It's Canadian Thanksgiving, but that's not the only reason I'm happy! For today, I have collaborated with two of my blogging friends, Beth of Vegan D'lites and Crystal of Crystal Whitlow Design to bring you a fun fall challenge! We chose a fall ingredient and each have brought a recipe to the proverbial table for you to try! The ingredient? Apples.

Today, you will be handed three amazing apple recipes to try. I'll be sharing one here, and stick around, because at the end of the post, you'll get the links to Beth and Crystal's recipes as well. 

Apples are delicious. My favourite is a cut apple wedge with peanut butter on it. Oh me oh my. Delicious. I also can appreciate a warm apple pie or a fresh apple crisp. Something about apples screams "FALL," and I love it. 

I decided to make an apple pie cinnamon roll. I love a good cinnamon roll, and just telling you about it now is making my mouth water. Extra points if the roll is warm and moist! As I mentioned, I also love apple pie, so I was curious to see what would happen if I combined the two. The result was delicious. So delicious, that you need to try it too!

I chose not to glaze these guys. They're delicious as is (not to mention sugary enough). Trust me, I tried 3 different times, just to make sure. 

If you really wanted to, I'm so certain that a simple cream cheese frosting would really add to it, but I'm uncomplicated and like to keep things simple in Fall. The rolls already scream, "CHRISTMAS IS COMING!"

These babies are soft, moist, and delicious; seriously melt-in-your-mouth good. Best part? Easy to make and ready in two hours!

Vegan Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

For the Dough

• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

• 1 C unsweetened plain almond milk

• 3 TBSP vegan butter

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 3 C unbleached all purpose flour

• 1 TBSP organic cane sugar

For the Filling:

• 4 TBSP melted vegan butter

• 6 apples, peeled, cored, and diced

• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 TBSP ground cinnamon

• olive oil

What to do:

1) In a large bowl, heat the almond milk and 3 Tbsp Earth Balance until warm and melted (in the microwave at 30 sec increments). Remove from heat and let cool to the temperature of warm (not hot!) bath water.

2) Sprinkle on yeast and let activate for 10 minutes. Add the 1 Tbsp sugar and the salt and stir.

3) Add in flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring as you go. When too thick to stir, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until it forms a loose ball.

4)Rinse your mixing bowl out, lightly oil, and add your dough ball back in. Cover and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

5) While dough is rising, prepare your filling by adding prepped apples to saucepan with the melted butter and organic cane sugar. Sauté until the apples are slightly caramelized. Set Aside.

6) Mix brown sugar and cinnamon.

7) On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a thin rectangle. Brush almost to the edges with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle cinnamon/brown sugar mixture on top

8) Add the apple filling and spread evenly

9) Starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough (lengthwise) and lay seam side down. With a serrated knife, cut the dough into 2 inch sections (should make about 12) and position in a well oiled pan. 

10) Cover pan and allow to rise - about an hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

11) Bake 20-22 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes and then serve immediately.

Optional: Serve with a simple glaze of about 1 C organic powdered sugar and 1 TBSP almond milk. I bet that caramel sauce from the scone recipe would be AMAZING with these as well! 

As I promised, enjoy these links to two more delicious apple recipes for you to try this fall!