There’s something deeply comforting about the scent of cinnamon and apples wafting through the kitchen—especially when it’s coming from a pan of freshly baked cinnamon rolls.

These Homemade Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls are a small-batch treat (just three rolls!) perfect for cozy mornings, intimate brunches, or when you want a little indulgence without the leftovers. This make a great Fall treat to enjoy the Fall season, or make it anytime of the year. Why wait for Fall season? Let me show you how I made these swirly beauties and how you can make them part of your seasonal baking ritual.

Why Small Batch Roll are a Big Win

Sometimes, you just want a little something sweet without committing to a dozen rolls. This recipe makes exactly three generous cinnamon rolls—perfect for sharing with a friend or savoring over a couple of days. It’s ideal for small households, or baking just for yourself, for spontaneous baking moods, or testing out new flavor twists like this apple butter version. I like enjoying small amount rolls every now and then and this small batch recipe made it possible.

Homemade Apple Butter – The Heart of the Swirl

Couple of days ago, I made my own Apple Butter, and it was amazing! It was smooth, sweet, tangy and salty all at the same time. Forget store-bought—this apple butter is made from scratch using just four small red apples. Simmered down until thick, spiced, and spreadable, it brings a deep apple flavor that’s both cozy and slightly tangy. You can make it ahead and stash it in the fridge, ready to swirl into your dough whenever the craving hits.

Good news, you can use this in many ways, so any leftover is always welcome. I was able to make 2 cups of Apple Butter from 4 small apples which was more than enough for this rolls. This gave me leftover to use to make Apple Butter Babka and to use it as a spread for my morning toast. Apple Butter with melted Brie cheese, so good!

Overnight Dough – Stress Free Morning Baking

The dough is soft, slightly enriched, and designed to be flexible. You can mix it up the night before, let it rest in the fridge, and roll it out the next morning without fuss. Or do as I did, I filled and rolled it and cover it and stored in the refrigerator overnight. The following day, all I need to do is take it out of the refrigerator to allow it to continue to rise. That means you get fresh-baked cinnamon rolls with minimal effort before your first cup of coffee.

Let’s Talk About the Filling: Apple Butter, Chopped Roasted Pecan & Diced Apples

Once your dough is rolled out, it’s time to layer on the goodness. First comes a generous spread of homemade apple butter, followed by a sprinkle of diced apples and chopped roasted pecans. The apples add juicy bursts, and texture while the pecans bring crunch and a toasty depth that balances the sweetness.

Rolling, Slicing & Pan-Ready Tips

Rolling up the dough is where the magic happens. Since it’s a small batch, you’ll have a manageable dough that you can work on. You can do the traditional way of rolling a cinnamon roll and that is rolling it into a log and slicing it into 3. The method I used is different. I cut the rolled dough into 6 strips and rolled them individually, connecting 1 roll to another. This makes it 3 rolls in total.

A snug baking dish (like a small cake pan or loaf pan) helps them rise upward and stay soft in the center, while baking them separately apart gave the edge a nice browning. This is what I did. Don’t worry if they look rustic—these rolls are all about flavor and charm, not perfection.

Baking and That Irresistible Aroma

As the rolls bake, your kitchen will smell like a fall festival. The apple butter caramelizes slightly, the cinnamon blooms, and the pecans toast even more. You’ll know they’re ready when they’re golden on top and puffed up beautifully. Let them cool just enough to handle before diving in. I baked them in the lower rack to make sure the bread is baked inside and out since these rolls have multiple layers. Watch out for it as it could brown quickly because of the sugary filling. Cover with aluminum foil if you noticed it is browning to fast.

Optional Glaze

Why You Should Make This

• Texture – the bread texture is super soft, fluffy and light. Look at the video how I peel of tha layers of this bread.
• Taste – Taste super delicous! Just the right sweetness and nice texture from the bits of Aple crumble toppings.
• The Dough – Very stable and manageable. The dough rise pefectly.
• Small Batch – it’s a small batch recipe producing 3 medium size cinnamon roll that is more than enough for sharing. This is perfect small batch recipe for 2 or just for you 🙂
• Ease to Make – This is a yeast bread that requires 2 rise but the dough itself is easy to make. The usual process of yeast bread, nothing more. You have to be patient though as it could take longer than the usual bread. Trust me, it is worth it. You can make the dough, fill and shape it and leave it overnight in the refrigerator for baking the following day.
• Apple Butter – Easy filling made with apple, sugar, cinnamon powder and salt. Making this ahead of time saves a lot of time.

To Frost or Not to Frost

These rolls are lovely on their own, but if you want to dress them up, make my Cream Cheese Frosting, or make a sugar glaze, simple dusting of powdered sugar, or even a dollop of whipped cream. They’re also delicious with a spoonful of extra apple butter on the side—because why not? I personally prefer them plain as the Apple Butter is already rich and creamy so I avoided adding anymore sugary frosting on top. If you really want to add a frosting, cream cheese would be great as it has a tangy creamy taste that will balance the sweetness of Apple Butter, or a simple whipped cream would be my go to

If you want to skip the apple crumble topping, you can use cream cheese instead. Here is a video tutorial on how to make it.

If you opt out for the apple crumble topping, you can use the cooked apples as filling along with the cinnamon sugar. Simply scatter it in the rolled out dough. Make sure to cut the apple in small cubes or you can even use a large box grater for easy rolling.

Tips for a Successful Soft Homemade Bread

• Check Yeast Expiry a Date – you might be wondering how come the bread did not rise when you followed exactly the recipe. Well, first thing first, make sure the yeast is not yet expired. 
• Liquid Temperature – Yeast grows in temperature between 110 – 115F, so it is important to have the water that you are using to “proof” it in this range. If you go lower or higher, the yeast might not proof properly. That means the bread will not rise as much, resulting to a flat and tough bread. If you do not have kitchen thermometer, microwave the water (from the faucet) about 15 – 20 seconds. Feel it with your fingers, it sound be lukewarm not hot. 
• Amount of Yeast – Just because you want a tall fully bread doesn’t mean you have to put as much yeast in the mixture. Sometimes if you add too much, it will have a tendency to collapse. Just imagine putting more air than what is needed in a balloon, the balloon will explode. The same case with bread. 
• Right Type of Yeast – We’ve discussed the 3 types of yeast above. Make sure to use the right one for your recipe, and make necessary adjustments if you want to swap one from another. 
• Flour Measurement is not exact all the time, but with only minimal difference. Sometimes it could be plus 2 – 4 tbsp more, this is why I always set aside about 1/4 cup in case I need to add more. If you measure the liquid properly, and still the dough turn out dry, then it could be that the flour moisture is either dryer than usual. Dry flour requires more liquid, and lighter flour requires less liquid. This could depend on the brand of the flour and the age of the flour, and of course flour could vary from country to country. The nearer the flour gets to expiry date, the more that it gets dryer. If you are like me who doesn’t monitor the expiry date, then you just have to feel the dough if it needs additional flour. You want it to be still soft and moist but not too sticky. Moist but enough to form the dough into a ball. My test is a bowl with clean side, while the dough still slightly stick at the bottom. This gives a soft dough.
• Rest Period – Yeast bread needs time to rise. There are bread that uses less yeast but requires more rest time, the likes of No Knead Bread or Artisan Bread which usually require 8- 16 hours rest period to get the volume and to develop the flavor. There are 1 hour bread like my Rosemary Dinner Rolls which used this same bread dough. Resting the dough is imperative to allow the gluten to relax and to allow the dough to rise. A well rested dough will rise better, will created pockets or air,  and will make a light and soft bread. Remember, 2 rest period. First at least 1 hour and another 1 hour for the second rest period. It’s worth the wait, promise.

More Apple Video Inspirations

Why is My Dough Too Wet or Too Dry?

Don’t get frustrated if your dough did not turn out immediately as what you see in the photo or video. Most likely It is not because you did not follow the recipe. When it comes to bread making, the amount of flour and liquid is not always 100% precise. This is way often times you will encounter recipes that says, if your dough is dry, add a bit more liquid. If your dough is too wet, add a little bit more flour. This instructions are not meant to confuse you, they are meant to guide you on how to adjust as you work through your dough.

The reason for this is that although the measurement of water and flour are specified in the recipe, it still could slightly vary depending on many factors.

• For instance, all-purpose flour could very from country to country, or even from brand to brand. Don’t be surprise if you find that some brand tends to require a bit more liquid as the others.
• On top of this, the amount of liquid is also affected by the state of your flour. How old is the flour that you are using? Older flour nearing expiry tends to be drier and this requires more liquid.

Bread making requires patience, and practice. Once you learn how to feel the right texture of the dough, everything will be quick and easy. You can instantly tell if you need to add more water or flour to get the dough in right state.  Practice makes perfect 🙂

3 Methods to Make This Dough

There are 3 ways that you can choose from in how you make this bread. Choose whichever works for you. 

1. Stand Mixer – This is what I always use when I make this dough. It’s the fastest and easiest method and less manual handling. This is the step outlined below in the instruction. 
2. Hand Mixer – Use dough attachment as regular hook attachment will not work. The thick and heavy dough will jam a regular hook attachment. Also, it’s going to be too heavy for the hook attachment to mix the dough. 
3. Manually – If you don’t have any electronic baking equipment for making the dough, you can do it manually. Simply follow the same instructions, do the mixing in a large bowl and transfer in counter top and knead manually. Since this is a small batch recipe, doing this manually will not be that difficult.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 2 tablespoon full fat Milk any percentage  (warm 110F)
• 3/4  teaspoon  Active Dry Yeast 
• 2 tablespoon granulated Sugar (Divided: 1/2 teaspoon for yeast, the rest for the dry ingredients mixture)
• 1 tablespoon flavorless Oil
• 1 large Egg – room temperature
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoon Bread Flour (plus 2 tablespoon on the side as needed)
• 1/3 teaspoon Salt

Apple Cinnamon Butter Filling:

• 4 small red Apple
• 3 tablespoon granulated Sugar
• 3 tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 1/3 – 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt

Check this Easy Apple Butter Recipe

Optional: Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 2 tablespoon softened Cream Cheese
• 6 tablespoon Confectioners Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract or 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder

Note: There will be more than enough frosting, you can cut it into half measurement if you do not like to use much.

Instructions:

• Make the Apple Butter: Simmer all the ingredients for 2 hours in low heat. Stir every 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender after 1 1/2 hrs and simmer for another 30 minutes. Set aside to cool. It is recommended to make this ahead of time (at least 1 day ahead). Once cooled, transfer in a jar and cover. Refrigerate until ready to use.

• Roast & Chop the Nuts: Roast the nuts for 15 – 20 minutes until fragrant. Let cool then chop into small pieces.
• Dice the Apple: For extra filling, dice half apple in very tiny pieces. Set aside.
• Activate Yeast: Microwave milk for 10 – 15 seconds until lukewarm but NOT hot. Feel the milk to make sure it is not too hot as hot milk will kill the yeast and the bread will not rise properly.  Transfer milk in bowl of stand mixer (Refer to discussion above for other Methods of making this) and add 1/2 tsp of the granulated sugar and stir. Add the yeast and let rest for 15minutes until mixture is foamy. If the mixture did not become foamy, either the yeast is old or the milk is too hot or cold. Do NOT proceed. Redo it again as this is a very important step.
• Add Wet Ingredients: Set mixer with paddle attachment and mix in remaining sugar, beaten egg, and oil on low-speed, just to mix every thing together.
• Add Dry Ingredients: Add salt and flour and mix on low-speed until combined, then switch to a dough hook attachment. Allow mixture to knead on medium-low speed until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed, about 15 minutes. If the dough is too sticky add 1 tbsp of flour at a time until the dough starts to form, dough should be slightly sticky, soft but not too dry. If too much flour is added, the roll will be dense and heavy. A good measure of correct texture is a clean mixing bowl.

Small Batch Apple Butter Cinnamon Roll By SweetNSpicyLiving

• First Rest Period:  Remove the dough and form into a ball. Transfer into a greased bowl (I used oil spray) and cover bowl with plastic wrap or warm towel and allow to rest for 60 minutes in a warm place.
  • TIP: To help the dough rise faster, pre-heat the oven to 110F then turn it off and put the covered dough inside.
• Shape and Fill: Generously sprinkle flour on the counter where you are going to work on your dough. Sprinkle some flour on your hands too for easy handling of dough. Take the dough out from the bowl and lightly push the dough down with the heel of the palm of your hands. Knead and flatten the dough into 8-inch x 15-inch size (it doesn’t have to be exact). The goal is to have 8 strips of 1-inch each.

• Spread Apple Butter: Spread the apple butter on top. You can optionally add fresh chopped apple for a chunky texture.
• Roll and Cut: Cut the spread out dough into 8-inch strips of 1-inch each. Roll each strip and connect each other. Do this for the first 4 strips, this will be the first cinnamon roll. Do the same for the rest of the 4 strips. You should end up with 2 pieces of cinnamon roll.

• Arrange in Baking Pan: Arrange each piece in the pan leaving allowances on all sides. The bread will expand as it rise.
• 2nd Rest Period: Cover and let rest in a warm place for 60minutes. Preheat oven to 350F during last 10 minutes of dough rising. After 60 minutes, the dough will be puff-up like this (assuming the  yeast was proofed properly in Step 2).

• Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
• Bake in the lower rack for 20 minutes. Check at 10 minutes, if the top is browning fast, cover with aluminum foil.
• Cool: Take out of the oven and let cool before spreading frosting on top.

• Make the Frosting (Optional):  In a small bowl, mix  softened cream cheese, confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla extract or cinnamon. Keep mixing until smooth and no more lumps. The consistency should be runny so you can drizzle it on top. Add more milk if needed. There will be more than enough frosting, you can cut it into half measurement if you do not like to use much.
  • Altrnatively, you can also use sugar glaze for drizzling. This is just a mixture of icing sugar and milk.
  • Dusting with confectioners sugar is also another option

• Serve: Spread frosting on top of slightly cooled bread. Frosting is optional. This cinnamon roll is great even without any frosting.

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