Cranberry Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Take a break from all the Christmas cookie craze, and make these cranberry orange cinnamon rolls! The soft & pillowy brioche is rolled up with a dreamy cinnamon orange cranberry jam and baked into the most perfect gooey festive swirls. Top them off with a sweet cream cheese icing that melts into the warm centers, making them even more gooey!

For more holiday recipes, try Soft Brown Butter Molasses Cookies, Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies, and Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Why you'll love these cranberry orange cinnamon rolls

• Soft & Pillowy Brioche: My go-to soft & pillowy brioche with added orange zest!
• Tart Cinnamon Orange Cranberry Jam: This cinnamon orange cranberry jam is tart with just the right amount sweetness, as well as undertones of cinnamon & orange. 
• Sweet Cream Cheese Icing: This cinnamon roll icing does not have an overwhelming cream cheese flavor, but rather is more balanced and of a pourable consistency that melts into the warm cinnamon rolls and adds to that gooey factor! 

Ingredient Notes

• Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast: If using active dry yeast, combine  with milk and sugar and allow to sit for 15 minutes. If using instant yeast, there is no need to let the yeast sit in the mixture.
• Whole Milk: Use whole milk for optimum flavor, and warm the milk to about 110 degrees F to activate the yeast.
• Granulated Sugar: The sugar will need to be mixed in with the milk and yeast to help activate the yeast. 
• Eggs: You’ll need 3 eggs at room temperature.
• Vanilla Extract: A good quality vanilla paste or extract will give these cinnamon rolls a wonderful flavor!
• All-Purpose Flour: The best way to measure your flour, as well as the rest of the ingredients, is by weight.
• Unsalted Butter: I recommend using a high-quality European-style butter, like Kerrygold.
• Oranges: I used navel oranges!
• Cranberries: I used fresh cranberries, but you can absolutely use frozen.
• Cinnamon: Just one teaspoon of cinnamon added to the jam is enough for it to come through and complement the orange and cranberry flavors!
• Cream Cheese: For the icing, cream cheese mixes best when it is cold, so no need to bring to room temp!
• Powdered Sugar: I used about one cup of powdered sugar, but you can more or less based on your own preferences.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this cranberry orange cinnamon roll recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Activate the yeast. Heat the milk to 110 degrees F and stir in yeast and sugar. Wait until the yeast activates and becomes foamy, as pictured above. Mix the eggs and vanilla into the milk yeast mixture.

STEP 2: Make the brioche. Combine the flour and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and mix on low-medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until it forms a ball around the hook. Add in one piece of butter at a time, allowing it to fully incorporate before adding the next. Once all of the butter is incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and mix for 8-12 minutes.

STEP 3: Perform the windowpane test. To check if the dough is ready, tear off a small piece and carefully spread it out to see if you can see the light through it without it tearing. If it tears, mix for another minute and check again. Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to proof overnight in the fridge. Alternatively, you can let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

STEP 4: Make the cinnamon orange cranberry jam. Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat for 10-12 minutes stirring often until the cranberries start to break down. Reduce heat to low, and cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently until it has thickened. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender) and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass jar to cool completely, then chill in the fridge until ready to use. 

STEP 5: Assemble the cinnamon rolls. Once the dough has proofed, punch it down and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼'' in thickness.

STEP 6: Spread on the jam. Spread about 225g (about 1 cup) of the jam out evenly over the dough.

STEP 7: Cut the cinnamon rolls. Roll the dough up from the long end and seal the edge. Cut off about an inch on either end of the log. Using a ruler (or you can eyeball it), measure out 9 1 ½-inch rolls by scoring lines with a knife. Use dental floss to cut each roll by placing the floss under the dough, wrapping around, and pulling to cut through. 

STEP 8: Proof the cinnamon rolls. Place each roll in a baking dish (measuring at least 10.5"x7.5"), cover, and allow to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes. Towards the end of the proof time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the cranberry orange cinnamon rolls for 22-25 minutes until barely golden.

STEP 9: Make the cream cheese icing. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the icing. In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, melted butter, and sifted powdered sugar. Whisk vigorously until smooth and the mixture flows off of the whisk. 

STEP 10: Enjoy! Spread the icing all over the warm cranberry orange cinnamon rolls. Top each roll with some orange zest, and enjoy!

Expert Baking Tips

• I recommend allowing your brioche dough to rise slowly overnight in the fridge. Cold dough is so much nicer to work with! But you can also let it proof at room temperature for one hour and make the cinnamon rolls immediately. 
• The cinnamon orange cranberry jam needs time to cool down, so I recommend making this the day before, as well!
• To get a clean cut of each cinnamon roll, use unflavored dental floss rather than a knife. 
• I used this baking dish to bake the cinnamon rolls, but you could also use a 9"x13" cake pan.

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x