Heirloom Apple Rolls
This post may contain affiliate links, that if you make purchases through, I will earn a small commission.
Heirloom Apple Rolls are a 200 year old family recipe, with warm spices, baked and then drizzled with warm cream.
There is nothing quite as wonderful as an heirloom recipe that has stood the test of time. This one is over 200 years old and as delicious as the day it was dreamed up! Share this recipe from Sweet Basil’s new cookbook “Our Sweet Basil Kitchen” with your friends today! It’s swimming in cream, so it’s bound to be special!
It’s about time I finally got around to sharing this recipe! It’s been baked, devoured, and ready and waiting to share for WEEKS. These heirloom apple rolls were one of the last things I baked in our old apartment, as a way to “Procrasti-bake” my time, instead of packing. And it was the perfect distraction from the chaos of life at the time.
It also happens to be a family recipe from my dear blogging friend Carrian and her husband Cade in their new cookbook Our Sweet Basil Kitchen. I’ve known Carrian for years now, having spent time together in Idaho. I was drawn to her immediately for her absolutely radiant smile and kind heart. We bonded about family, married life, traveling, and well, duh, food. 
It was four more years until Ben and I would be starting our family, but our heart to heart talk over dinner about family was definitely a defining talk for me and it was so special to connect with someone who knew exactly what I felt about having kids. Having her two beautiful girls, she understood my desire for kids, and how excited I was about the milestones in life that Ben and I would share, especially this one. I cried.
Yeah, I’m really good at first impressions. Between a good talk, a good steak, and a good glass of red wine I was basically a puddle. 
So as I flipped through her cookbook, filled with love, and absolutely incredible food – like the sausage breakfast cake with maple butter sauce, or the heirloom tomato tart – my tummy is grumbling constantly no matter how many times I flip through these pages.
And there is a quite substantial dessert section with too many beautiful recipes to name here.
I was so pleased to get to make this special recipe from Carrian and Cade. They are kind people who really put their heart into their work. And I know from eating this entire pan of heirloom apple rolls, it is one of a kind. 
For more apple recipes, try these!
Print
Heirloom Apple Rolls
- Prep Time: 35 Minutes
- Cook Time: 40 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 Rolls 1x
- Category: Baking
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 cups Flour
- 4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, chilled and cubed
- 3/4 cup Milk
- 2 Tbsp Butter, melted
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 3 cups grated Apples
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 cups Water
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in the 1/4 cup of the chilled butter, and cut it into the flour until it becomes a sand-like texture. Add in the milk and stir until a dough forms.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough into an oblong sheet, about 1/4″ thick, and brush it with the melted butter.
In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Cover the dough with the grated apples and sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar on top. Roll the dough out jelly rolls/cinnamon rolls style, and cut it into 1 1/2″ thick slices and place them cut side down into a 9×13 inch baking dish.
In a small sauce pan, create a simple syrup with the remaining 1 cup sugar and 2 cups of water. when the sugar has completely dissolved, gently pour the syrup around the rolls.
Bake the rolls about 40 minutes, or until they have enlarged to fill the whole pan. remove from the oven and serve warm with cream poured over the top or a scoop of ice cream.
Keywords: Baking, bread. dessert. fruit, homemade, recipes, breakfast
Apples and pastry are the best combination! This reminds me of a Chelsea bun recipe I make which I should very popular with family. I will be making your recipe very soon! Thanks!
I need to get my mitts on their cookbook! These rolls look off the charts!
These rolls sound SO cozy and delicious! I kinda want them for dinner!
This is bizarre. This is a Family recipe of ours. We call ours, Apple Ups. Identical recipe! Maybe we’re related!
That is most excellent!! I love when family recipes – especially this one that is so many centuries old – find their way to all of the branches in the family tree!! Most wonderful!
I have made a recipe like this that my Mom gave me years ago and I had forgotten about. I need to get busy and make it.