Best Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Discover the ultimate treat that combines the classic comfort of a cinnamon roll with a cranberry and orange twist. This double dose of fall flavor is sure to get you in the mood for the holiday season. These swirly beauties feature a soft, fluffy tangzhong dough, brown sugar cinnamon butter, and cranberry sauce, creating a sweet-tart contrast that will make you want to sneak a second helping. Topped with a creamy sweet orange glaze and baked in a bit of heavy cream, this dessert (or breakfast!) is sure to become the star of the sweets table at your next holiday party.
What is tangzhong?Tangzhong is a method used to improve the texture and shelf life of yeasted bread that emerged from a similar Japanese method called yudane. Popularized by Japanese milk bread, the tangzhong method involves combining liquid and bread flour and heating the mixture until it resembles a soft pudding, then adding that mixture to a yeasted bread dough before kneading. The heating process causes the flour and water to gel, trapping the water molecules so that they don't evaporate once the bread is baked. The result is bread that starts out pillowy soft and stays softer for longer.
How to get a tight cinnamon roll spiral:Half the joy of baking cinnamon rolls is getting to look at the mesmerizing spiral they create once you've rolled the fillings into the dough, but that can be hard to achieve a neat result when working with such a soft yeasted dough. To increase your chances of success, we added a step for chilling the sheet of dough after you add the brown sugar, cinnamon butter, and cranberry sauce. This will make the dough more stiff and easier to tuck and roll. Work quickly! The heat from your hands will warm the dough as you roll.
Does pouring heavy cream on your cinnamon rolls really work?Sometimes things go viral for good reason, and this is one of those times. Topping the risen rolls with heavy cream right before they go into the oven creates a layer of gooeyness that you can usually only find at your favorite cinnamon bun-slinging mall chain.
Feeding a crowd? Try our giant cinnamon roll!
Make this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments!
plus 1/2 c. whole milk
packed dark brown sugar, divided
(1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
(30 g.) plus 3 c. (360 g.) bread flour
large eggs, room temperature
unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled
finely grated orange zest
kosher salt
pure vanilla extract
Cooking spray
frozen or fresh cranberries (8 oz.)
fresh orange juice
plus 5 tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
unsalted butter, softened
ground cinnamon
ground cardamom
Bread flour, for surface
heavy cream
large egg, beaten to blend
(230 g.) confectioners’ sugar
heavy cream
finely grated orange zest
fresh orange juice
pure vanilla extract
kosher salt
Brooke Caison is the food editor at Delish, where she develops and styles original recipes, writes the weekly membership newsletter, and appears as occasional on-camera talent for Delish's YouTube channel. She's obsessed with the idea of bringing restaurant methods to the home cook with foolproof techniques and organized cooking (like how to safely shuck a clam or tackle a complex baking project). A graduate of ICE, she was previously a line cook, hospitality manager for the opening season of Little Island, and culinary assistant to Top Chef judge and food expert Gail Simmons. Her work has also appeared on Martha Stewart. There's no food she won’t try, but cranberry whipped feta dip has her heart.
60 Scary-Easy Halloween Desserts
Apple Cookies
13 No-Bake Pie Recipes
Peanut Butter Cookies
Shortcut Edible Cookie Dough
Edible Cookie Dough Recipe
Rice Krispie Treats
60 Easy Pumpkin Desserts
Pie Crust
40 Best Halloween Cookies
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
Best Brownies
What is tangzhong?How to get a tight cinnamon roll spiral:Does pouring heavy cream on your cinnamon rolls really work?1/3c.3tbsp.21/4tsp.1/4c.26tbsp.2tsp.1tsp.1tsp.2c.1/4c.1/4c.6tbsp.11/2tsp.1tsp.1/2c.12c.1/4c.2tsp.2tbsp.1/2tsp.1/4tsp.