Apples & Honey Cinnamon Rolls

Name: Apples & Honey Cinnamon Rolls
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 can cinnamon rolls ((or your homemade dough of choice)); 1/2 cup apple pie filling ((store-bought or homemade of your choice)); 1/4 cup honey; 1 tablespoon brown sugar

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Bread and Pastry Recipes

Rosh Hashana is the Jewish new year and the traditional foods for the holiday are round challah representing the cycle of the year, and apples and honey representing a sweet new year. These Apples and Honey Cinnamon rolls are round, sweet, filled with apples, and topped with a brown sugar honey glaze. This easy apple cinnamon rolls recipe is only four ingredients, takes less than an hour, and is super delicious!

Side view of apples & honey cinnamon rolls on a round piece of wood with red and green apple slices in front of it and a honey stick resting on top

Why this recipe works

The apple honey combination is both traditional and delicious. And adding a warm and cozy cinnamon roll is pure perfection. Apples with honey and apples with cinnamon are both perfect combos so these apple cinnamon rolls with honey glaze are a true trifecta! They're perfect for the High Holidays, but also delicious for any day - apple pie cinnamon rolls are never a bad idea!

Ingredients and notes

Apples & Honey Cinnamon Roll Ingredients

Canned Cinnamon Rolls - You can use homemade cinnamon rolls if you prefer, but that will take a little bit more time. When buying cinnamon rolls, make sure to buy the kind that is rolled up, not sliced. If you use Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, be sure to buy the Grands Cinnamon rolls, not the original.

Apple Pie Filling - Canned apple pie filling is the perfect filling for these cinnamon rolls with apples. Apple filling is, of course, key, for the apple cinnamon flavor!

Honey - Instead of the frosting that comes with the canned cinnamon rolls, these cinnamon apple rolls are topped with a brown sugar honey glaze.

How to make this recipe

Rolls

Step 1

Preheat the oven according to the instructions for your cinnamon rolls.

Step 2

Unroll one cinnamon roll at a time, and roll a rolling pin over it to make the strips a bit wider.

Filling

Step 3

Line the inside of the cinnamon roll dough with the apple pie filling (and replace any cinnamon that came off the dough).

Step 4

Roll the dough back up, making sure the dough is rolling overtop of the apple pie filling and is not pushing the apples out.

Step 5

Place the cinnamon rolls in an ungreased pan, and bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Topping

Step 6

Combine honey and brown sugar, drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls, and enjoy!

Side view of apples and honey cinnamon rolls with honey brown sugar glaze dripping

Recipe FAQs

What's the difference between cinnamon rolls and cinnamon buns.

Cinnamon rolls are a cinnamon-filled dough, rolled up and topped with icing. Sticky buns have a glaze instead of icing. I consider a cinnamon bun to be the same as a cinnamon roll, but some people consider cinnamon buns to be sticky buns, in which case the difference would be that it has a glaze instead of icing. So I guess this is technically an apple and cinnamon buns recipe...

How do you keep cinnamon rolls from getting hard?

If you don't eat these apple cinnamon buns while they are warm, they should be sealed well in an airtight container and can be stored at room temperature for a few days.

Why do we eat apples and honey on Rosh Hashana?

There are numerous reasons why apple is the fruit we dip in honey for the holiday, but the general purpose of the apple dipped in honey is to represent sweetness for the year ahead.

Tips & Tricks

When rolling the apples into the cinnamon rolls, roll from the sides of the dough (what will be the top and bottom of the cinnamon roll). It helps to roll the dough overtop of the apple pieces and keeps them from seeping out the sides.
Wear gloves or just prepare for your hands to get messy. It's not worth trying to keep this process neat and tidy!

Did you try this recipe? Review and comment below, and share a photo on Instagram and tag @flourdeliz!

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5 from 1 vote

Cinnamon rolls filled with apple pie filling and topped with a brown sugar honey glaze

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: rolls

Ingredients

1 can cinnamon rolls (or your homemade dough of choice)
½ cup apple pie filling (store-bought or homemade of your choice)
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven according to the instructions for your cinnamon rolls.
Unroll one cinnamon roll at a time, and roll it out with a rolling pin, making the dough flatter and wider strips.
Line the inside of the cinnamon roll dough with the apple pie filling (and replace any cinnamon that came off the dough).
Roll the dough back up, making sure the dough is rolling overtop of the apple pie filling and is not pushing the apples out.
Place the cinnamon rolls in an ungreased pan, and bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Combine honey and brown sugar, drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls, and enjoy!

Notes

Make sure to buy the cinnamon rolls that are rolled up, not sliced. If you use Pillsbury, you need to buy the Grands Cinnamon rolls, not the original.

When rolling the apples into the cinnamon rolls, roll from the sides of the dough (what will be the top and bottom of the cinnamon roll). It helps to roll the dough overtop of the apple pieces and keeps them from seeping out the sides.

This post was updated in August 2021 with new photos and additional information about the recipe.