Twisted Apple Pie Rolls Recipe (Viral Apple Dessert)

Name: Twisted Apple Pie Rolls
Prep time: 2 h 45 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 3 h 10 min
Ingredients: 500 g bread flour; 180 g whole milk, lukewarm; 120 g plain Greek yogurt; 1 large egg; 25 g granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon instant yeast (about 3 g); 1 teaspoon fine salt (about 6 g); 80 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled; 600 g Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small dice; 50 g unsalted butter; 65 g brown sugar; 50 g pure maple syrup; 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon ground allspice; ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg; 10 g cornstarch; 15 g water; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 large egg; 1 tablespoon whole milk; 120 g powdered sugar; 1½ tablespoons whole milk, plus more as needed; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 pinch fine salt

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These twisted apple pie rolls combine soft homemade yeast dough with a warm-spiced apple filling, a braided shape, and a simple vanilla glaze. Each roll is filled with tender apples, folded, cut, and twisted before baking until golden.

They have the cozy flavors of apple pie in a soft, individual roll that looks special without using complicated ingredients. The step-by-step shaping method makes the twisted design easier to follow at home.

What Are Twisted Apple Pie Rolls?

Twisted apple pie rolls are soft yeast rolls filled with cooked spiced apples and shaped into a decorative braid before baking. Unlike cinnamon rolls, the dough is folded over the filling, cut into strips, and crossed to create the twisted shape before the rolls are baked and finished with vanilla glaze.

Ingredients You’ll Need

These twisted apple pie rolls use a soft yeast dough, a cooked apple filling, a simple egg wash, and a light vanilla glaze.

Dough Ingredients

Bread flour: Its higher protein content helps the dough stay elastic enough to roll thin and shape without tearing easily.
Whole milk and Greek yogurt: Keep the dough soft and tender.
Egg, sugar, and butter: Add richness and a light sweetness.
Instant yeast: Gives the dough its rise.
Fine salt: Balances the sweetness and improves the dough’s flavor.

Bread flour, milk, Greek yogurt, egg, sugar, instant yeast, salt, and melted butter for twisted apple pie rolls — The ingredients for the soft yeast dough: bread flour, milk, Greek yogurt, egg, sugar, yeast, salt, and melted butter.

Apple Filling

Granny Smith apples: Their firm texture works well for the small dice, while their tart flavor balances the brown sugar and maple syrup.
Butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup: Create the sweet, buttery base for the filling.
Cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg: Add warm apple-pie flavor.
Cornstarch and water: Thicken the released apple juices into a coating instead of leaving loose liquid around the fruit.
Vanilla extract: Rounds out the flavor.

If you have extra apples after making the filling, use them in our easy homemade applesauce recipe.

Egg Wash

Egg and whole milk: Help the rolls bake with a glossy, golden surface.

Vanilla Glaze

Powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt: Make a simple glaze that can be drizzled over the warm rolls.

Granny Smith apples, brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, spices, cornstarch, vanilla, egg, milk, powdered sugar, water, and salt for twisted apple pie rolls — Ingredients for the cinnamon-maple apple filling, egg wash, and vanilla glaze.

How to Make Twisted Apple Pie Rolls

Make the Dough

Add the bread flour, sugar, instant yeast, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Pour in the lukewarm milk, Greek yogurt, egg, and melted butter.

Mix until a rough dough forms, then knead for about 12 to 15 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. It should feel soft without being wet or stiff.

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, about 80 grams each. Shape each piece into a smooth ball, place them on a lightly floured surface or tray, and cover them.

Twelve smooth yeast dough balls portioned for twisted apple pie rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet — Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape each piece into a smooth ball before the first rise.

Let the dough rise for about 1 to 1½ hours, or until the balls have roughly doubled in size.

Cook and Cool the Apple Filling

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often. The edges of the apple pieces should begin to soften, but the fruit should still look distinct rather than mushy.

Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until no lumps remain. Add the slurry to the apples and continue cooking for about 1 minute, until there is no loose liquid in the skillet and the apples are coated in a thick sauce.

Diced Granny Smith apples coated in a thick cinnamon-maple filling in a skillet — Cook the diced apples until they are tender around the edges and coated in a thick cinnamon-maple sauce.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer the filling to a wide, shallow dish so it cools faster. Let it cool completely before adding it to the dough.

Fill and Shape the Rolls

Work with one dough ball at a time and keep the others covered. Roll the dough into a circle about 7½ inches wide.

Spread about 55 grams of cold apple filling over one half, keeping a narrow strip of dough uncovered around the outside edge.

Cinnamon apple filling spread over one half of a round of dough for twisted apple pie rolls — Spread the cooled apple filling over one half of the dough, leaving a clean border around the edge.

Bring the unfilled half over the apples to create a half-moon, then lightly press along the curved edge.

Set a chopstick or another thin, straight guide along the middle of the folded dough. Cut 5 evenly spaced strips on each side, making sure the cuts stop at the guide so the center section remains connected.

Folded apple-filled dough cut into strips on both sides of a wooden guide for twisted apple pie rolls — Place a thin guide along the center of the folded dough and cut evenly spaced strips on both sides, keeping the middle intact.

Beginning at one end, bring one strip from the left across the center, then one from the right. Continue alternating sides until you reach the opposite end. Do not stretch the strips more than necessary. Tuck the final pieces underneath, then gently pull out the guide.

Unbaked twisted apple pie roll with braided dough and apple filling visible between the strips — Cross the dough strips alternately over the center, tuck the ends underneath, and remove the guide to finish the twisted shape.

Set the shaped roll on a parchment-lined baking sheet and continue with the remaining dough.

Proof and Bake

Arrange the shaped rolls on parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving space between them. Cover loosely and let them rise for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until noticeably puffy.

Twisted apple pie rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet after the final rise — Let the shaped rolls rise until noticeably puffy before brushing them with egg wash and baking.

While the rolls are completing their final rise, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Whisk the egg and milk together, then lightly brush the tops with the egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, checking from 20 minutes, until the rolls are well risen and golden brown.

Because the dough contains raw flour and egg, avoid tasting it before baking; the CDC recommends cooking raw dough before eating it.

Let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes before adding the glaze.

Add the Vanilla Glaze

In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until smooth.

The glaze should be thick enough to stay visible on the rolls but loose enough to drizzle. If needed, add a little more milk, about ½ teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the right consistency.

Drizzle the glaze over the rolls while they are still slightly warm, then let it set for a few minutes before serving.

Baked twisted apple pie rolls with apple filling and vanilla glaze on a parchment-lined baking sheet — Bake the rolls until golden brown, then drizzle them with vanilla glaze while still slightly warm.

How to Get the Twisted Shape Right

The twisted shape is easier to manage when the dough stays soft and the apple filling is completely cool.

Use cold, thick filling. Warm or runny filling makes the dough harder to shape.
Avoid overfilling. About 55 grams gives the strips enough room to cross cleanly.
Keep the center intact. Stop each cut before the middle so the roll stays connected.
Handle the strips gently. Cross them without stretching, then tuck the ends underneath.

If the dough keeps shrinking back while you roll it, let it rest for a few minutes before continuing.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The apple filling can be prepared ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Let it cool completely before covering it, and use it cold when shaping the rolls.

Store completely cooled leftover rolls in an airtight container. For the softest texture, they are best enjoyed fresh; refrigerated rolls can be allowed to come closer to room temperature or warmed briefly before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make twisted apple pie rolls?

Twisted apple pie rolls are made by filling soft yeast dough with a cooked apple mixture, folding the dough, cutting the sides into strips, and crossing the strips over the center to create the twisted shape. The rolls are then proofed, baked, and finished with vanilla glaze.

What is the difference between twisted apple pie rolls and cinnamon rolls?

Cinnamon rolls are usually rolled into a log and sliced into spirals. Twisted apple pie rolls are shaped individually by folding the dough over apple filling, cutting the sides, and crossing the strips to form a braided twist.

What apples are best for twisted apple pie rolls?

Granny Smith apples work well because they are tart and stay fairly firm when cooked. Other firm baking apples can work too, but very soft varieties may break down too much in the filling.

How do you keep apple pie rolls from leaking?

Use a thick, completely cooled filling and avoid overfilling the dough. Leave a clean border around the filling, keep the center uncut during shaping, and tuck the ends underneath before proofing.

Twisted Apple Pie Rolls

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Author: Sophia
Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 12 rolls 1x

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Description

Soft homemade yeast rolls filled with a thick cinnamon-maple apple filling, shaped into decorative twists, baked until golden, and finished with a simple vanilla glaze.

Ingredients

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