Scandinavian Apple Cinnamon Buns

It’s apple season in Norway, and after buying a large sack of apples at my local supermarket in Lofoten I decided to experiment with a new apple cinnamon bun recipe! I shared my recipe for these apple sauce kanelsnurrer (Scandinavian cinnamon buns) a couple of years ago, but this time I wanted to make more of traditional kanelsnurr with an apple pie inspired center. These kanelsnurrer are buttery twisted cinnamon buns with a spiced apple filling.

And since my shopping trip downtown yielded many apples and zero autumnal scented candles, I’m happy to report that these made my house smell divine. Happy October indeed!

Tips

Soak the raisins in a bowl of warm water for about 20 – 30 minutes. I do this first, and then by the time I’ve prepared the dough they’re soft enough. If you’re not a fan of raisins you can skip them.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and then remove it from the heat and add the sugar and milk. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and let it cool to lukewarm before adding the cardamom and yeast (if you add cold milk to the melted butter it should be about the right temperature).

You can use ground cardamom for this recipe, but if you have a mortar and pestal I highly recommend grinding cardamom seeds instead, as freshly ground seeds are much more flavorful. I wouldn’t bother unless it really made a difference, but it really does.

You can knead the dough by hand or in a mixer with a dough hook. I knead it by hand for about ten minutes. The dough is quite easy to knead, so I really don’t think a mixer is necessary here, unless you have one you want to use. I usually just put on some music and enjoy the kneading!

I roll out the dough and shape it before letting it rise, because it’s much easier to shape the dough before it has risen. Roll the dough into a large square and spread the cinnamon butter mixture evenly across the entire square. Then drain the raisins and sprinkle them across the bottom half of the square.

Fold the top half onto the bottom half of the dough, and then cut it into about twenty strips. I like to use a pastry or pizza wheel for this, but you can also use a knife.

And then you will twist each strip into a knot. I’ve seen many different ways of forming the knots, and I don’t think your technique here matters too much. Just make sure that you twist the dough a lot before making the knot.

To form the knots, I twist each strip of dough and then I hold out two of my fingers and wrap the twist twice around my fingers and then I wrap the end across the top of the bun and tuck the end through the bottom of the knot. See the video below if you’re confused.

Place the buns on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, spacing them well as they will rise considerably and grow again in the oven (I bake these in two or three batches).

Cover the formed buns and let them rise for about one and a half hours, until they bounce back fully when you press them with a finger.

Then immediately start preparing the apple filling (you want to give it time to cool before adding it to the buns).

Apple filling

Peel and core three or four apples (I used four small red Discovery apples, which are in season right now in Norway) and dice into small ½-inch pieces (they will break down further as you cook them).

Stir the apples together with the sugars, spices, and water together in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about five minutes, until the apples have softened but still hold their shape and there is visible liquid in the saucepan. If the liquid cooks off too quickly, add another splash of water.

Whisk the cornstarch with a couple tablespoons of water and pour it into the apples, stirring until fully combined. Continue cooking until the apple mixture thickens, about 1 to 2 minutes. 

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Pour the apple mixture into a bowl, cover and let cool in fridge while the buns finish rising.

Assembly

Once the buns have finished rising, preheat oven to 445°F (230°C).

Press down a large well in the center of each bun. Be sure to press the dough all the way down and make a very large well (it will shrink a bit as the dough puffs back out).

Use two teaspoons to drop a generous amount of apple filling into each well. Brush the sides of each bun with egg wash and bake for about 10 to 11 minutes, until the tops and bottoms are golden brown. Be sure not to over bake, as then the buns can get dry or burn.

While the buns are in the oven, prepare the syrup. Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 4 minutes, then remove from heat. Brush the buns with the syrup immediately after removing them from the oven and cool on a wire wrack.

You can switch the recipe from US measurements to metric by clicking from “US Customary” to “Metric” under Ingredients.