Extra Fluffy Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Cinnamon rolls may not be the first thing you think of when you roll out of bed in the morning, but these breakfast, brunch, and snack-worthy treats deserve to be used as a sweet tooth-satisfying menu item. And that's just taking the classic cinnamon roll into consideration. When you amp up the flavor with this orange and cranberry-infused version? Well, you might need to start whipping up a batch at least once a week, especially during the cooler fall months. "Normal cinnamon rolls are already delicious year-round, but adding cranberry and orange flavors to these makes them a really perfect fall or winter treat. I love how the tart cranberries really balance with the sweetness of the frosting," says recipe developer Jessica Morone of Jess Loves Baking. 

So if you're planning a brunch or a holiday spread to serve your family and friends, definitely add this recipe to the list of must-make items. "These would be so great for holidays, like post-Thanksgiving or Christmas breakfast or brunches. You can also prepare these the night before. Once you cut them up and put them in the pan, just cover the top with plastic wrap and let them set in the fridge overnight. The next morning, let them sit out for about 30 minutes, then start with step 10," Morone suggests. 

While most of the ingredients for these cinnamon rolls are pretty standard baking items, you may have to pick up a few things from the store. To make the rolls themselves, you'll need milk, instant yeast, granulated sugar, butter, eggs, flour, salt, and orange zest. For the cranberry filling, you'll need fresh cranberries, more sugar, cinnamon, and heavy cream. Finally, for the glaze, you'll want to gather powdered sugar, orange juice, and additional orange zest. 

When all your ingredients are gathered, remember that the details matter. For instance, it's important that the milk is warm for the cinnamon roll dough, not cold or room temperature. "The milk in this recipe has to be warm because it is what activates the yeast. It has to be warm, but not too hot, or it will kill the yeast, and the dough won't rise. So 110-120 F is the ideal temperature," instructs Morone. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm milk, yeast, sugar, melted butter, eggs, flour, salt, and orange zest. Mix until well combined.

Use the dough hook attachment to knead the dough on medium speed for 5-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and tacky to the touch, but not sticky. If you don't have a stand mixer you can knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a clean, greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, add the cranberries, sugar, and cinnamon to a medium saucepan.

Heat on medium-low heat until the sugar melts, the cranberries have popped, and the mixture is thick, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

Once dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured surface and roll into a 14x8-inch rectangle.

Spread the cranberry filling over the dough, leaving about a ½ -inch margin around the edge of the dough.

Roll the dough up lengthwise into a log shape. Use a serrated knife to cut 1 inch pieces of dough, until you get about 10-12 rolls.

Place the cut up rolls into a lightly greased 9 or 10-inch cake pan. Cover and let the rolls rise for another 20-30 minutes, until they are puffy.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Drizzle the tops of the rolls with the heavy cream.

Bake the rolls in the oven for 25-30 minutes until they are golden on top. Let cool slightly while you make the glaze.

In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar and orange juice and whisk together until smooth.

Spread the glaze over warm (not hot) rolls. Top with more orange zest if you'd like, then serve immediately while warm.

If you've ever eaten an unsweetened cranberry, or even had a glass of no-sugar-added cranberry juice, you know the fruit is naturally acidic and very tart. This is why most cranberry recipes include copious amounts of sugar. So if you're wondering where on the spectrum of sweetness versus tartness this recipe lands, it definitely offers a balance, thanks to the juxtaposition of the cranberry filling and the sweet icing. "The filling is pretty tart, but the rolls and the frosting are quite sweet so it all balances out. I wouldn't recommend changing the amount of sugar in the filling because if you add more or less sugar the filling might end up being too thin or too thick," says Morone. 

So rather than making adjustments to the filling itself, if you find the rolls are too tart or sweet for your liking, play up or down the use of the icing. If you prefer a sweeter roll? Add more icing. If you prefer a more tart experience? Use less icing. 

A whole batch of cinnamon rolls like these are best to make when you know you'll have lots of mouths ready to tear through them (like the morning after your kid's birthday sleepover). That said, they do keep fairly well, making for tasty leftovers. "You can store these in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Reheat them for about 20 seconds in the microwave before eating them because they are better warm," Morone says. 

But here's the really good news: They freeze well. That means you can double or triple the recipe, then freeze the rolls you don't plan to eat immediately so they'll be ready to pull from the freezer when the craving hits. Morone says they'll keep for up to 3 months when frozen, just make sure you store them correctly in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container.

It may seem odd to pour heavy cream over the cinnamon roll dough before putting the pan in the oven to bake. This, actually, is the best method for getting these cinnamon rolls to have the perfect taste and texture. "The special method is to pour the heavy cream over the rolls before they bake. This is actually a TikTok trend I learned about recently. It makes the rolls extra moist and fluffy," says Morone. 

Technically, this TikTok trend uses storebought cinnamon rolls before pouring heavy cream over the top, but clearly, the effect is the same for homemade rolls. This is because as the cream heats and starts evaporating during the baking process, it moves into the dough of the cinnamon rolls, making them more moist. The remaining milk solids also help create a gooey, sweet layer at the bottom of the pan when they mix with the sugar and fat in the rolls. The overall effect is an elevated homemade cinnamon roll experience.