Apple Pie Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
These are to DIE for! I LOVE apple pie, and I LOVE cinnamon rolls, so I figured I would try and combine the two and the results did not disappoint! I also added a twist on a traditional icing and did a browned butter buttercream and it just made these extra special.
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Dough: This recipe uses my buttery brioche dough which you can find here... Buttery Brioche Dough
Apple Pie Filling:
4 Medium Granny Smith Apples
1/3 cup sugar
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp cornstarch
Browned Butter Buttercream:
2 sticks unsalted butter
500 g powdered sugar (1/2 of a 2lb bag)
3 tsp vanilla extract
2-4 tbsp milk
Instructions:
Start by making your apple pie filling.
Peel and dice your apples into small slices about the size of a nickle.
Squeeze your lemon juice, add your sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to your apples and mix until combined.
Then you're going to cook the apples on low/medium heat in a pot or heavy bottomed pan.
Once the apples start to bubble, after about 8 minutes, add 1 tbsp of cornstarch and mix it all in. Once the cornstarch is added, the juices from he apples will start to thicken. Once you see this, your mixture is done.
Put your apple pie filling into a bowl and allow to cool slightly before spreading it on your dough.
As your filling cools, grab your dough. You're going to need 1/2 of your brioche dough from the recipe linked here... Buttery Brioche Dough
After your dough has chilled for at least 6 hours or up to overnight in the fridge, you will turn it out on to a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half. At this point you can wrap the other half up tightly in plastic cling wrap and then into an airtight container and store for up to 1 week in the freezer. Or you can use the other half of the dough to make a dough batch of cinnamon rolls, or just a beautiful brioche loaf. *instructions to make a brioche loaf is linked above.
Once you have half of your dough, roll it out into a rectangle until the dough is about 1/4 of an inch thick. It will roughly measure about 9"x 20"
Once your filling has cooled, spread it all over your dough and try to make sure the apples are all evenly spread to the edges of your dough.
Then, we're going to roll the dough just like a cinnamon roll. Start to roll from one of the 20" sides and keep the dough rolled as tightly as possible.
Once your dough is rolled you will have a nice log. Using a large sharp knife, start by cutting directly in the middle of your log. The keep cutting in the middle of each new section until you have 8 rolls. I like using this method because it insure the rolls will all be the same size without having to measure.
Grab your baking tin, you'll need to use a 9"x13" pan, and butter it generously. Then you'll add your rolls, swirl side up, giving the rolls some space in between allowing them some room to grow.
Cover the rolls with cling wrap and place then in a warm place for a few hours to proof until they've doubled in size.
Once your rolls have doubled in size and the rolls are all touching (you won't have any gaps) they're ready to bake!
Preheat your oven to 350 and bake the rolls for about 30-35minutes or until the rolls are golden brown. To ensure they're cooked throughout, touch the rolls with your finger and the dough should feel bouncy and springy. If your finger leaves an indent, the dough needs a bit more time cooking.
Once they're done, take them out and allow them to cool for at least 30 minutes.
While they're cooling, make your browned butter buttercream.
Take your 2 sticks of butter, cut them into pieces, and put them into a heavy bottomed pan and turn the heat to medium.
The butter will melt, start to bubble, and after about 5 minutes of bubbling it will start to brown. Once the butter starts to brown, continuously swirl your butter around. You can also use a silicone spatula to stir your butter while it's browning. Once it starts to brown, you'll smell a sweet nutty aroma, keep a close eye and make sure it doesn't start to burn. Once there's a good amount of brown flecks in your butter, immediately take it off of the heat and pour it into a small bowl. Put the browned butter into the fridge and allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes.
Once your butter is cooled, put it into a large mixing bowl. You can do this with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer.
Use your whisk attachment and mix the butter for about 30 seconds to let out any additional steam. Add half of your powdered sugar and mix on low to start with. Once your powdered sugar is mixed in, turn your speed up to medium to get everything well incorporated.
It will look a bit lumpy and dry at first but don't worry. Once the powdered sugar is mixed in, add 1 tbsp of milk at a time until it reaches a smooth and creamy consistency. This takes me usually 3-5 tbsps to get a nice and smooth buttercream.
Once your rolls have cooled, spread over your buttercream in a nice thick layer and enjoy!