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–+ servings
A cranberry orange cinnamon roll resting on a small plate with 2 loose cranberries.

Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls

40aprons.com/cranberry-cinnamon-rolls/
Fluffy, soft, moist cinnamon rolls with hints of orange and cranberry and the warmth of cinnamon. Smells like a new holiday tradition!
Prep 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Rise 4 hours
Total 6 hours
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 16 cinnamon rolls with icing

Equipment

  • stand mixer bowl
  • stand mixer
  • dough hook attachment for stand mixer
  • Large bowl
  • neutral-flavored oil or neutral-flavored cooking spray
  • food-safe plastic wrap
  • Small saucepan
  • Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
  • large, flat work surface
  • all-purpose flour
  • rolling pin
  • light-color half sheet pan or similar 18x13 baking dish
  • parchment paper
  • butter
  • serrated bread knife
  • Oven
  • paddle attachment for stand mixer

Ingredients

For the Cinnamon Roll Dough

  • 2 cups warm water (between 105° and 115° Fahrenheit)
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 4 ½ teaspoons fresh quick-rise yeast (2 quarter-ounce packets)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted, cooled)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (if needed)

For the Cinnamon Roll Filling

  • 6 ounces fresh cranberries (1 ¾ cups)
  • ½ cup 100% cranberry juice
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
  • ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)

For the Cranberry-Cream Cheese Icing

  • 6 tablespoons full-fat cream cheese (3 ounces, at room temperature)
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
  • 2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
  • 1 tablespoon 100% cranberry juice
  • ½ tablespoon fresh orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Cinnamon Roll Dough

  • Add 2 cups warm water, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 4 ½ teaspoons fresh quick-rise yeast to stand mixer bowl. Use stand mixer fitted with dough attachment to stir ingredients together on low speed 10 minutes. Note: After 10 minutes, mixture should be foamy. If there is no change, discard mixture and start again after ensuring yeast is fresh.
  • When mixture is foamy, add 2 cups all-purpose flour and remaining 3 tablespoons granulated sugar. increase mixer speed to medium-low and mix until flour is incorporated.
  • Add 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and cooled) and 2 teaspoons kosher salt to mixer bowl. Continue mixing until butter and salt are incorporated.
  • Add another 2 cups all-purpose flour, letting stand mixer knead added flour into dough approximately 2 minutes on medium-low speed.
  • If needed, add remaining 2 cups all-purpose flour in small increments, letting mixer knead added flour into dough completely before adding more flour. Note: Add only enough flour to create mostly-smooth dough that is tacky but doesn't stick to hands.
  • When dough reaches desired consistency, grease large bowl well with neutral-flavored oil or cooking spray.
  • Scrape cinnamon roll dough out of stand mixer bowl and transfer to greased bowl. Roll dough around in greased bowl to coat dough in oil, then cover bowl tightly with food-safe plastic wrap.
  • Let dough rise on counter 2 to 3 hours, or place covered bowl in refrigerate and let dough rise 4 to 10 hours. Dough should double in size.

For the Cinnamon Roll Filling

  • Toward end of desired rise time, place small saucepan on stovetop over medium-low heat. Add 6 ounces fresh cranberries, ½ cup 100% cranberry juice, 1 cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest to saucepan. Stir to incorporate.
  • Raise heat under saucepan to high and bring mixture to boil. Once boiling, immediately reduce heat to low. Simmer mixture 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have softened and mixture has thickened.
  • Remove saucepan from heat and let mixture cool slightly, then add ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature). Stir butter into filling mixture until butter has melted, then set mixture aside to cool completely.

To Form the Cinnamon Rolls

  • Liberally flour large, flat work surface, then transfer risen dough to floured surface. Sprinkle additional flour onto dough and rolling pin.
  • Roll dough into evenly-thick rectangle measuring approximately 24 inches wide by 18 inches tall, with one longer edge closest to you. Note: While rolling dough, gently move and lift dough often to ensure dough does not stick to work surface. Add flour to surface, dough, and/or rolling pin as needed to prevent sticking.
  • Spread cooled filling evenly over entire sheet of dough, leaving 1-inch-wide bare border across top edge of dough sheet.
  • Starting at edge of dough closest to you, firmly and neatly roll sheet of dough toward top bare edge, forming spiral log.
  • When full sheet of dough is rolled into log, position dough with seam underneath log to keep dough rolled tightly.
  • Line sheet pan with parchment paper, then butter parchment paper evenly.
  • Working from one end of dough log to other, use serrated bread knife to slice through dough log every 1 ½ inches, creating approximately 16 equal-sized cinnamon rolls. Place each cinnamon roll side-by-side on buttered parchment paper. Fit any excess dough onto sheet pan or discard.
  • Tightly cover sheet pan with food-safe plastic wrap. Set pan aside and let cinnamon rolls rise 1 hour or until puffy.

To Bake the Cinnamon Rolls

  • Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
  • Once oven is preheated, uncover cinnamon rolls and place sheet pan in oven. Bake cinnamon rolls until tops of rolls are golden brown, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
  • When tops of cinnamon rolls are just golden, remove cinnamon rolls from oven and set aside. Let cinnamon rolls rest in pan until slightly cooled.

For the Cranberry-Cream Cheese Icing

  • While cinnamon rolls bake, add 6 tablespoons full-fat cream cheese and 6 tablespoons unsalted butter to stand mixer bowl. Use stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment to beat cream cheese and butter together until fully combined and smooth, with no lumps.
  • Add 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon 100% cranberry juice, ½ tablespoon fresh orange zest, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract to mixing bowl. Mix ingredients together on medium speed until fully combined into smooth, fluffy icing.

To Serve the Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls

  • When cinnamon rolls have cooled slightly, transfer cinnamon rolls to serving plate. Spread prepared icing over tops of warm cinnamon rolls as desired. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

  • Water: If your water is too cold, it won't activate the yeast. Too hot, though, and it will kill the yeast. Target a temp in the 105°-115° Fahrenheit range for best results.
  • Yeast: It's important that your yeast be very fresh or you won't get the necessary chemical reaction to yield the desired results.
  • Flour: You may or may not need a full 6 cups of flour for the dough. Use just enough flour to get the desired results, even if it's not a full 6 cups.
  • Cranberries: If you can't get fresh cranberries, opt for frozen whole cranberries, with canned cranberries as a last resort.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1 cinnamon roll with icingCalories: 395calProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 316mgPotassium: 72mgTotal Carbs: 58gFiber: 2gSugar: 21gNet Carbs: 56gVitamin A: 431IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 2mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://40aprons.com/cranberry-cinnamon-rolls/