These cranberry orange cinnamon rolls are soft & pillowy brioche swirled with a cinnamon orange cranberry jam and topped with a sweet icing.
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.
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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
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you'll find notes on why I chose certain ingredients, as well as ingredient substitutions.
- 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.
Kitchen Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Electric Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Plastic Wrap
- Pastry Brush
- Baking Dish
- Parchment Paper
- Oven Thermometer
Step by Step Instructions
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: Preform 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.
FAQ
1. Using a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix the wet and dry ingredients on low-medium speed for a few minutes until it forms a ball around the hook.
2. Slowly begin incorporating the room temperature butter as it mixes on medium speed. It is very important to use room temperature butter in order for it to incorporate properly.
3. Once all of the butter is incorporated, turn the speed up to high and mix for about 8 minutes or until the dough passes the windowpane test.
The windowpane test is used to tell when the brioche has developed enough gluten. 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.
1. First proof overnight - Make the brioche dough the night before, and allow it to proof overnight in the fridge. The next morning, shape into cinnamon rolls, proof one more time in a warm environment, and bake.
2. Second proof overnight - Make the brioche dough the night before, and proof for about 1 hour in a warm environment. Shape the dough into cinnamon rolls, then proof overnight in the fridge. The next morning (ideally before 9am), take the cinnamon rolls out to come to room temperature (about 1 hour) and bake as directed.
Storage Tips
These cranberry orange cinnamon rolls are best the day they are baked. Store leftovers in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. Warm up in the microwave for a few seconds and enjoy!
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed to create incredibly delicious baked goods that you can easily recreate in your own kitchen with success. The only way this is possible is to standardize the way ingredients are measured - by weight. 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), I can ensure that you can make the recipe 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
Other holiday recipes to try
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Print📖 Recipe
Cranberry Orange Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 22 minutes
- Yield: 9 cinnamon rolls 1x
- Category: Brioche
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These cranberry orange cinnamon rolls are soft & pillowy brioche swirled with a cinnamon orange cranberry jam and topped with a sweet icing.
Ingredients
For the brioche:
- 170g (¾ cup) whole milk, warmed to 110 degrees F
- 30g (2 ½ tbsp) granulated sugar
- 11g (3 ¼ tsp) instant or active dry yeast
- 3 eggs, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 450g (3 ¾ cup) all-purpose flour
- Zest of one orange
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 127g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temp
For the cinnamon orange cranberry jam:
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- Zest of one orange
- 15g (1 tbsp) fresh orange juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
For the cream cheese icing:
- 56g (2 oz) cream cheese, room temp
- 56g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
- 113g (1 cup) powdered sugar, sifted
- Orange zest, for topping
Instructions
For the brioche:
- Heat the milk to 110 degrees F and stir in yeast and sugar. If using active dry yeast, allow to sit for 15 minutes. If using instant yeast, simply move on to the next step.
- Mix the eggs and vanilla into the milk yeast mixture.
- Combine 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. 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.
For the cinnamon orange cranberry jam:
- Add the cranberries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, cinnamon, and salt 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.
For assembly:
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the brioche dough out into a rough rectangle about ¼'' in thickness.
- Spread about 225g (about 1 cup) of the jam out evenly over the dough.
- 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.
- 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.
For 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.
- Spread all over the warm cranberry orange cinnamon rolls.
- Top each roll with some orange zest, and enjoy!
Notes
- 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.
Keywords: orange cinnamon rolls, brioche cinnamon rolls, overnight cinnamon rolls
Nat says
My sister and I live far apart but like to bake together, so we'll choose a recipe and make it at the same time. The brioche was tasty and the dough was easy to work with. The filling, however, was basically inedible - for both of us. I don't like overly sweet desserts and I often reduce sugar in recipes, but the cranberry filling was SO bitter and SO tart. Out of curiosity, I then looked at other recipes for cranberry orange rolls and saw that most others call for 1 cup of sugar - 4x what this recipe calls for. We hoped that the icing would save it, but the flavor of the filling is overpowering. I loved the idea of these rolls and wanted to share them with others, but if I ever make again I'll be quadrupling the sugar...
★★★
Sloane says
Hi Nat,
I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the brioche. I'm sorry the cranberry jam was not sweet enough to your liking. It's not meant to be very sweet, and the description clearly states that it is tart, as cranberries naturally are. None of the ingredients have a bitter flavor, so the bitterness likely came from the white pith, which should be avoided when zesting an orange. I hope this helps!
Kathryn says
This recipe is amazing! I had never made brioche before, so I was a little nervous. But the recipe is so easy to follow, and it turned out so soft! I see there is a complaint about the cranberry jam being too tart, but personally I loved it! It was balanced out by the sweet icing, so all around such a good recipe!!
★★★★★