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bitten apple pie cinnamon roll

Small Batch GOOEY Apple Cinnamon Rolls – No Dairy, Vegan!

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 35
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

These small batch apple cinnamon rolls are stuffed with a gooey cinnamon apple pie filling for just 6 perfectly soft and plush rolls topped with a maple ‘cream cheese’ frosting. And you’ll never believe they’re entirely dairy free and vegan- so you can forget the eggs! 

Ingredients

Scale

Cinnamon Roll Dough:

  • 3/4 cup (180 mL) dairy-free milk, heated to 110F
  • 1/3 cup (75 g) granulated sugar, divided
  • 2 tsp (8 g) dry activated yeast
  • 3 1/3 cups (412 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/3 cup (67 g) dairy-free yogurt, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup (85 g) salted vegan butter, room temperature

Apple Pie Filling:

  • 2 large gala apples, diced
  • 1 tbsp vegan butter
  • 2 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 2-3 tbsp water

Cinnamon Roll Filling:

  • 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan butter, melted
  • 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • Optional for baking: 1/4 cup (60 mL) vegan heavy cream or cashew cream 

Maple Cream Cheese Icing:

  • 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup (120 g) organic powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Prep: Measure out all ingredients. Grease and line a small casserole dish (about 7×10″) or a 10″ cake pan with parchment paper. 
  2. Bloom the yeast: Add 1 tbsp of granulated sugar to the heated milk. Stir and then add in the active dry yeast, and stir again. Cover and let sit for 5-7 minutes, until foamy and fluffy. It should also smell yeasty.
  3. Make the dough: Either in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment or in a large bowl, whisk together the yeast mixture, remaining sugar, dairy free yogurt, vanilla extract, and salt. Then add in the flour and turn the stand mixer on to medium speed to mix the dough until shaggy. Add in the room temperature vegan butter, and mix again on medium speed until a tacky and smooth dough ball forms. It will take some time and at first look like cake batter when the butter is first added, then come together. 
  4. Rest: Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest in the bowl in a warm area (about 85F or warmer) until about doubled in size (about 20-30 minutes). 
  5. While the dough is resting: Make the apple pie filling. Remove all skin from the apples, and finely chop the apples. You want them to be minuscule little bits, because then more apple is evenly distributed throughout the cinnamon rolls. Aim of the size of puffed rice cereal, or a little larger. In a medium skillet, heat the vegan butter until melted, then add in the apples, followed by the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Toss together then cover and cook on medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes, or until the apples become tender. Remove the lid and add in the flour, and water, stirring to evenly combine, then cover and cook for another 5-7 minutes on simmer. Once the apples are super soft and tender, remove from heat and set aside to cool for the remainder of the rising period.
  6. Fill the cinnamon rolls:  Mix the room temperature butter, cinnamon and brown sugar together in a small bowl and set aside for the filling. Flour a clean surface and rolling pin, and place the dough in the middle. Roll the dough to be about 12″ by 12″. Smear the dough with the filling. 
  7. Slice: I like to slice the dough into individual strips before rolling, but you can also just roll the dough and slice it into 6 cinnamon rolls with either floss or a knife. Slice the dough into six 2×12″ strips using a pizza cutter or large kitchen knife. Then on each individual strip, spoon about 1 tbsp of apple pie filling onto the strip. Roll each strip tightly and place the rolled cinnamon roll into your prepared baking dish.
  8. Rest the rolls: Cover the baking dish and rest the rolls by the oven while it preheats to 350F. Let the rolls double in size.
  9. Bake: This is where you’ll add in the additional 1/4 cup of vegan heavy cream. Pour the vegan heavy cream between the crevices of the cinnamon rolls where they meet. You can use this as a way to make the rolls even softer and more plush, like brioche cinnamon rolls. Place the cinnamon rolls into the oven to bake for 33-35 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. Let the cinnamon rolls cool for 10-15 minutes before serving, as they’ll be really hot!
  10. Make the maple cream cheese frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients. 
  11. Serve and enjoy! Spread the maple cream cheese frosting on top of each cinnamon roll, and serve warm. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer. 

Notes

Make ahead: Prep the rolls and the filling through Step 6. Once the rolls are shaped, cover and store in the fridge to rise overnight. The next morning, place the rolls by the oven 1 hour before baking, and let them warm up. Then bake per Step 8!

Gluten free: See my vegan small batch cinnamon rolls post for the alternative for GF, and use gluten-free flour in the apple pie filling portion!

Find it online: https://thebananadiaries.com/vegan-apple-pie-cinnamon-rolls/