Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups are the recipe that Lucia discovered on a busy autumn afternoon when she had a can of cinnamon roll dough in the refrigerator and a can of apple pie filling in the pantry and absolutely no motivation to make anything complicated but a very clear and completely persistent craving for something warm, cinnamony, and apple-filled.
She pressed each cold cinnamon roll round into a greased muffin cup, spooned in the apple pie filling, baked for fifteen minutes until the cinnamon roll dough was puffed and golden and the filling was warm and caramel-fragrant, and then drizzled the included frosting in a thin zigzag across each warm cup. The kitchen smelled exactly like an apple cinnamon bakery and the whole family appeared in the kitchen before the pan had even had time to cool.
Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups are the most genius two-ingredient fall dessert made by pressing refrigerated cinnamon roll dough into muffin cups, filling with spiced apple pie filling, baking until golden and fragrant, and drizzling with the included buttercream frosting. Twenty-five minutes from refrigerator to table and completely extraordinary for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful fall dessert recipes and easy crowd-pleasing baking favorites from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups Recipe
This Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups recipe is the two-ingredient fall bake that earns the most completely genuine and deeply delighted reactions from every person who smells the kitchen while these are baking and the most completely satisfied reactions from every person who tastes one warm from the oven. The combination of cinnamon roll dough and spiced apple pie filling is one of the most completely natural and obvious flavor pairings in all of fall baking. Cinnamon is already the defining flavor of both components and the combination makes each element taste even more deeply itself than it would alone.
The muffin tin format is the inspired technique decision that transforms two simple store-bought ingredients into something that looks genuinely impressive and completely homemade. Each cup has its own perfectly shaped golden pastry shell with visible cinnamon layers at the edges and a bubbling and fragrant apple filling in the center that looks and tastes completely professional. Our Churro Donuts make a beautifully cinnamon-forward and equally quick-to-assemble companion for a complete and lovely warm spiced fall dessert spread.
Ingredients Needed for This Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups Recipe
- 1 package Refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls with Frosting (8 rolls, regular size, flaky variety)
- ⅓ cup Apple Pie Filling, chopped into half-inch pieces if the chunks are larger
How to Make This Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups Recipe
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 8 cavities of a standard muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or melted butter. Use a non-stick muffin tin for the most reliable and clean release.
Open the package of refrigerated cinnamon rolls. Keep the rolls cold from the refrigerator until the moment they are needed as cold dough is significantly easier to separate and press without the individual rolls sticking together, cara mia. Remove each cinnamon roll and press it firmly into a greased muffin cup, pushing the dough down into the bottom and up the sides of the cavity to form a cup shape that will hold the filling. The dough does not need to reach the very top of the muffin cup sides. Approximately two thirds to three quarters of the way up the sides is perfect.
If the apple pie filling contains pieces larger than approximately half an inch in diameter, chop them into smaller pieces before using for the most even distribution in the small cups. Spoon approximately two tablespoons of apple pie filling into each prepared cinnamon roll cup. Distribute the filling as evenly as possible between all eight cups.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes until the cinnamon roll dough is golden brown at the edges and the apple filling is warm and beginning to bubble gently. The cups are done when the dough is no longer wet-looking or doughy and the edges are visibly golden.
Allow the cups to cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before gently running a thin knife around the edge of each cup to loosen them from the tin. Remove carefully as the apple filling will be very hot.
Microwave the included frosting container for 5 to 10 seconds at low power until the frosting is thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle generously over each warm cup and serve immediately while the cinnamon roll dough is still warm and pillowy and the filling is warm and fragrant.
How to Serve This Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups Recipe
Serve these cups warm immediately after drizzling the frosting for the most extraordinary warm cinnamon apple eating experience. The kitchen should smell exactly like an apple cinnamon bakery and every cup should be warm enough that the frosting drizzle is still slightly glossy and running gently over the sides.
For a spectacular fall brunch presentation, arrange the cups on a beautiful wooden board alongside a bowl of extra apple pie filling and a small pot of warm caramel sauce for drizzling over each cup for the most completely indulgent fall breakfast or dessert experience. Our Churro Cake makes a beautifully cinnamon-forward and equally spectacular companion for a complete and warm fall celebration dessert spread.
How to Store This Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups Recipe
Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day. Warm briefly in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds before serving. These cups are best the day they are made while the dough is at its most pillowy and the filling is at its most fresh. They can be frozen individually wrapped in plastic for up to 6 weeks and thawed at room temperature or warmed in the microwave before serving.
Tips to Make This Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups Recipe
Keep the cinnamon roll dough refrigerated until the very moment it is needed. Cold dough separates into individual rolls without sticking and presses into the muffin cups cleanly and easily. Dough that has been at room temperature for any length of time becomes sticky and difficult to press cleanly.
Microwave the frosting at only 10% power for no more than 10 seconds for the most controllable thin drizzling consistency. Frosting heated at full power can overheat and seize into a grainy texture rather than thinning smoothly into the most beautiful and glossy drizzle.
Helpful Notes for This Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups Recipe
Use regular-sized cinnamon rolls rather than the large or grand sized variety for a standard muffin tin. Large rolls provide too much dough for a standard muffin cup and the excess dough overflows the sides rather than forming a neat and well-shaped cup. If only grand or large rolls are available, trim the excess dough from the edges after pressing to bring the dough down to the correct height within the cup.
The frosting included in the cinnamon roll package is a buttercream frosting that is specifically designed to complement the cinnamon roll flavor and is the most perfectly appropriate and easy finishing touch for these cups. If a different flavor experience is desired, a thin caramel sauce or a simple powdered sugar glaze made with powdered sugar and a teaspoon of water can be used as a completely beautiful alternative.
Variation of This Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups Recipe
Maria made a version adding a pinch of additional ground cinnamon and a tiny pinch of ground cloves to the apple pie filling before spooning into the cups for the most deeply spiced and warmly autumnal flavor that was completely extraordinary. Teresa tried adding a small crumble of cream cheese in the center of each filling before baking for a creamy cheesecake-adjacent center that was deeply indulgent and completely unexpected and wonderful.
For a pumpkin version equally perfect for fall, substitute pumpkin pie filling in place of apple pie filling for cinnamon roll pumpkin pie cups that smell even more dramatically autumnal and taste completely extraordinary with the included buttercream frosting drizzled over the warm and spiced pumpkin center. Our Churro Cupcakes make a beautifully cinnamon-forward and equally easy fall companion for a complete and festive fall celebration dessert spread.
FAQs About This Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups Recipe
Can I use any brand of cinnamon rolls for this recipe?
Any brand of refrigerated cinnamon roll dough works for this recipe but the flaky variety produces the most beautiful layered exterior visible at the edges of each finished cup. The regular variety produces a slightly more uniform and less dramatically layered result but tastes equally delicious. The package must include the frosting for the most complete and authentic finishing experience.
Can I use homemade apple pie filling instead of canned?
Yes. Any thick and chunky apple pie filling works whether homemade or canned. If using homemade filling make sure it is thick and well-cooked before adding to the cups. A thin or undercooked filling will not stay contained within the cup during baking and will overflow onto the muffin tin.
Can I make these ahead and reheat?
Yes. Bake and cool completely, refrigerate in an airtight container, and reheat in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds per cup before serving. Drizzle with frosting fresh each time for the most beautiful and glossy presentation rather than refrigerating with the frosting already applied.
Conclusion
These Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups are the two-ingredient fall bake that makes every kitchen smell like the most warm and completely beautiful autumn bakery and makes every person who receives one feel genuinely and completely cared for through the most simple and completely brilliant assembly of two beloved fall flavors in one gorgeous and individually perfect warm cup. We hope they bring the same warm spiced fragrance and the same completely delighted fall gathering to your kitchen that they have always brought to ours. Make them, share them, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa.
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Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups The Most Easy 2 Ingredient Fall Dessert You Will Make
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 apple pie cups 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most easy and genius 2-ingredient Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Cups made by pressing refrigerated cinnamon roll dough into greased muffin tin cups filling each with spiced apple pie filling baking at 375°F for 15 minutes until golden and fragrant then drizzling with the included buttercream frosting while still warm. A completely spectacular fall dessert ready in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
1 package Refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls with Frosting 8 rolls regular size flaky variety
1/3 cup Apple Pie Filling chopped into 1/2-inch pieces if chunks are large
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 8 muffin tin cups with non-stick spray or butter.
2. Keep cinnamon rolls cold until needed.
3. Press each cold cinnamon roll into a greased muffin cup pushing dough down and up sides to form a cup shape.
4. Chop apple pie filling into smaller pieces if chunks are larger than 1/2 inch.
5. Spoon approximately 2 tbsp apple pie filling into each prepared cup.
6. Bake 15 minutes until edges are golden brown and filling is warm and bubbling.
7. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Run knife around edges to loosen.
8. Remove carefully as filling is very hot.
9. Microwave frosting container 5 to 10 seconds on low power until thin enough to drizzle.
10. Drizzle frosting generously over each warm cup.
11. Serve immediately while warm.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 170
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 335mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: cinnamon roll apple pie cups, easy 2 ingredient apple pie cups, cinnamon roll apple dessert muffin tin, quick fall apple cinnamon dessert
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