These Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin Rolls are shaped like a pumpkin and filled with sweet apple cinnamon goodness.

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Wood Board || Brown Parchment Paper || Edible Maple Leaves || Ceramic Pot || Burgundy Stems || Orange Dress

These Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin Rolls may look like pumpkins on the outside, but they are filled with sweet apple cinnamon goodness!

This recipe took a couple of rounds of development to work out the kinks, but oh my was it worth it!

If you have been following my blog for a while, you may recognize some similarities between this fall sweet treat and my Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread recipe.

These Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin Rolls are basically an inside-out version of my Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread, but in a cute pumpkin shape.

And both recipes remind my husband of the cinnamon bread at Dollywood, which we love to cover with both apple butter and frosting.

I still haven’t decided whether these Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin Rolls are best for breakfast, brunch, or dessert, but I think you can probably get away with eating them any time of day (or night)!

They would be so fun to bring to a fall party, a friendsgiving gathering, a Thanksgiving brunch, or just a fun fall weekend treat!

P.S. The little maple leaves are edible and make a super cute addition on top!

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Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin Rolls

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These Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin Rolls are shaped like a pumpkin and filled with sweet apple cinnamon goodness.

Author: Giustina Miller
Prep Time: 30-45 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20
Total Time: 45 minutes – 1 hour
Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Scale

1 Tablespoon Salted Butter
1 & 1/2 Cups Apple, skin/diced
1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons White Sugar
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
12 Frozen Dinner Rolls, defrosted *1
Baker’s Twine, food grade
Egg

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Butter, melted & cooled
2 Ounces Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 Cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Toppings

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Instructions

First, preheat your oven to 350°F.
In a large frypan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the diced apples until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and then mix in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of white sugar, and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and set it aside to cool to room temperature.
On a piece of parchment paper, use your hands to stretch/flatten each of the 12 dinner roll dough balls.
Then evenly divide the cinnamon apples between the 12 flat pieces of dough.*(2)
Gently pull the edges/sides of the dough up over the cinnamon apples and press them together to create a ball shape. Repeat to create 12 apple cinnamon dough balls.
Next, cut 36 pieces of baker’s twine, mine were ~10 inches long each.
Place 3 pieces of twine on a plate, crossing each other, and place 1 apple cinnamon dough ball in the center (with the pinched/folded dough side down).
Lift the baker’s twine up onto the top of the cinnamon roll, leaving a 1-2 inch gap (so there is room for the dough to grow and expand while baking), and tie each baker’s twine into a knot, and cut off any excess baker’s twine. Repeat on all 12 apple cinnamon dough balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush the top of each apple cinnamon dough ball with egg wash, and arrange the baker’s twine on top of each dough ball before baking (as it will move while you brush egg wash on it).
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Let cool.
While the Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin Rolls are cooling, place 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 ounces of cream cheese, 1 cup of powdered sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small bowl and blend until combined. *(3) Set to the side.
Once the Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin Rolls are cooled, use kitchen scissors to cut and remove the baker’s twine.
Top each Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin Roll with cream cheese frosting, a cinnamon stick, and an edible maple leaf.
Enjoy! *(4)

Notes

I usually let them sit out on the counter to defrost for a few hours before making them
If your apples were really juicy and there is a lot of extra liquid, be sure to avoid adding that to the dough, as it will be messy and make it hard to press the dough together to make a ball.
For a thinner frosting, add milk; for a thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar.
Keep leftovers in a sealed container in your fridge for 3-5 days.