Apple Cinnamon Puff Pastry Rolls

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Apple Cinnamon Puff Pastry Rolls

Cinnamon roll short cut with apple filling and apple pie spiced sugar

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Thaw Time45

Total Time1 27

Servings: rolls

Author: Sam Maccini

Equipment

8 or 9 inch baking dish or cake pan

Ingredients

2 sheets of puff pastry
4 large apples I like a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp
8 tablespoon unsalted butter softened

Apple Pie Spiced Sugar

¾ cup dark brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoon apple pie spice

Cream Cheese Frosting

5 oz cream cheese softened
4 tablespoon butter softened
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

Instructions

Thaw Puff Pastry & Preheat oven to 400°: Thaw the puff pastry sheets at room temperature for about 45 minutes, or until they are still cool to the touch but unfold easily without cracking. Once thawed, gently pat or roll out with rolling pin to get rid of the indents.
Prep Apples: While waiting for puff pastry to thaw, peel the apples and slice them into very thin matchsticks. Cut apple in half, then cut the halves into slices, and the slices into matchsticks as thin as possible. I like about ⅛ inch.
Assemble Cinnamon Rolls: Spread ½ the softened butter over a sheet of puff pastry. Sprinkle ½ the cinnamon sugar mixture over the butter and gently press it in with your hands. Lay the ½ apple matchsticks in a horizontal layer over the sugar. This can be haphazard, you just want them all horizontal and evenly dispersed. Roll the puff pastry tightly, but gently, into a log, then carefully slice each log into 6 even rolls. Repeat using the other ½ with the other sheet of puff pastry.
Bake the Rolls: Grease an 8- or 9-inch baking dish or line with piece of parchment (sometimes they can stick!) and arrange the rolls close together in the dish. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and puffed up
Make Cream Cheese Frosting: While rolls bake, make cream cheese frosting. In 10 second intervals, soften your cream cheese (its okay if it's a little melted). Whisk cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until combined (use spatula, whisk or hand mixer). Add powdered sugar. The choice is yours - thin with milk to drizzle light frosting over the rolls before serving or serve thinned frosting for dipping. Or leave the frosting thick and spread on the rolls right when they come out of the oven.
Serve warm with Cream cheese frosting or without.

Notes

*These cinnamon rolls can be made in advance: The assembled logs can be frozen and cut (frozen or thawed) right before baking. Wrap logs tightly in saran wrap and unwrap to thaw or bake directly from frozen (just add a few minutes to bake time). OR you can cut the log into cinnamon rolls and freeze before baking. Bake from frozen just add a few minutes to bake time.

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