caramel apple cinnamon rolls

ingredients:

dough:

1 cup of warm milk

1 envelope of active dry yeast (~2-1/4 tsps)

1/2 cup of white sugar

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1/2 tsp of salt

2 large egg, room temp

4-1/2 cups of all purpose flour

filling:

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1/2 cup of brown sugar

2 tbsp of cinnamon

2 cups of apples, chopped

1/2 cup of caramel sauce

caramel icing:

1-1/2 cups of powdered sugar

1/2 tsp of vanilla

up to 1/4 cup of milk

1/4 cup of caramel

directions:

add the warm milk, yeast, and sugar to a bowl. mix and let sit until the yeast foams - about 5-10 mins.

in separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, salt, and eggs. add in the warm milk and yeast mixture, and combine well.

using the dough hook on a stand mixer or a wooden spoon (dusted with flour), slowly add the flour to the wet ingredients and combine. if the dough seems too sticky, add a little more flour. if using a spoon: once the dough is too tough to mix with a spoon, knead it with your hands for about 3 minutes on a lightly floured surface. if using a stand mixer, knead with the dough hook for 3 minutes. after kneading, grease a large bowl with non-stick spray, and put the dough inside. cover the bowl with a towel and let rise for at least an hour.

after the dough has risen, roll it out on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin, until it is in the shape of a large rectangle. spread the softened butter onto the dough, and generously cover with brown sugar and cinnamon. pat the cinnamon sugar mix into the dough. add the apples on top of the sugar/cinnamon mix and drizzle with caramel. with the longest side of the dough facing you, begin to roll up the dough, making sure it is a tight roll (so when you cut the rolls, they don’t fall apart). when you get to the end, pinch the end of the dough into itself slightly. with a sharp knife, cut the rolls. you should be able to get about 12 large cinnamon rolls from this recipe.

grease your baking dish with non-stick spray and put the cinnamon rolls in, with a little space between them. cover with a towel and let them rise for another hour. once they have risen, bake the cinnamon rolls for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on 375 degrees.

while the cinnamon rolls bake, make the icing: mix all the ingredients well until smooth. for thicker icing, use less milk. for thinner icing, use more milk. use a spatula or knife to spread the icing over warm cinnamon rolls and serve.