Apples and Cinnamon Rolls - awesome combination!

 

Don't both of the pictures look good? A warm cinnamon roll plus the apples? Well, I found a recipe that worked beautifully combining these two!

Crazy for Crust posted a recipe called Apple Fritter Cinnamon Roll Bake. I fell for that title since I've tasted the very best cinnamon roll ever at a small bakery - Yong Donuts and Korean BBQ, Paradise, Texas.  If you are ever there in the morning, early morning because they go fast, and you appreciate apple fritters, you would agree with me. Just look for this building on Main Street, just a block off Highway 114:

However, if they are sold out of fritters, Crazy for Crust's recipe comes close to the melding of flavors.  I made it with a few changes and saved to my Pepperplate:

• Ingredients



2 medium apples peeled, cored, and diced small (EDITED: two medium apples gave me a bit more than two cups, but I found they fit nicely. Also, I used a mixture - one Granny Smith and one Fuji. Use your favorite cooking apples. Let me know which ones you like best!)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon water
1 can Pillsbury Grands! Cinnamon Rolls
5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (EDITED: I only had salted, and it tasted fine)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon milk (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9″ pie plate or pan with nonstick cooking spray. (EDITED: I used my ceramic pie pan, which is why I think it took a bit longer to cook. But, it displayed nicely. Note, everything else in parenthesis are my changes)
2. Place small diced apples, (the one tablespoon of) brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Stir. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and cook (microwave) on high power for 2-3 minutes, or until apples are just slightly translucent. Drain well. (Original also included the instructions for cooking apples on the stove. Microwaving worked just fine for me, and that's what I'll pass long)
3. Cut each cinnamon roll into 6 pieces. (Original said the pieces would fall apart, but I cut them once across the center, then each half into three pieces, and placed them in the pie pan in one layer. They completely covered the pan, with hills and valleys)
4. (Since I used the microwave, I simply let the apples sit there until they were ready to spread across the cinnamon roll pieces. I did reserve all the juices in the bowl for the next step)
5. Stir the melted butter and brown sugar together, (along with the reserved juice from cooking the apples) then pour over the top of the apples and cinnamon rolls. Bake for 28-33 minutes or until cooked through in the center.
6. Just before serving, place the icing that came with the cinnamon rolls in a small bowl. Heat for about 10 seconds so it’s pourable. Stir in heavy whipping cream (or milk) to make it more of a glaze, then pour over the top of the casserole. Serve warm or room temperature. (We served it sliced as a pie!)
7. Store tightly covered for up to 2 days (since I took mine to our monthly church Ladies Meeting, there was only one slice left to bring home to my Beloved Husband.)

We do know that this recipe is a keeper. Check out the original, as the blog has a lot of explanatory information as to how this came together. And, there are other great recipes there, too.