Cranberry Orange Rolls

5 from 3 votes

Soft and fluffy Cranberry Orange Cinnamon Rolls filled with a sweet, gooey cranberry puree and topped with a tangy orange cream cheese icing.

Prep Time1

Cook Time30

Rest time1 30

Total Time3

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 545kcal

Author: Callan Wenner

Equipment

Stand mixer with dough hook and paddle attachment
Digital thermometer
Microplane/grater
Rolling Pin
Immersion blender, blender, or food processor
13x9 inch pan or two smaller pans
Dental floss or serrated knife

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup whole milk at 110℉ 8oz
½ cup granulated sugar 100g
1 tablespoon active dry yeast 10g
2 large eggs room temperature, whisked
½ cup unsalted butter melted
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
4 ½-5 cups all-purpose flour 540-600g
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon orange zest

Cranberry filling

12 oz fresh cranberries
1 medium orange juiced
½ cup light brown sugar 100g
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup water 2oz

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese room temperature
¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature (57g)
2 ½ cups powdered sugar 300g
2 tablespoons orange zest
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Instructions

Making the dough

Heat the milk until it reaches 110℉ on a digital thermometer. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar and the yeast to the bowl of the stand mixer and gently mix. Allow to sit for 5 minutes until the yeast becomes foamy on the surface of the milk.
Add the eggs, butter, remaining sugar, vanilla, and orange zest and mix with the dough hook until combined.
Add 4 ½ cups (540g) flour and salt, and mix over medium speed until a ball forms. It will be mostly smooth, but still a bit tacky. If it is too wet, add an additional tablespoon of flour at a time. The dough should be pulled off the sides, but may still slightly stick to the bottom.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about five minutes until it’s smooth and springs back when you touch it. If it starts sticking to your surface, dust the counter with a bit more flour. You may need to use up to ½ cup more flour.
Grease a large bowl with olive oil, place the dough inside, and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.

Cranberry Filling

While the dough is rising, make the cranberry filling. Add the cranberries, orange juice, brown sugar and cinnamon to a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Use a wooden spoon to mash down your cranberries as they start to break down. It will take about 10 minutes to get them totally broken down. At this point, add the water, then use an immersion blender (or blender/food processor) to puree the cranberries. You can also omit this step, you will just have chunkier filling!
After you puree the cranberries, return them to medium heat for about 1-2 minutes while stirring. Remove from the heat and let cool completely, stirring occasionally to help cool.

Assembly

Once the dough has doubled in size, prepare a 13x9" baking pan. If using parchment, line the pan. If not, spray or butter the bottom of the pan.
Punch down the dough, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and press it down it into a rectangle with your hands. Then, roll out the dough using a rolling pin into roughly a 12”x20” rectangle - the dough will be about ¼” thick. You want the long end on the side of your body, and the short ends perpendicular to your body.
Spread the cooled cranberry puree evenly over dough using an offset spatula or butter knife. Leave the last inch on the long side (side away from your body) bare to aid in sealing, but go almost to the edges on the other 3 sides.
Starting from the long end closest to your body, start rolling in the middle, and move to the right side, then left side. Continue rolling as tight and evenly as possible. Sometimes I even have to use my forearms to keep an even roll going!
Once you get to the end, pinch the edges into the dough to seal, and roll so the seam side is down. Using unflavored dental floss (or a serrated knife), slide it under one end of the roll, bring the string up, cross them over, and pull down to slice. Slice off a skinny piece on each edge and discard.
Next, go to the middle of the roll and cut in half. Cut the halves in half, then cut those halves into thirds. This will leave you with 12 even rolls. Throughout the process, wipe your floss off with a paper towel to keep it clean.
Transfer the rolls to the prepared 13x9 pan, then cover lightly with plastic wrap and and place in a warm area to rise again for 30 minutes. At this point, preheat the oven to 350℉/177℃.
After 30 minutes, bake the rolls, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven to cool for about 20 minutes on a wire rack.

Orange Cream Cheese Icing

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a handheld mixer), cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth, then add in the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until combined.
Add the orange zest and 1 tablespoon of squeezed orange juice and mix until incorporated and soft. If the icing seems too thick, add an additional tablespoon of orange juice until it's a nice spreadable consistency.
Spread the icing evenly over the rolls and serve warm.

Notes

If frosted, store covered in the fridge for 2 days. If unfrosted, store the rolls at room temperature for 2 days and frosting in the fridge for up to a week.

If the yeast does not become foamy during the first activation stage, it may be dead and you should try again with new yeast. Also be sure the temperature of the milk was correct.

Nutrition