I have made these SO many times now.  Especially in the fall and winter when apples and plentiful.  These are a delicious alternative to regular cinnamon rolls. You can cook up fresh apple in a pan, or use freeze-dried apples if you're looking for a quicker option in these rolls.  They're great as a special treat for breakfast or a snack.  Easy to whip together in a mixer, roll out, rise, and bake.  I plan to make them for Christmas. Yum! Enjoy! 

Fresh GF apple cinnamon rolls topped with frosting.  

Without the cream cheese frosting - they have nice swirls and plenty of yummy filling. 

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Makes about 20 rolls. 

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  

In this recipe, you can use fresh apples and sauté them, or you can use freeze-dried apples for a quicker prep.  Both options are included below. 

Fresh apple option:

Sauté over medium heat until apples have softened, but are not mushy: 

2-3 Tbsp butter

6 - 8 apples, peeled, cored and diced (use firm cooking apples that retain their shape when cooked)

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Add and cook 1 minute, then remove from heat: 

2 Tbsp maple syrup

Set apples aside to cool while you prepare the dough and filling. 

Dough:

In a large mixer, combine: (It's important to mix dry ingredients first in gluten-free baking to avoid clumps)

2 cups brown rice flour

1 cup sorghum flour (use extra brown or white rice flour or even oat flour if you do not have sorghum)

3/4 cup arrowroot flour (or cornstarch)

1/4 cup potato starch

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp rapid-rise/quick yeast

2 tsp baking powder

Add and mix in slowly, then increase speed to medium or medium-high and let beat 4 minutes: 

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup milk, warmed (not hot)

1/2 cup water, warmed (not hot)

3 eggs

Add into batter, mixing until evenly distributed: 

Sautéed apples, from above OR 1.2/34g freeze dried apple slices, broken into smaller pieces

While batter is beating, stir together: 

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 - 2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 - 2 Tbsp maple syrup (Optional and ONLY if using freeze-dried apples, since the others get some added while cooking)

Lay out two large pieces of plastic wrap, overlapping slightly.   Place the dough along the center of the plastic wrap.  Cover with another two pieces of overlapping plastic wrap.  Roll out dough until you have a large, long rectangle approximately 15" x 30".   Remove the top layer of plastic wrap. 

Have a small bowl of warm water available to dip your hands/fingertips in case of any sticky dough. 

Spread the brown sugar/melted butter mixture on the dough using the back side of a spoon.  Use the plastic wrap to carefully roll up the dough into one long roll.   You can use wet hands to help with any sticky spots.  If you aren't sure how this should look, I have pictures included in several recipes, including my cinnamon roll recipe and pumpkin cinnamon rolls. 

Cut the dough (I just use a butter knife) into 1 1/2" or 2" slices.  Use wet hands/fingers to pick up and move the pieces.  Use wet hands to flatten each roll, so they're all even heights in the pan. 

Put the apple cinnamon rolls in a warm location and cover with an upside-down cookie sheet.  Let rise ~45 minutes.  Bake at 350 F for 25-30.  Top with cream cheese frosting (below) immediately, if you want the frosting to melt into the rolls.  Or, you can let the rolls cool and then pipe on the frosting.  I love these warm best.  Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen and reheated.  Enjoy! 

Yummy fresh rolls drizzled with cream cheese frosting. 

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Mix together until smooth: 

1 - 2 Tbsp butter, softened

2 - 3 oz cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

milk, to consistency (I find I sometimes need a little if it's a bit too thick, but sometimes I don't need any at all).  

Depending on your preference, you can make this a bit runnier and drizzle it on top.  You can have it a bit thicker and pipe it out/drizzle onto the rolls.  Or, what I often do for speed, just spread the frosting onto the rolls with the back of the same spoon used to mix together your cream cheese frosting. 

Just another batch - this one filled with a bit of extra apple. 

I left the frosting a little thicker and just quickly spread it on with the back of the spoon.  

Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Rolls Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!