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gooey chai apple cinnamon rolls with brown butter frosting

Apple Chai Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Frosting

Chai-spiced apples meet classic cinnamon rolls in this cozy fall mashup, finished with a rich brown butter frosting while still warm.
PRep Time3 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Servings 12 rolls
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Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 cup whole milk slightly warm, 110°F- 115F, 240 grams
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar divided, 130 grams
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp instant yeast 2 packets, 14 grams
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened, 113 grams
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 563 grams
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tsp oil or spray oil, to grease the bowl

Chai Apples

  • 3 Gala or Honeycrisp apples diced into small cubes
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50g
  • 1 Tbsp water 15ml
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice 30ml
  • 2 tsp cornstarch 6g
  • 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Cinnamon Filling

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature, 113 grams
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 100 grams
  • 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113 grams, browned then cooled to room temperature
  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 3 cups confectioner’s sugar 360 grams
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream 56 grams
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Dough

  • Add the warm milk, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes, until it is foamy on top and you can see the yeast is active.
  • Add in the remaining sugar and the eggs to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix on medium low speed to combine.
  • Add in the flour and mix on medium low speed until a dry, shaggy dough starts to come together, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Add in the room temperature butter, all at once, and continue mixing until the butter is completely incorporated, about 5 minutes, then continue mixing until a smooth dough forms, at least 5 more minutes.
  • Place the smooth dough ball in a clean bowl, greased with the reserved 2 tsp of oil or oil spray. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Make the filling while the dough rises.

Make the apple chai filling

  • In a medium saucepan, add the diced apples, sugar, water, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. In a small separate bowl, add the lemon juice and cornstarch. Mix to form a slurry and set aside.
  • Stir the apples and spices over medium heat until the juice releases. Add in the cornstarch slurry and continue cooking until it thickens and starts to bubble, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a heat proof container to cool completely. Place in the fridge while the dough rises.

Roll out the dough

  • After the first rise, punch down the dough to release the air. On a heavily floured surface, place the dough and roll it with a floured rolling pin into a 12x18-inch rectangle.
  • Using an offset spatula, spread the softened butter across the entire dough then sprinkle the brown sugar and remaining cinnamon evenly on top. Add the cooled apple filling and spread this evenly as well.
  • Roll the dough tightly into a log and cut it into 12 rolls, each about 1½ inches thick. I the apples fall out while rolling or slicing, do not fret, just place them on top of the rolls. Alternatively, use the method I described above to cut the dough into strips and roll each cinnamon roll individually. I find this method creates more picture-perfect rolls.
  • Add the cut rolls to a 9x13 baking pan and loosely cover for the final rise. Let the rolls rise until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. Make the frosting while the rolls are rising.
  • Bake the rolls at 350°F for about 25 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately top with the brown butter frosting.

Brown Butter Frosting

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the room temperature browned butter and cream cheese. Whip on medium speed until combined, light, and fluffy. Use a nonstick spatula to scrape down the paddle and the bowl, then add in half of the powdered sugar and mix again. The mixture will be thick; add in the heavy cream and whip for another 2–3 minutes. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar and whip the frosting for another 3–4 minutes.