Stuffed with an apple mixture and sweet cream cheese filling, finished with a touch of glaze drizzle and caramel sauce, these apple cream cheese rolls are a truly delightful breakfast or brunch treat the whole family will enjoy.
If you love pastries, then you’ll flip over these apple cream cheese rolls. They use pizza dough for a soft, golden brown dough and classic fruit and cream cheese fillings to deliver that great pastry flavor that we all love. I’ve only been making this recipe for about a year, but it’s quickly become a favorite among my family and friends. I love it because it’s fairly simple to make, but it looks so fancy!
Apple Cream Cheese Rolls
These delicious fruit and cream cheese pastries start with a sheet of pizza dough. Then, I top it with a homemade apple filling and a sweet and tangy cream cheese filling. Both are layered over the top of the dough, then I roll it up tightly and slice it into medallions. After that, I bake it to golden brown perfection and top it with a simple vanilla glaze and caramel sauce. When it’s all done, I have a tray full of delicious apple pastries that always go quickly.
Why You’ll Love These Apple Cream Cheese Rolls
- They’re easy to make with simple ingredients and use Pillsbury classic refrigerated pizza dough, granny smith apples, cream cheese, and a few more ingredients.
- They’re delicious and the combination of the apple filling mixture with the sweet cream cheese filling is simply irresistible.
- They are perfect for any occasion and are great for breakfast and brunch, as well as an after-dinner dessert or an afternoon snack.
Apple Cream Cheese Rolls Ingredients
This recipe uses simple ingredients that are readily available at your local grocery store. It only takes one quick trip to the store to get everything you need!
- Apples have a natural sweetness that pairs well with the cream cheese filling.
- Water is used to cook the apples. It helps to soften the apples and release their natural juices.
- Sugar is used to sweeten the apples and the cream cheese filling. It also helps to thicken the apple filling and bind the filling together.
- Cornstarch is used to thicken the apple filling. It helps to prevent the filling from becoming too runny.
- Lemon juice is used to balance out the sweetness of the apples and to help prevent the apples from browning, and it is used to balance out the sweetness of the cream cheese filling and helps to prevent the cream cheese from becoming too dry.
- Cinnamon is a popular spice that pairs well with apples. It adds a warm and flavorful note to the apple filling.
- Cream cheese is a smooth and creamy cheese that pairs well with apples. It adds a richness and creaminess to the apple filling.
- Vanilla extract adds a warm and flavorful note to the cream cheese filling.
- Powdered sugar is used to make the drizzle. It adds a sweetness and a fluffy texture to the drizzle.
- Milk is used to thin the powdered sugar. It helps to make the drizzle the desired consistency.
- Pizza dough is used to make the rolls and provides a light and airy base for the apple cream cheese filling.
- Ghirardelli caramel sauce is used to drizzle over the rolls. It adds a rich and creamy sweetness to the rolls.
How to Make Apple Cream Cheese Rolls
This recipe is fairly simple, and even beginners can do it. It only takes a few minutes and a few simple steps.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Apple Filling
Add diced apples, water, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Set aside to cool.
Step 3: Make the Cream Cheese Mixture
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth in a medium bowl.
Step 4: Top the Pizza Dough
Roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Then, spread the cream cheese mixture over the dough, leaving a half-inch of clearance around the edges. Then top the cream cheese layer evenly with the apple mixture.
Step 5: Roll and Slice
Starting from the short end, roll the dough up tightly into a log. Then, cut it into 1-inch slices and place them on the baking sheet. Reshape to round if needed.
Step 6: Bake
Bake the medallions for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Then, remove them from the oven and let them cool while you make the glaze.
Step 7: Make the Glaze
Combine the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
Step 8: Drizzle and Serve
Drizzle the glaze over the apple cream cheese rolls followed by the caramel and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to stir frequently as you make the apple filling so it doesn’t burn.
- Fully soften your cream cheese so it can be fully mixed.
- Roll your dough up as tightly as possible so you get nice, round rolls.
Variations
- Try using other diced fruits and berries in place of the apples.
- You can use crescent roll dough in place of pizza dough.
- Try sprinkling sanding sugar over the rolls before baking.
What to Serve with Apple Cream Cheese Rolls
Serve these rolls with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea. They make a great sweet addition to a savory breakfast with all your favorites like sausage, bacon, ham, eggs, and the like, and they also make a fantastic dessert when served with a little ice cream or some whipped cream.
Recipe FAQ
Pizza dough can be made into sweet treats such as:
Doughnuts
Pastries
Monkey bread
Cinnamon rolls
Pizza dough is a great substitute for crescent dough if you want to add a bit more firmness and chew to a recipe. Crescent dough tends to be softer and lighter than pizza dough.
Cream cheese can remain at room temperature safely for a maximum of two hours. Any longer than that and bacteria has almost certainly begun to grow on it.
You absolutely can. Crescent dough can be used to make a super-soft, foldable pizza crust.
Yes, you can. These apple cream cheese rolls will keep for up to a month in the freezer.
How to Store Leftover Apple Cream Cheese Rolls
Store these rolls in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to a month in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
Try This Delicious Apple Cream Cheese Roll Recipe
This apple cream cheese roll recipe is a delicious pastry-type recipe that’s full of the sweet flavors of apple, the sweet tang of cream cheese, and the chewy, golden texture and flavor of pizza dough. It all comes together to create a hand-held dessert that always has everyone coming back for more. Give it a try, and I know you’ll find yourself making it again and again.
More Delicious Apple Dessert Recipes
Apple Cinnamon Hand Pies – A delicious apple cinnamon filling is baked in a flaky pastry crust, and is a favorite fall dessert.
Here is a Caramel Apple Pecan Cobbler that is loaded with apples, caramel, and chopped pecans, with a delicious cobbler topping and even more caramel drizzled over the top, from Great Grub, Delicious Treats you will enjoy too!
And, here is a delicious Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Rolls recipe that is easy, delicious and always a favorite breakfast treat that everyone enjoys, from our friends over at Slow Cooker Meals.
Apple Cream Cheese Rolls (Made with Pizza Dough)
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peel, core and chop into small chunks (about 4 cups)
- 1½ cups water
- ¾ cups sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- â…“ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 13.8 ounce Pillsbury® classic pizza dough
Glaze Drizzle
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Ghirardelli caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° and lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface.
- In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add diced apples, water, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon. Stir frequently until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla together until smooth.
- Spread cream cheese mixture over dough in an even layer half inch from the edges.
- Spoon the apple mixture over the cream cheese mixture and tightly roll up.
- Slice dough approximately 1-inch thick and place on the prepared baking sheet. Reshape if needed.
- Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool while making the glaze.
- Top each roll with glaze drizzle and caramel.
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