For the Cinnamon Rolls: Bring the milk to a boil to scald. The moment the milk reaches a boil, remove from heat and pour into the bowl of your electric mixer. Add the sugar and whirl around in the bowl to take the temperature down. Once the temperature is just above room temperature, add the yeast granules and allow the mixture to sit and foam for 5-10 minutes.
Add very soft butter to the mixing bowl, place a bread hook attachment on the mixer, and turn on low. Add the eggs, salt and flour. Allow the mixer to run for 5-10 minutes, until the dough comes together and the bread hook kneads it for several minutes. Then cover the bowl with plastic and allow the dough to rise until double in size, about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, make the apple filling. Place the butter, apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large skillet. Place over medium heat and sauté until the apples are soft and the sauce starts to thicken. Then turn off the heat and allow the apple filling to cool.
Once the dough is double in size, flour a large work surface and dump the dough out onto it. Cut the dough into three equal pieces, then fold each piece into a rectangle. Roll all three rectangles out into 6x16-inch strips. Spoon the apple filling equally onto the three pieces of dough. Spread to coat, leaving a 1-inch border along the long edge of one side of each piece. Then starting at the long edge covered with apples, roll each strip into a long log.
Cut each log into 12 rolls. Then line two 9x13-inch baking dishes with parchment paper and place the rolls in the dishes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, allowing the rolls to rise for 15-20 minutes before going in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until puffed and baked through, but not necessarily golden on top.
While the caramel apple cinnamon rolls are in the oven, place the dulce de leche in a microwave-safe bowl and warm in the microwave until soft and runny. Whisk in the cream. Then whisk in the powdered sugar and whisk until completely smooth. Once the sweet rolls are out of the oven, pour the caramel glaze over the top. Serve warm.
Notes
FREEZING: Follow the recipe up to the point of popping them in the oven. Stop there and wrap the unbaked cinnamon rolls well, then freeze. The night before baking, allow them to thaw on the counter most of the way, then cover and put in the fridge until morning. In the morning, bake and glaze!You could also freeze the rolls, fully baked but unglazed. Later thaw them out, warm them in the oven for 5-10 minutes, and glaze them while warm.