ahead: After slicing the rolls and placing them in the baking dish, cover the dish in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. If the rolls haven’t doubled in size by the morning, let them sit at room temperature for an extra 10-20 minutes before baking them.
  3. Freezing unbaked: You can freeze them unbaked after lining the rolls in the pan. Cover it well with both plastic wrap and foil. Let the rolls thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake as instructed. You can let them sit at room temperature to rise more if needed before baking them.
  4. Freezing baked: Make sure they’re fully cooled down to room temperature. You can freeze them in the pan wrapped with both plastic wrap and foil, or transfer them to an airtight container. In this case, I suggest leaving them un-iced. The texture of the icing can become watery after thawing. Let the rolls thaw at room temperature, then spread the icing over them.

Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 551kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 423IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg