Caramelized Apple Cinnamon Rolls

To round out our anniversary brunch menu a couple of weekends ago I knew I wanted to do something sweet for my mom.  When I was younger and we would go to the mall together I remember quite a few times where we would share a cinnamon bun as a treat.  We both loved the gooey filling and thick cream cheese icing,  I really like working with yeast doughs and I had time on Friday afternoon to make the dough so what better to give my mom for her anniversary brunch.  So I hit the internet looking for advice and recipes and in my searching I came upon a caramel apple cinnamon roll from Annie's Eats.  Not only does my mom like cinnamon rolls but she also likes apple desserts so I thought this would be a winner.  I made the rolls exactly as Annie's recipe states but made more of a traditional cream cheese glaze/icing rather than a caramel sauce based topping.  I wanted that cream cheese flavor to shine through.  The icing was so good that we used it for our berry salad too so if you wanted to just make the icing as a topping or dip for fruit that would work too.

I left my cinnamon rolls bare since the men in the family requested them without icing.  I just served the icing on the side.  I think that worked out really well because everyone could control how much or how little of the icing they wanted.  These rolls include two pretty long resting times and can be refrigerated overnight after the second resting period so I suggest making the dough the day before you want to cook these.  I took them out of the refrigerator about 3 hours before I needed to put them in the oven and they came out great, flaky and buttery.  I wish I had taken some of the leftovers home with me but I left then all with the happy couple.  I hope you enjoyed them!

Caramelized Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Slightly adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
For the cinnamon rolls:
6 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp, ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
5 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. lemon zest
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tsp. instant (rapid rise) yeast
1 cup plus 2-4 tbsp. whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature (I used buttermilk)

For the filling:
1 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the glaze:
5 oz. cream cheese
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the sugar, salt and butter on medium-high speed until smooth.  Mix in the egg and lemon zest until incorporated.  Mix in the flour, year and milk until a dough forms.  Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed, about 8 minutes until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky.  (You may need to add a little extra flour or liquid to achieve this texture.)  Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, make the filling.  To make the caramelized apples, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the apple slices, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Mix until the apples are evenly coated.  Cook about 18 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Set aside to cool.  In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon to blend; set aside.

Mist a work surface with spray oil.  Roll it out into a rectangle with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the dough with flour if needed to keep it from sticking (about 12x14 inches for larger rolls or 9x18 inches for smaller rolls).  Combines the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix to blend.  Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the surface of the dough.  Evenly distribute the caramelized apples over the top of the dough.  Starting with the wide edge, roll up the dough into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon sugar spiral as you roll.  Pinch the seam shut, and with the seam side down, slice the log into your desired number of rolls.  Transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, place the rolls about 1/2 - 1 inch apart.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 75-90 minutes, until the rolls have grown into each other and have nearly doubled in size.  At this point, the rolls can also be covered and retarded in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.  Pull the pan out of the refrigerator 3-4 hours before baking to let the dough proof.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool in the baking sheet about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

To make the glaze, combine the cream cheese and butter in a small heatproof bowl and microwave in 15-20 second intervals until it is warm enough to whisk together.  Whisk in the mil and vanilla extract until smooth.  Whisk in the confectioner's sugar until smooth.  Swirl the glaze over the top of the cinnamon rolls or place into a dish to serve on the side.  Let cools slightly before serving.