Cranberry Sweet Rolls
Get ready for Christmas morning with these scrumptious Cranberry Sweet Rolls. These festive rolls start with sweet yeast dough that is lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, filled with a sweet-tart cranberry and orange filling, and then covered with a yummy orange cream cheese icing.
Recipe type: Dessert | Yeast Bread
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Recipe Notes
Pan: One 13"x9"x2" inch oblong Pan Prep: Greased Oven Temp: 375° Yield: 15 Rolls Storage: Tightly Wrapped, Room Temperature
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TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast,
accurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.Ingredients
Cranberry Filling:
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
Dough:
- ½ cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
- ½ cup warm milk (110 to 115 degrees) (preferably whole milk)
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup, plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4½ to 5 cups all-purpose flour
Orange Cream Cheese Icing:
- 2 cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 2 to 4 tablespoons milk (preferably whole milk)
Instructions
Cranberry Filling:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water; bring to a boil. Add cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in orange zest. Let cool to room temperature. Set aside.
Dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, warm milk and yeast; stir and let sit until yeast is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Add sugar, eggs, ½ cup butter, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; beat until mixture is smooth. Add 3 cups flour; stir until well mixed. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured pastry mat or pastry board; knead dough until smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes, adding additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time if dough is too sticky.
- Place dough in a well greased bowl; turn dough over once to grease the top. Cover bowl with a small kitchen towel and let dough rise is a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
- Prepare one 13x9x2 inch oblong pan; lightly grease the pan with shortening.
- Punch dough down then turn onto a lightly floured pastry mat or pastry board; knead dough briefly, 4 to 5 times. Roll the dough into a 22½ inch by10 inch rectangle.
- Assembly: Spread 3 tablespoons of softened butter over the top of the dough. Spread the cranberry filling evenly over the top to within 1 inch of the edges. Roll-up dough jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch the seams together to seal. Slice dough into 15 1½ inch pieces, and place about ½ inch apart in the baking pan.
- Cover and let rolls rise is a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bake: Bake rolls 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove rolls from oven. Place pan on a wire cooling rack to cool.
Orange Cream Cheese Icing:
- In a small bowl, combine confectioner’s sugar, butter, cream cheese, vanilla, orange zest, and enough milk to make a good spreading consistency. Spread icing onto still warm rolls. Serve Warm. Refrigerate leftovers.