half baked harvest apple cinnamon rolls monkey bread in crock pot

In fact, I can’t believe it’s the first Friday in November, I’m just waiting for this time to come all year round, so to say I’m a little excited would be an understatement. I mean, first of all, we need to talk about those cinnamon buns, and second, it’s officially time to start talking about holiday food!

Mmmm, yes! And I couldn’t think of a better way to end the first Friday in November than with soft, gooey, buttery apple cinnamon buns! Say hello to everyone at Saturday brunch!

Cinnamon buns have a special place in my kitchen, and by that I really mean I love them in bites. When I was growing up, my mom would sometimes buy cinnamon buns that came out of the box on holidays, and my brothers and I loved them. We looked forward to those cinnamon breakfasts every year. I mean, what kid doesn’t love a good Cinnamon Roll, you know?

Well, at some point along the way, I decided to try my hand at making my own cinnamon rolls. Probably in an attempt to avoid the inevitable food coma that always followed our crazy binge. I mean, homemade is always better, and you guys, these cinnamon apple scones are no exception. From that day forward, I never looked at another canned cinnamon roll again. Does anyone else have a similar experience?
Okay, where to start.

I always use the same basic dough for my cinnamon rolls. It’s a base of butter, eggs and milk. Super simple, but really soft and perfect. Then comes the filling of caramelized apples, so amazing. The rolls are covered in the most delicious cream cheese frosting, spiced with chia spice. Wow!

A little more about the filling here, because it really is amazing. Apples caramelized with brown sugar, spread with a copious layer of salted butter and cinnamon sugar. The secret here is Land O’Lakes European-style salted butter. This butter is the perfect ingredient to give these cinnamon rolls a special holiday flavor. The European-style sweet cream with salt makes a big difference, and that’s really what sets these scones apart.

Okay, the frosting helps too!!!

Oh my gosh, this frosting is just gorgeous, so delicious! I mean cream cheese frosting with spices and tea…with lots of salted butter you know, for good measure! Yes, it really is as good as it sounds. In fact, it’s better that way!!! Think of your favorite chai tea, but with whipped cream cheese, a little sugar, a little butter and a ton of vanilla. You just can’t go wrong with this combination.

Put it all together and you have the most perfect (and most delicious) cinnamon bun. In fact, I wish I could truly express how much I love these rolls. Even my picky brothers, who are committed

INGREDIENTS

▢2 1/4 teaspoon of active dry yeast
▢1/4 cup warm water
▢3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) of melted Land O Lakes® salted European style butter
▢1/2 cup warm whole milk
1 egg
▢3-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

▢1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) of European Land O Lakes® room temperature butter
Apples 4 sliced crisp apples
½ ½ Cup granulated sugar
▢1 tablespoon cinnamon
Glaze of
6 oz. cream cheese tea 6 oz. room temperature cheese
▢4 tablespoons Land O Lakes® European style salted butter at room temperature
▢1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
▢1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
▢1 1/4 teaspoon spice
▢1/4 teaspoon ginger
▢1/4 teaspoon cardamom

Instructions

To make the dough. Place yeast and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar in a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Add warm water and mix gently. Let stand until the yeast doubles in size, becomes puffy and frothy on top, about 10 minutes. Add melted butter, hot milk and egg to a bowl and stir to combine. Add the flour and salt. Knead the dough with a dough hook until the dough is smooth and forms a ball, about 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and grease the bowl with oil or use a sprinkler. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Add apples and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until apples are caramelized, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Add the sugar and cinnamon to a bowl and mix well.
Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish liberally with butter.
Lightly sprinkle the surface with flour. Roll out the dough into a rectangle (about 9×24 inches). Spread 5 tablespoons of butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the butter evenly with cinnamon sugar and lightly press the cinnamon sugar into the butter. Sprinkle the dough evenly over the apples. Starting at the long edge closest to you, gently roll the dough into a log, holding it fairly tightly as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch it around the edge to seal it. Place dental floss or a thin piece of twine (do it, it works so well!) under the roll where you want to cut. Mine are usually 3/4 to 1 inch thick, but vary. Take the ends of the floss in each hand and wrap it around the roll. While holding the ends of the floss in each hand (don’t let go), tighten the floss so that it begins to cut through the roll. Again, don’t go from hand to hand. Squeeze until the floss comes out and the individual roller