This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Cinnamon Sugar Swirled Apple Butter Bread. Better than you could get at any coffee shop, this yummy bread is a real fall treat! Soft apple butter quick bread recipe made with apple butter, sweetened with honey, swirled with cream cheese, and topped with Honeycrisp apples plus sweet cinnamon sugar. Best enjoyed warm, right out of the oven, with a generous smear of salted honey butter. The perfect way to celebrate the autumn apple season!
Half Baked Harvest At Home
20+ new recipes for wholesome comfort food made with everyday ingredients. Pre-order today! HBH At Home will be released on Tuesday, February 23rd!
It’s finally apple season! Look, I love summer produce, but there’s something so special about autumn apples. They’re crisp, sweet, and refreshing. Nothing really can beat a tree-picked apple. They’re one of my favorite fall treats!
Since it is September, I always try my best to really embrace apple season. So many people start breaking out the pumpkin recipes, but it’s just not time – yet.
The inspiration for this recipe is really pretty simple. There are a lot of fall treats out there with apples, especially in bakeries and coffee shops. One of my favorites is an apple cider doughnut, which I highly recommend picking up while picking fresh apples!
I took the flavors I love so much from the apple cider doughnuts and applied them to this apple bread recipe. I also took some ideas from my pumpkin butter bread that I make every season. Then I combined a few recipes and developed this sweet, soft, and apple-filled bread. I love it!
My first taste testers were my cousin Matt and his wife, Caroline. I sent this bread out with my parents when they went to SoCal last week to give to them. Caroline is in the hospital with a pregnancy complication. But all is expected to go well and they will be meeting their little baby girl (Freya) on Wednesday! Matt and Caroline both raved about this bread to my parents (although anything in comparison to hospital food is good). They couldn’t believe how moist and delicious it was.
Here are the quick details
Of course, I wanted this bread to be a little more special than all the others out there. So I used spiced apple butter, and not just apples, to really make this yummy! Apple butter is more reduced down than apple sauce, it contains less moisture, and is usually spiced.
You can use my homemade apple butter, or pick some up at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and most grocery stores. Of course, I am partial to mine. Just make sure your apple butter is spiced for best flavor.
This is all made in one bowl. You’ll mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and that’s it. I used honey as the sweetener. But mostly because I LOVE the warming flavor it adds to baked goods this time of year. The coconut oil keeps the bread doughy. And a touch of cinnamon sugar really adds the spice.
The next step is to spoon some of the batter into your loaf pan. Then swirl in the cream cheese, add chopped apples, and then the cinnamon sugar. If you don’t love cream cheese, you can omit it, but I think it works well with the fall flavors.
For the apples, Honeycrisps are my go-to. I love them!
As the bread bakes, oh my gosh, your kitchen will smell incredible. It’s going to put you in that cozy fall mood.
While the bread is baking, make the honey butter, and that’s it, done. Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack.
This is a very easy fall baking project, so it really should be on your must-make list! Enjoy a slice or two with honey butter. Such a wonderful treat to enjoy! Oslo and Asher both loved every bite of this bread, apples and all! Plus it’s a little healthier than what you’d pick up from the bakery, so we love that!
Looking for other sweet apple recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
Brown Butter Apple Blondies with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
Spiced Pecan Apple Cider Doughnut Cake
Mulled Spiced Apple Cider Doughnuts
Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars
Homemade Slow Cooker Maple Apple Butter
Lastly, if you make this Cinnamon Sugar Swirled Apple Butter Bread, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Cinnamon Sugar Swirled Apple Butter Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup apple butter
- 1/4 cup yogurt or sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 Honeycrisp apples, chopped , (about 3/4 cup)
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
Honey Butter
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a (9×5 inch) bread pan.2. In a bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. 3. In a large bowl, stir together the coconut oil, apple butter, honey, yogurt/sour cream, egg, vanilla, and milk, until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until just combined. 4. Spoon half the batter into the prepared bread pan. Dollop teaspoon size amounts of the cream cheese over the batter. Gently swirl the cream cheese using a sharp paring knife. Arrange the apples in an even layer over the cream cheese. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar, then evenly spoon the remaining batter over the apples. It's OK if the batter doesn't fully cover the apples. Sprinkle over the remaining cinnamon sugar.5. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the center is just set. I usually cover my bread halfway through baking to prevent burning. 6. Meanwhile, make the honey butter. In a bowl, combine the butter, honey, and a pinch of salt.7. Remove the bread and let cool, or enjoy warm with extra honey butter.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
How would this recipe do in smaller loaf pans?
Thanks!
Hi Hilary,
That will work well for you, just reduce the bake time:) I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, happy Monday! xx
This bread is delicious! However, I did have some problems with the measurements. I didn’t use even a whole apple, and I only needed 2 oz cream cheese. Maybe the filling was meant to be chunkier. But it’s a terrific recipe that is low in sugar
Hi Shannon,
Thanks for making this bread and sharing what worked well for you, I’m glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
This was scrumptious! I tested it out today because I want to make it for a friend for her birthday. We both ABSOLUTELY LOVE FALL. This is a new family favorite for our fall tradition, for sure!
Hi Jen,
Happy Monday!! I truly appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed! xx
Can this be made without the cream cheese?
Hi Robin,
You bet, just skip it:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I wish I could post a pic of this because it turned out AHHHHH-mazing! I made it gluten free with King Arthur gluten free flour and it got rave reviews at the party I went to today. Full disclosure, this is the second time I made this recipe this week and it’s come out fantastic each time. I definitely will be making this again!
Hi Autumn,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing what worked well for you, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Made the apple bread… delicious!
One comment, when I put the second half of the cinnamon sugar on the top it all came off when I turned it out.
I noticed on yours it looked moist.
Should I put a little butter on top?
Thanks , love your recipes.
Pat
Hi Pat,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! Next time, line your loaf pan with parchment paper so you can just lift the bread out rather than flipping it! I hope this helps! xx
Holy moly! I just made this and the one pot creamy sun dried tomato orzo!
Amazing and so simple! Definitely making again & again! ❤️❤️
Hi Maria,
Happy Sunday! I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it:)
Super tasty! Thank you for the recipe!! Does this need to be refrigerated?
Hi Katie,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it! You can keep this in an airtight container on the counter. Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xT
This is delicious and a wonderful recipe for Fall. However, I was frustrated with the mistakes in the recipe. I printed a copy the day it came out but didn’t make it until last night. There was no mention of what to do with the 2nd 1/2 of cinnamon sugar. I got on the site to see if there was an update and sure enough, there was a correction. But also I saw milk was added which was not listed on the one I printed! Groceries are expensive and I don’t like wasting ingredients.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry for the typos….mistakes happen and I try to fix them as quickly as possible. Happy Friday! xx
I used Granny Smith apples from my tree. First made your apple butter recipe. Delicious and easy. I used melted butter instead of coconut oil. I made two loaves. One I used peanut butter. (Because I love it it on almost everything). Both loaves were equally good. I will defiantly be making this again. Thanks for the recipe.
Hey Franny,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a bunch for giving it a go!? xT
Tieghan,
Can you suggest a sub for coconut oil? Every time I used it, I taste the hint of coconut that I do not care for. Otherwise, it sounds amazing! Thanks!
Hi Melissa,
You can use another neutral oil that you enjoy! Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Friday!
I was thinking the same thing… What is consists “neutral” oil?
Hi Kimi,
Vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil, butter are all neutral oils:)
amazing recipe!
instead of mixing just cinnamon in with the apples I used pumpkin pie spice and it was delicious 🙂
Hey there,
Awesome!! Such a great idea to use the pumpkin pie spice!! Thanks so much for making this recipe! xTieghan
Ohmigosh, so good, as all of your recipes are. I made this gluten-free using 210 grams of Bob’s 1 to 1 GF flour. It turned out perfectly. The pieces are splitting in half where the apples are, which is no big deal but I think I will coat the apples in half of the cinnamon sugar, then fold them into the batter. I found that the other half of the cinnamon sugar that goes on top mostly fell off because it didn’t get wet. I don’t think it needs it so next time I will make less. This loaf is going to be gone by tonight and there are only three of us. Thanks, again, Tieghan!
Hey Latia,
Thanks so much for try this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear it was enjoyed:) xxT
Incredibly delicious! Reminds me of carrot cake with icing!
The only tweak I did was decrease the white sugar to a 1/3 cup and I used brown sugar.
Hey Norma,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
This bread is EXCELLENT!!!I will definitely make it again very soon! I will change up a couple of things, though. I woud rather have apples throughout the bread so I will mix the apples into the batter. I am also going to add some honey to the cream cheese, soften it, poor it in the middle & then swirl it thru. Really awesome!
Hi Robyn,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan