Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls will make your holiday season a whole lot sweeter! This easy recipe can be made in less than an hour and the rolls are absolutely DELICIOUS!
Here are a few more sweet bread recipes we think you’ll love – Apple Cinnamon Bread, Chocolate Banana Bread, and Blueberry Lemon Bread.
This time of year my very favorite flavor combo is cranberry and orange. The sweet + tangy flavors taste amazing and they’re deliciously nostalgic.
These cranberry orange sweet rolls combine those two flavors so perfectly. One bite will make your tastebuds do a little happy dance, and the aroma that fills your home will be oh-so-divine!
These cranberry orange rolls are a perfect substitute or addition to classic cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.
Here is how to make them –
How to Make Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls
Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls will make your holiday season a whole lot sweeter! This easy recipe can be made in less than an hour and the rolls are absolutely DELICIOUS!
INGREDIENTS –
for the dough:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, cut into cubes
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided (give or take ¼ cup depending on the climate)
- 1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast (This is the same as Bread Machine Yeast, but not the same as Active Dry Yeast.)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
for the filling:
- ¼ cup softened butter
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon orange extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup dried cranberries
for the glaze:
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons half-and-half
INSTRUCTIONS –
MAKE THE DOUGH – Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is completely melted and the milk is scalded. Set aside and let cool.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
When the milk mixture is warm, not HOT, slowly add it to the flour and yeast mixture with the mixer running.
Add in the egg. Replace the whisk attachment with the dough hook attachment.
Add the remaining flour with the mixer on medium speed until the dough forms a super soft ball of dough that cleans the insides of the bowl but is still slightly sticky to the touch.
Let the mixer knead the dough for 6 minutes.
Turn dough onto a floured surface and let rest for 10 minutes.
MAKE THE FILLING –
With a wooden spoon, stir all of the filling ingredients together in a small bowl, except for the cranberries, until they make a smooth paste.
ASSEMBLE –
Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Grease a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
With a rolling pin, roll the prepared dough out into a 12”x15” rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the orange zest filling over the entire rectangle. Sprinkle evenly with dried cranberries.
Cut the dough with a pizza cutter into twelve equal pieces, then roll up each strip and place one roll in each muffin tin. (You can use a sharp knife or dental floss to cut the dough once it is rolled up into a long log.)
Unlike any other baking dish, using a muffin tin allows you to immediately put these into the preheated oven to bake without letting the dough rise.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the dough is a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before frosting with glaze.
MAKE THE GLAZE –
Mix all the glaze ingredients together by hand until smooth adding more half-and-half if a thinner glaze is desired. Spread over sweet rolls while still warm.
If you want a thicker topping on these rolls, the cream cheese frosting I put on my cinnamon rolls is heavenly!
Remove from baking pan and ENJOY!
Who wants one?!?!?!
More Cranberry Recipes
- Cranberry Butter
- Cranberry Salsa
- BBQ Cranberry Chicken
- Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
- Turkey Cranberry Crecent Wreath
- Cranberry Almond Spinach Salad
Leave us a comment below or tag us on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram if you make these rolls! (We’d love to see what you’re up to!)
HERE’S A PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE –
Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
for the dough:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, cut into cubes
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided (give or take ¼ cup depending on climate)
- 1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
for the filling:
- ¼ cup softened butter
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon orange extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup dried cranberries
for the glaze:
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons half-and-half
Instructions
for the dough:
- Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is completely melted and the milk is scalded. Set aside and let cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine 2 cups of flour, the yeast, sugar, and salt.
- When the milk mixture is warm, not HOT, slowly add it to flour and yeast mixture with mixer running.
- Add in the egg. Replace the whisk attachment with the dough hook.
- Add the remaining flour with mixer on medium speed until the dough forms a super soft ball of dough that cleans the insides of the bowl but is still slightly sticky to the touch.
- Let mixer knead dough for 6 minutes.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and let rest for 10 minutes.
for the filling:
- Mix all of the filling ingredients together, except for the cranberries, until they make a smooth paste.
to assemble + bake:
- Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Grease a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
- Roll the prepared dough out into a 12”x15” rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the orange zest filling over the entire rectangle. Sprinkle evenly with dried cranberries.
- Cut the dough with a pizza cutter into twelve equal pieces, then roll up each strip and place one roll in each muffin tin.
- The muffin tin can immediately go into the preheated oven to bake. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until dough is a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before frosting with glaze.
for the glaze:
- Mix all the glaze ingredients together by hand until smooth adding more half-and-half if a thinner glaze is desired. Spread over sweet rolls while still warm.
Other Notes
There is something about Fall that makes me love the cranberry orange combination. There’s just something so warm and homey about it. I definitely want to give these a try!
~Cheryl
http://snaps-of-ginger.blogspot.com/