True comfort food, these apple cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy and delicious! Topped with vanilla bean cream cheese, they are even better! After a long week, this is a great recipe to make, requiring little effort for incredible results!
This week has been a lot. I think everyone has felt that. On a national level, everything that has happened in the past week has been overwhelming and heartbreaking. And the harder thing about it is that things aren't settling down. There is a feel of anxiety and anticipation of what could or could not happen in the next couple of weeks.
I've also been trying to sell my old car online. Can I just say, selling stuff online is awful. Like, really, really awful. Maybe it's because it's not in my wheelhouse to try to sell things. I don't know. But I do know that just the small taste of selling things online has made it clear that it isn't something I want to continue to do throughout the rest of my life. I've gotten so many texts asking for sketchy things, offers that are way low, and people who suddenly just disappear. I get it. It's a game. But I really hate it. I've had so much stress about the whole process. Thankfully my roommate has been kind and helped me to navigate the tricky territory of selling online.
Oh, and a root canal. I had another root canal last week. Well, partial. They did most of it, put medicine in the tooth, and then put a temporary filling in. I'll go back next week for them to finish the process. Sigh.
This week is the one year anniversary of the passing of a friend. We may not have been close, but one of my closest friends is, and my heart aches for her at the thought of what she is feeling. I know I don't know everything about how she feels, but I do know a bit about loss and my heart wants so much to make it better for her. I can't heal the hurt. But I am grateful for a Savior who can.
So yeah, this week has felt like a lot. It feels like a good time to curl up and watch something good while eating something delicious and carby. But my energy level for baking was a little low, so I decided on something I could throw in the mixer and do as minimal work as possible. Call in this brioche recipe from the book Artisan Bread in 5 minutes. If you have the time, it's pretty simple to make, and the rolls turned out soft and fluffy.
I decided to change up the usual cinnamon roll recipe and turn this into apple cinnamon rolls. I'm really glad I did. The rolls themselves are soft, light and fluffy. The apple bites give them a little different texture and flavor. Finally, the vanilla bean cream cheese frosting brings it all together in a really delicious combination. This is definitely a great recipe to make when you want something homemade and really delicious, but don't have a lot of time or effort to put into making something. I will definitely be making these again!
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons dry active yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
8 eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, melted
7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large apples (I used gala)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
Mix the yeast, salt, eggs, honey and melted butter with the water in a large bowl (I used the bowl of my stand mixer.) Mix in the flour (I used the dough hook attachment for this.) Cover the bowl loosely. I just put a dinner plate over the mixing bowl. Don't try to knead the dough right now. It's pretty sticky after mixing in the flour, but it becomes a lot easier to work with after it is refrigerated. Let dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
Place dough in fridge, still covered. Chill the dough overnight, or at least until cold.
When ready to make apple cinnamon rolls, cut up apple into small bite sized chunks. Stir brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped apples together. Let sit while rolling out dough.
Remove dough from refrigerator and divide dough in half. Place one half back in the fridge or make a double batch of the rolls. With the other half of your dough, roll out on a floured surface in an 18 x 9 rectangle. Spread apple mixture over the rolled out dough. Press dough lightly on the apples so they stay when rolling up. Tightly roll dough lengthwise. Cut into 1 1/2-inch slices. Place on greased baking sheets. Let rise for 1 1/2 hours.
Bake in a preheated 350F degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool slightly before frosting.
Frosting
2 tablespoons butter
4 ounces cream cheese
2-4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (can use extract if needed)
Dash salt
2-3 tablespoons milk
Cream together butter and cream cheese. Beat in powdered sugar. Add vanilla bean paste, salt. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until frosting reaches your desired consistency.
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