Apple walnut cinnamon rolls are the ultimate fall treat! Crescent dough cinnamon rolls are stuffed with a combination of classic cinnamon filling and apple walnut filling, then they’re baked to golden perfection and topped with sweet, tangy cream cheese frosting. You won’t find a better fall recipe!
Most people think of pumpkin pie everything when fall rolls around, and while we do love our pumpkin recipes, we never forget the other tasty fall flavor – apples.
We make our fair share of pumpkin spice recipes, but we also love to make apple recipes like our apple pie bites during the fall and winter months.
Cinnamon rolls are another fall favorite for us, so we decided to combine the best of both worlds, creating these apple walnut cinnamon rolls. They feature the classic, buttery cinnamon flavor of cinnamon rolls, but we take it a step further with an apple walnut filling that makes these cinnamon rolls absolutely packed full of fall flavor. Oh, and let’s not forget that cream cheese frosting!
Why You’ll Love These Apple Walnut Cinnamon Rolls
- Crescent roll dough gives the cinnamon rolls an extra-buttery flavor and flaky texture.
- The apple walnut filling adds sweet, tart, and earthy flavors and makes the cinnamon rolls really pop.
- These are the perfect sweet breakfast, brunch, or afternoon snack.
- They’re easy to make and use simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- Refrigerated Crescent Dough: Crescent dough gives the cinnamon rolls a puffier texture with a flaky exterior and super soft interior.
- Granny Smith Apples: Granny Smith apples add the perfect blend of sweet and tart flavor to the apple filling.
- Walnuts: Walnuts add extra flavor and texture to the buttery cinnamon filling.
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese makes the base for the classic cream cheese frosting you just have to have with cinnamon rolls.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar adds sweetness and a little body to the frosting.
For the full list of ingredients and their exact measurements, see the recipe card at the end of the post.
Flavor Variations
- Pecans: Use pecans in place of walnuts for the same crunchy texture with a slight flavor variation.
- Apples: Your favorite apples will work for the filling. Each type of apple gives the filling just a slight change.
- Berries: Try using berries in place of apples for a fruitier cinnamon roll variation.
How to Make These Apple Walnut Cinnamon Rolls
Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Apple Filling
- Step 1: Bring the water, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and cinnamon to a boil over low heat in a medium saucepan while stirring constantly.
- Step 2: Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Step 3: Add the apples to the thickened mixture and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat to cool.
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Mixture
- Step 1: Stir the brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, and butter together until crumbly in a small bowl. Set aside.
Cinnamon Rolls
- Step 1: Roll out a package of crescent dough on a lightly floured surface and pinch the seams together. Roll again a bit to smooth the seams.
- Step 2: Spread the brown sugar mixture over the crescent dough. Then spread the apple filling over the brown sugar mixture.
- Step 3: Prepare the second package of crescent dough in the same way as the first time.
- Step 4: Place the crescent dough sheet over the filling-topped sheet and press down a bit.
- Step 5: Cut the rectangle into 8 long strips.
- Step 6: Pinch the sides of a strip together and twist it 6 to 7 times. Then, roll it into a pinwheel and place it in the prepared baking sheet.
- Step 7: Repeat until all 8 strips are twisted, rolled, and placed.
- Step 8: Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.
For the Frosting
- Step 1: While the cinnamon rolls bake, beat the cream cheese and butter together in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Step 2: Add the vanilla, then slowly add the powdered sugar, beating until creamy.
- Step 3: Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Hint
It’s important to let the apple mixture cool before spreading it over the dough. Y0u’ll be twisting and wrapping the strips, and you don’t want hot filling to get on your hands.
Storage
Refrigerate these cinnamon rolls for up to 3 days in an air-tight container. It’s important that you refrigerate them because the cream cheese frosting will go bad. You can also freeze them for up to a month by wrapping the individual cinnamon rolls in plastic wrap and storing them in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag. Defrost them overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
To reheat the cinnamon rolls, place them in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350 until heated through.
What to Serve with these Cinnamon Rolls
These delicious cinnamon rolls are the perfect sweet breakfast or afternoon snack with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee.
Of course, their sweet flavor also makes them a fun addition to a larger breakfast or brunch with savory items like candied smoked bacon, bacon egg & cheese crescents, and hash brown breakfast casserole.
Tips
- Stir your apple filling constantly as it cooks to avoid sticking.
- Unlike other frosted recipes, you want your cinnamon rolls to be warm when you add the frosting. This allows it to melt a little and get into all the nooks and crannies.
- Fully soften your butter and cream cheese to create the smoothest filling and frosting, avoiding little bits of raw butter or cream cheese in them.
Frequently Asked Questions
That’s largely a matter of personal preference. Leaving the peel on the apple will add a bit more texture to your fillings but won’t change the flavor. You’re free to do whichever you prefer!
Crescent dough cinnamon rolls taste like classic cinnamon rolls, but they have a texture that’s slightly crunchy and flaky on the outside and soft on the inside.
Granny Smith apples are the classic choice for baking because they are very firm and have a balanced, sweet-and-tart flavor. However, there are a variety of other apples that work well for baked goods, as well.
Braeburn
Honeycrisp
Jonathan
Golden Delicious
Gala
Lobo
Fuji
Haralson
Newtown Pippin
Pecans, walnuts, almonds, and cashews all work very well with apples and can be used interchangeably in all your favorite baked apple recipes.
Try These Easy Apple Cinnamon Rolls Today
If you’re looking for a fall recipe that perfectly captures the flavors of the season, then these apple walnut cinnamon rolls are for you. With a buttery, sweet walnut cinnamon filling, apple filling, flaky crescent dough, and cream cheese frosting, this recipe will have you ready to yell, “It’s fall, y’all!” But don’t do that. Don’t make it weird. Just make it delicious.
More Delicious Cinnamon Roll Recipes You’ll Enjoy
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Apple Walnut Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 containers Pillsbury refrigerated original crescent rolls
Apple Walnut Filling
- 2 cups granny smith apples, peeled, and chopped into small chunks
- ¾ cup water
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Brown Sugar Mixture
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, bring water, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and cinnamon to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue stirring for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens up.
- Once the sauce thickens, add the apples, stir, and let simmer for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool.
- In a small bowl, stir brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, walnuts and butter together until crumbly, set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out crescent dough. Pinch seams together and roll out a bit to smooth.
- Spread brown sugar mixture over crescent dough.
- Spread apples over brown sugar mixture.
- Roll out the second package of crescent dough, pinch seams together and roll a bit more.
- Place on top of the apple filling, press down a bit and then cut lengthwise into 8 long strips.
- Take one strip and pinch the sides together. Twist each strip about 6-7 times and roll into a pinwheel.
- Place each crescent roll into the prepared dish.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
- Add vanilla and slowly add powdered sugar. Beat until creamy.
- Spread cream cheese frosting over cinnamon rolls and enjoy
Notes
- Stir your apple filling constantly as it cooks to avoid sticking.
- Unlike other frosted recipes, you want your cinnamon rolls to be warm when you add the frosting. This allows it to melt a little and get into all the nooks and crannies.
- Fully soften your butter and cream cheese to create the smoothest filling and frosting, avoiding little bits of raw butter or cream cheese in them.
