Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Few breakfast treats are as delicious as a warm, gooey cinnamon roll. It's the ultimate comfort food, whether you're taking a bite on a cold, winter morning, celebrating an occasion by hosting brunch, or even looking for an afternoon snack. A simple combination of fluffy dough, butter, cinnamon, and sugar, classic cinnamon rolls are always satisfying. But what about switching up this timeless treat and adding a new flavor to the mix? Enter: raspberry cinnamon rolls.

These raspberry cinnamon rolls, courtesy of recipe developer Molly Allen, somehow make regular cinnamon rolls even more delicious. This simple raspberry twist adds a hint of deep, fruity flavor in every bite. Raspberry and cinnamon work together in the most wonderful way, creating a new and unique flavor you'll be sure to love. And better yet? They're made with easy-to-find, simple ingredients so you'll know exactly what's going into them. Ready to choose your favorite raspberry jam and get to baking? Read on for a step-by-step guide to pull off these tasty, from-scratch raspberry cinnamon rolls at home.

To dive in on making these raspberry cinnamon rolls, grab all of your ingredients first. For this recipe, you'll need warm water, white sugar, salt, one package active dry yeast, one egg, softened butter, flour, brown sugar, raspberry jam, powdered sugar, and milk. Be sure you're utilizing active dry yeast, instead of instant yeast, for best results with this recipe. Also, you may optionally want some fresh raspberries as garnish for the cinnamon rolls.

The first step to making these raspberry cinnamon rolls is to activate the yeast. Start by combining the warm water, a couple tablespoons sugar, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Be sure that it's fitted with the dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast over top of the water mixture and allow it to sit for about five minutes. This will give time for the yeast to wake up and begin feasting on the sugar, ultimately creating a foamy texture.

With the yeast activated, you're ready to make the dough for these cinnamon rolls. Start by turning the speed on the mixer to low and gradually add in half of the flour. Next, add in the egg and 2 tablespoons of softened butter. Continue to add in the rest of the flour until the dough starts to come together. Once it does, turn the speed up on the mixer to medium to knead the dough for three minutes. Transfer the prepared ball of dough to a greased bowl and set it aside to rise. Allow the dough to rise for at least 30 minutes, doubling in size. 

After giving the dough plenty of time to rise, it's ready to roll out and fill with raspberry-cinnamon filling. First, preheat the oven to 350 F to allow it to come up to temperature while you prepare the cinnamon rolls. 

Start by sprinkling a bit of flour on a flat surface such as your kitchen counter. This will help to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter while rolling it out. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a rough rectangle with ¼-inch thickness. Don't worry about the shape being perfect. It can be a bit oblong and work perfectly. 

With the dough rolled out, it's time for the filling! First, spread 2 tablespoons of softened butter on the cinnamon roll dough with a spatula. Then, spread the raspberry jam on top. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, some more granulated sugar, and cinnamon until combined. Sprinkle the mixture over top of the raspberry jam and gently work the cinnamon sugar into the filling. 

With the cinnamon roll dough covered with filling, it's time to roll! Use your hands to roll the dough into a tight log. If you have uneven ends, cut those off, then slice the dough log into eight rolls.

Prepare a 9x13-inch baking pan by greasing it with cooking spray or butter. This will keep the cinnamon rolls from sticking to the pan while baking. Place the prepared cinnamon rolls in the pan and set it aside to allow them to rise for another 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, place the pan in the oven and bake the cinnamon rolls for 16 to 18 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Once the cinnamon rolls have come out of the oven, set them aside to slightly cool while you make the glaze topping. In a bowl, add the powdered sugar and milk. Whisk the mixture until combined and completely smooth. Drizzle the glaze over top of the cinnamon rolls before serving and digging in. We think that these cinnamon rolls would pair wonderfully with other breakfast staples, like eggs or bacon, or you could simply enjoy them with a cup of black coffee. However you enjoy these cinnamon rolls, you'll relish in the classic cinnamon flavor, along with a refreshing raspberry twist!