Homemade Apple Rolls with Cinnamon and Walnuts

“If you’ve got a bag of apples sitting on the counter and a free afternoon, this is the recipe to reach for.

These homemade apple rolls are made with a simple whole wheat yeast dough, wrapped around a soft, spiced apple filling, and finished with a light honey glaze.

No icing, nothing overly sweet — just a cozy, homemade bake that fills the kitchen with cinnamon and warm bread while it’s in the oven.

They take a bit of time, mostly hands-off while the dough rises and the filling cooks down.

But the process itself is pretty relaxing, which makes it a nice one for a slow weekend.

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Why You’ll Love These Homemade Apple Rolls

• Made with a mix of white and whole wheat flour, so they’re soft but still have some texture and fiber.
• The apple filling is naturally sweetened with a little sugar and molasses, not overloaded with sugar.
• No fancy equipment needed — just a bowl, a rolling pin, and a baking tray.
• Walnuts add a bit of crunch and make these feel more like a proper baked good than a sugary treat.
• Great for a slow breakfast, an afternoon coffee break, or bringing to someone as a homemade gift.

Tips for Making the Best Homemade Apple Rolls

Choose apples that hold their flavor when cooked

A combination of sweet and slightly tart apples works particularly well in baked apple desserts. The most important thing is that the apples have good flavor and aren’t excessively watery.

Let the filling cool before rolling

This is an important step. Warm apple filling can soften the dough and make the rolls more difficult to handle.

Don’t add all the water at once

The dough calls for approximately 200 ml of lukewarm water, but flour absorbs water differently. Add most of the water gradually and adjust the final amount depending on the dough.

Don’t overfill the dough

It can be tempting to add a thick layer of apple filling, but too much filling can make the dough difficult to roll and may cause the filling to escape during baking.

Keep the walnuts slightly chunky

Finely chopped walnuts blend into the filling, while slightly larger pieces provide a pleasant contrast to the soft apples.

Allow the rolls to cool before slicing

The filling will be very hot and soft immediately after baking. Giving the rolls time to cool allows the filling to settle and makes cleaner slices.

How to Store Apple Rolls

Once completely cooled, store the apple rolls in an airtight container.

They can be kept at room temperature for a short period if your kitchen is cool, or refrigerated for longer storage.

Before serving, you can gently warm individual slices in the oven or microwave.

Can You Freeze Apple Rolls?

Yes, the baked rolls can be frozen once completely cooled.

Wrap them well and place them in a freezer-safe container or bag.

Thaw them before serving and gently warm them in the oven if desired.

For the best texture, avoid repeatedly freezing and thawing the rolls.

What to Serve with Apple Rolls

These apple rolls are lovely on their own, but you can also serve them with:

• A cup of coffee
• Black tea
• Herbal tea
• A little plain yogurt
• Vanilla yogurt
• Vanilla ice cream for a more indulgent dessert

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Homemade Apple Rolls with Cinnamon and Walnuts

DreamPlanThrive

Homemade apple rolls are made with grated apples, cinnamon, vanilla, molasses, and walnuts wrapped in a simple whole-wheat yeast dough.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

Dough

• 150 g white flour
• 150 g whole-wheat flour
• Pinch of salt
• 4 g yeast
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon flour
• Approximately 200 ml lukewarm water

Apple filling

• 1 kg apples peeled and grated
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts

For brushing before baking

• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon water

For brushing after baking

• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

 

Activate the yeast

• Place the 4 g fresh yeast in a small bowl with ½ teaspoon sugar.
• Rub or mix the yeast and sugar together until the yeast becomes creamy.
• Add 2 teaspoons of lukewarm water and 1 teaspoon of flour. Mix everything together.
• Cover lightly and leave the mixture in a warm place for approximately 10–15 minutes, or until the yeast becomes active and visibly increases in volume.

Make the dough

• Combine the white flour, whole-wheat flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the activated yeast mixture.
• Gradually add approximately 200 ml of lukewarm water, mixing as you go, until a dough begins to form.
• Knead the dough well until it becomes smooth and workable.
• If the dough feels too dry, add a little more lukewarm water, a small amount at a time. The exact amount can vary depending on the flour.
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Let the dough rise

• Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel.
• Place it somewhere warm and allow it to rise for approximately 1 hour, or until it has noticeably increased in volume.
• While the dough is rising, prepare the apple filling.

Prepare the apples

• Peel the apples and grate them.
• Place the grated apples in a saucepan or large skillet.
• Add: cinnamon, vanilla extract, sugar and molasses
• Stir everything together.

Cook the apple filling

• Cook the apples over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• The apples should soften and the ingredients should become well combined.
• You don’t want the filling to remain watery. It should be soft but reasonably thick so that it can be spread over the dough without making it difficult to roll.
• Remove from the heat and allow the filling to cool completely before assembling the rolls.

How to Assemble the Apple Rolls

Divide the dough

• Once the dough has risen, divide it into 3 equal portions.
• Each portion will become one apple roll.

Roll out the dough

• Roll each portion of dough into a rectangle approximately 30 × 20 cm.
• Try to keep the dough relatively even in thickness so that each roll bakes evenly.

Add the apple filling

• Spread the cooled apple filling evenly over the dough.
• Leave a small border around the edges to make rolling easier.
• Sprinkle approximately 1 tablespoon of chopped walnuts over each portion of filling, using the total 3 tablespoons of walnuts for all three rolls.

Roll the dough

• Starting from one side, carefully roll the dough into a log.
• Try not to roll it too loosely, but don’t compress the filling either.
• Repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough.
• You should now have three apple rolls.

Prepare the rolls for baking

• Place the rolls on a baking tray approximately 30 × 20 cm, lined with baking paper.
• For the finishing glaze, mix:
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup + 1 tablespoon water.
• Brush this mixture lightly over the tops of the rolls.

Bake

• Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
• Bake the apple rolls for approximately 50 minutes, or until the dough is fully baked and the tops are beautifully golden.
• Because ovens vary, begin checking the rolls toward the end of the baking time.

Brush the warm rolls

• Remove the rolls from the oven.
• While they are still warm, brush them with a mixture of: 1 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
• Allow the rolls to cool before slicing.
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Notes

You can bake the rolls whole or cut them into smaller pieces, similar to cinnamon rolls. Baking them whole creates larger rolls, while cutting them produces individual pastries with a more pronounced spiral shape. The visual result will be different, but both methods work.

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