Candy, apple and cinnamon rolls are seriously the best thing you’re going to eat this fall! Sweet and comforting for breakfast or dessert, enjoy!
Ingredients
for the dough…
3/4 cup hot water3/4 cup hot water
4 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast uses the fast acting one! 4 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast uses the fast-acting one!
1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature1/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1 egg 1 egg
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 1/2-5 cups all-purpose unbleached flour4 1/2-5 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
for the apple filling…
4 medium granny blacksmith apples 4 medium granny blacksmith apples
2 tablespoons of butter 2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon cinnamon
11 oz. candy 1 package 11 oz. candy 1 package
1 cup prepared caramel sauce 1 cup prepared caramel sauce
for freezing…
8 oz. of softened cream cheese8 oz. of softened cream cheese
2 tablespoons of softened butter 2 tablespoons of softened butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla 1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of powdered sugar1 cup of powdered sugar
1/2 cup prepared caramel sauce + more for drizzle1/2 cup prepared caramel sauce + more for drizzle
Instructions
Making the dough…
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, pour the water, the yeast and a spoonful of the granulated sugar. Stir and taste for 5 minutes. Once the mixture looks bubbly and frothy, pour in the remaining sugar and salt. Stir over low heat for 15-20 seconds. In a small bowl, measure the buttermilk, oil and egg. Beat the ingredients until the egg is incorporated into the other two ingredients. Pour the contents into the water and yeast mixture. Stir another 20 seconds in the blender. Pour 2 cups of flour into the mixer and stir over low heat until incorporated. Sprinkle flour in 1/4-cup increments until dough clears sides and bottom of bowl. Dough should be sticky but not enough to stick to your hands when touched. Once you have reached this stage, turn on the mixer and knead for 5 minutes. Take the dough out of the bowl, grease it and put it back in the same bowl {since it is practically clean anyway.} Cover with a plastic sheet and a kitchen cloth. Lift for 1-2 hours or until dough has doubled in size.
Prepare the filling…
To make the apple filling, peel, core and dice the apples from Grandma Herrera. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter, then add the apples, sugar and cinnamon. Cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Unwrap the entire bag of candy and cut it into quarters.
Assemble the rolls…
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch and roll out to make a 24×16 rectangle. Spread the caramel sauce* all over the surface of the dough, leaving a strip of 1 to 2 inches in the upper space. Spread cooked apples** and pieces of caramel over the caramel sauce evenly. Roll up lengthwise, ending with a blank strip of dough under the roll. Cut into 12 uniform {and very large} rolls and place on a greased, parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover them gently with plastic wrap and rise for an hour or two more to double their size.
Bake the rolls at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden and well cooked.
Frosting-
While the rolls are baking, do the icing. Simply beat all the ingredients until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat again for 1-2 minutes.
Once the rolls are out of the oven, cool for 5 minutes, then cover them generously with the icing, then sprinkle them with the caramel sauce. They should be served hot!
Notes
*If you bought a liquid caramel sauce, start by spreading half a cup over the dough and add more as needed. Mine was thick, so I needed more.
**If your apples release a lot of liquid during cooking, do your best to keep the apples with a minimum of “sauce”.