Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

If ever you decide to make cinnamon rolls (and you really should), do yourself a favour and stuff them with a bunch of caramelised apples first. You will have no regrets. Slathering them with a cream cheese frosting takes them to extra amazing status and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate apple season. They’re soft, fluffy, incredible warm from the oven and I want to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Each bite of these rolls with those tender juicy apples is pure heaven. It’s like apple pie, but without any fiddly panic-causing pie crusts. Win win. The cream cheese frosting complements the apples perfectly and since it’s not an overwhelmingly thick layer, the apples are still the star!

• 2 and 1/4 tsps active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (125 ml; you should be able to comfortably dip in a finger)
• 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature (125 ml)
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 2 tbsps butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp salt (increase to 1 tsp if using unsalted butter)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (360 gms) + 1/2 cup (60 gms) as needed

• 3 medium apples (any variety of red apples is fine)
• 2 tbsps butter
• 2 tbsps soft brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

• 2 tbsps caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature (55 gms)

• 1/3 cup cream cheese, at room temperature (75 gms)
• 1/3 cup icing sugar, sifted (40 gms)
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract