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Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie

A slice of cinnamon roll apple pie.

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4.8 from 6 reviews

Step aside plain old apple pie, this Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie will win out every time. A flaky crust is filled with the best apple pie filling and then topped with mini cinnamon rolls made from pie crust and baked up. Drizzle it with a cream cheese glaze and prepare to be blown away by how amazing this pie is. It tastes as good as it looks!

Ingredients

For Pie Dough:

For Apple Filling:

  • 3 pounds (about 7-9 apples) baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly (Gala and Granny Smith are best)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 11/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons (14 g) cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons fresh apple cider, divided
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter

For Cinnamon Rolls:

  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • ⅓ cup (70 grams) brown sugar, packed
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • Pinch salt

Cream Cheese Glaze:

  • 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cream cheese, softened
  • 4 tablespoons (30 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1-2 teaspoons cream

Instructions

  1. Make pie crusts, and let rest overnight.

Make Apple Filling:

  1. Add apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg to a heavy bottom pot. Stir together and let macerate at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Add ¾ cup of apple cider to the pot, and stir the apples one more time. 
  2. Turn the heat to medium and begin to cook the apples, stirring occasionally to make sure the apples cook evenly. Cook until the apples have softened, about 10 minutes, making sure not to cook off all of the liquid. If the liquid does cook off quickly, add ⅓ cup more apple cider to the pot.
  3. Create a slurry by whisking together the cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons apple cider together in a small bowl.
  4. Pour the cornstarch slurry into apples and stir together until dissolved. Continue cooking until the mixture is thickened, about 2-3 minutes. 
  5. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and butter.
  6. Let apple mixture cool completely, and then transfer apples to a glass storage container.

Roll Out Pie Crust and Make Cinnamon Rolls

  1. Roll out one pie dough to a 12 inch circle. Fit pastry in a 9” pie plate, making sure to press the pastry into the sides and the bottom, tucking in and crimping the edges as desired. Place in the refrigerator.
  2. Roll out the top crust to a rough 12 x 6 inch long rectangle. Using your hands, rub softened butter on top, leaving a ½” border on one side.
  3. Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.
  4. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top of the butter.
  5. Starting on one side, tightly roll up the dough. Place on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, until quite firm. 
  6. Then slice into ½ inch slices.

Fill and Bake the Pie

  1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF and set the rack in the lowest part of the oven. Stick a baking sheet in the oven while it’s preheating.
  2. Pour the cooled apple pie filling inside of the pie crust, making sure to press down on the filling to eliminate any possible air gaps.
  3. Place the cinnamon rolls on top of the filling in a concentric circle, or as desired, leaving little to no gaps in between them. It is ok to slightly overlap.
  4. Bake the pie on a hot sheet pan in the preheated oven on the lowest rack for 45-55 minutes, or until the cinnamon rolls are nicely golden brown.
  5. While the pie slightly cools, mash together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until it is combined. Add in the cream and vigorously whisk until it is smooth. Place the glaze in a pastry bag (or a plastic sandwich bag with the corner cut off) and pipe the glaze over the top.

Notes

The body of this post has a lot of information about this pie, reference that if you have any questions!