Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Written by Mikki Sellers

Monday, 17 October 2011 04:51

Ingredients and Instructions
For the cinnamon rolls:
6½ T sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
5½ T. butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, slightly beaten
3½-4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 package instant fleishman's yeast
1 cup plus 2-4 tbsp. whole milk at room temperature Cream together the sugar, salt, cinnamon, and butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Mix in the egg. Mix in the flour, yeast and milk until a dough forms. Knead about 8 minutes until the dough is silky. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size. For the filling:
1½ T butter
3 Gala apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch slices
¼ cup sugar
½ t cornstarch
¼ t ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 t vanilla extract3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon Meanwhile, make the filling. To make the caramelized apples, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apple slices, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until the apples are evenly coated. Cook about 18 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon to blend; set aside. On floured surface, roll it out into a rectangle(about 12 x 14 inches for larger rolls or 9 x 18 inches for smaller rolls). Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix to blend. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the surface of the dough. Evenly distribute the caramelized apples over the top of the dough. Starting with the wide edge, roll up the dough. Pinch the seam shut, and with the seam side down, slice the log into your desired number of rolls. Transfer them to a prepared baking placing the rolls about ½-1 inch apart.Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 75-90 minutes.Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. For the glaze:
4 oz. cream cheese
1 T. butter
3 T. caramel sauce (I made mine from scratch or you may use ice cream topping)