Sandy’s tips and substitutions:

• Storage: These cinnamon roll apple pies are best enjoyed warm or hot out of the oven. But they will keep unfrosted and tightly wrapped for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. Frost right before serving.
• Freezing: You can also freeze the baked cinnamon roll pies for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before enjoying them again. 
• Toppings: Sprinkle chopped candied walnuts or pecans over the fresh icing for extra flavor and a crunchy contrast. A caramel glaze or a crumbled streusel are other delicious topping ideas that could replace the icing or top the icing.  
• Gluten-free: Use gluten-free canned cinnamon rolls when catering to allergies. 
• Mini cinnamon roll pies: Make mini versions of this dessert by assembling the cinnamon rolls with apple pie filling in a mini muffin tin. You will need to reduce the baking time as the mini cinnamon roll pies will bake at a faster rate.  
• Don’t overfill: It’s normal for some of the apple pie filling to spill or bubble over while these dessert pies bake but be careful that you don’t overfill the cups when assembling the cinnamon roll apple pies. 
• Mix-ins: Add raisins or chopped dates to the canned apple pie filling for extra natural sweetness and delicious texture. You can soak them beforehand to soften them, if you like. 
• Leftover apple pie filling: Use any leftover apple pie filling to make other scrumptious fall treats, snacks, or meals. Top your toast, pancakes, or waffles with the filling, add it to cooked pork, serve it with a bowl of maple ice cream or atop milkshakes, puree it to make apple sauce or apple butter, or add it to yogurt parfaits. The options are endless!
• Uniform apple chunks: Make sure to cut some of the larger chunks of the apples in the canned filling into smaller pieces (about ½ inch each). Smaller pieces ensure that every cinnamon roll pie has a balanced ratio of soft, cooked apple to the cinnamon roll "crust."
• Icing consistency: You may need to heat the icing for a few seconds in the microwave for a thinner consistency that spreads evenly, but adding the vanilla extract seems to do the trick to get the right consistency for drizzling.
• Double the recipe: Double this cinnamon roll apple pie recipe and bake in two pans when catering to a crowd (making sure to rotate the muffin tins if they can’t both fit side-by-side on the middle rack).