Cranberry Orange Cinnamon Rolls
Soft and fluffy Cranberry Orange Cinnamon Rolls baking in the oven is the best Christmas morning breakfast. These gooey cinnamon rolls are filled with a homemade cranberry jam, a generous amount of cinnamon sugar, and lots of cream cheese frosting on top.
Servings: 12 cinnamon rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast (aka rapid rise yeast)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 - 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Cranberry Jam:
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
Filling:
- 5 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup cranberries, cut into small quarters
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tbsp butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp orange zest
Instructions
Dough:
- Warm milk, heavy cream, and butter until a smidge warmer than lukewarm, about 100 degrees to 114 degrees (this can be done over the stove or in the microwave).*
- Pour the mixture into the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Sprinkle the instant yeast and granulated sugar over the mixture. Allow to sit 5 minutes.
- Then, add in eggs, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Remove the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook, and then add in 4 cups of flour and mix with the dough hook. Mix for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl, and is smooth and tacky, but not sticky. If the dough is still sticky, add in the remaining 1/2 cup of flour and continue to mix until it’s pulled away from the sides of the bowl and "tacky" feeling.
- Then, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball (you can knead the dough a couple of times by hand, if desired).
- Place cinnamon roll dough in an oiled bowl (I use baking spray to coat a glass bowl) and cover with a damp towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for about 45-60 minutes, or until it has about doubled in size.**
Cranberry Jam:
- In a medium saucepan, mix sugar and orange juice together over medium heat.
- Let the sugar dissolve into the orange juice while mixing constantly. Once dissolved, add in the cranberries and orange zest, and let the mixture come to a boil, over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Once boiling, let the mixture cook 5 more minutes, or until it begins to thicken while stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat and let the cranberry jam cool completely. It’ll get thicker as it cools. You can also speed up the process and let it cool in the fridge.
Filling:
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down the dough in the bowl. Then, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle (about 20x15).
- With a knife or rubber spatula, spread butter over the dough, leaving a border of about 1/4” unbuttered.
- Then, spread the cooled cranberry jam on top of the butter.
- Then, mix brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon together. Generously sprinkle the mixture over the jam. Sprinkle cut cranberries on top of the cinnamon sugar.
- Next, roll the dough into the shape of a log, pinching the seams together (you roll the long side of the rectangle). Place the seam side down.
Assembly:
- With a sharp serrated knife, cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. (You can trim the edges of the dough first, if desired. I typically just tuck the edges inside the dough and use all of it.)
- Line a 13 x 9 baking dish with parchment paper and place the cinnamon rolls in the baking dish, spaced apart evenly.***
- Cover the unbaked cinnamon rolls with a damp towel and allow to rise 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Bake:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Before baking the rolls, drizzle 1/3 cup of heavy cream over the cinnamon rolls (about 1/2 Tbsp per roll) to make them extra gooey.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cinnamon rolls are lightly golden brown. Allow them to cool about 10 minutes before icing.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- With a mixer (standing or hand mixer), mix cream cheese and butter together. Add in powdered sugar and salt and mix until combined. Lastly, add in vanilla extract and orange zest, and mix until smooth.
- Spread cream cheese icing over the warm cinnamon rolls.
Notes
* If you can stick your finger into the warm liquid without it burning your finger, it’s likely at the right temperature.
**I like to preheat my oven to about 170 degrees, turn it off, and let the dough rise inside.
***If making these ahead of time, you can cover the baking dish loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, allow the rolls to come to room temperature and double in size. More instructions in the post if needed.