These Cranberry-Orange Rolls are sweet, tart, and citrusy. Orange is a classic Christmas flavor, and I wanted to give my traditional orange rolls a holiday twist with bright, fresh cranberries. The result was perfection; these taste as good as they look! To make them perfect for a holiday morning, I’ve included make-ahead instructions, where you can either refrigerate or freeze the rolls before baking and pull them out the morning you’d like to serve them to finish rising and bake them fresh.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Orange Filling
- Butter – Use real butter.
- Granulated sugar
- Fresh orange zest
Cranberry Filling
- Fresh cranberries
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon
- Ground cloves
Dough
- Milk
- Butter
- All-purpose flour
- Instant/rapid-rise yeast
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Egg
Orange Glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Butter – Use real butter.
- Fresh orange juice – Freshly squeezed please!
- Orange zest
How to Make Cranberry-Orange Rolls
- I start by making a traditional orange roll filling with butter, sugar, and lots of fresh orange zest. And for the burst of fresh cranberry flavor, I pulse fresh cranberries in my food processor, with sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. I process it until it looks almost like jam, but still has lots of chunks in it. And because I don’t want too much liquid in there, I just set the mixture over a sieve while I prepare my dough.
- I’m using the same dough I use for my Everyday Cinnamon Rolls. The secret to getting this dough perfect is leaving it very soft and resisting the urge to add extra flour!
- After it’s rolled out, spread on your orange filling, and then your cranberry. You can certainly spread out the cranberry completely and evenly if you like. I did this cross-hatch pattern because I like having little pockets of plain orange roll filling and then bursts of cranberry filling.
- Use thread or dental floss to slice your rolls. At this point, before they rise at all, you can pop them in your pan and then into the fridge overnight. That way you can have these all prepped on the 24th and just bring them out Christmas morning to rise and bake!
- They will get all plump and beautiful, and bake up golden brown.
- When they are hot out of the oven, you’ll brush the icing on right away so it can melt into all of the cracks and crevices.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished rolls, tightly covered, at room temperature and enjoy within 1-2 days for best results.
- Planning Ahead: If you’d like to prep these ahead of time, roll and cut your rolls and place in your pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove the pan from the fridge and let the rolls rise at room temperature until doubled in size (about 2 hours) then bake as directed.
- I’ve included two versions of icing. You can make the traditional version, with melted butter, orange juice, and powdered sugar- our you can add back in some of that cranberry juice we drained off for a pretty pink version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use this recipe to make traditional cinnamon rolls as well?
Of course! This is actually just a modified version of my Everyday Cinnamon Rolls recipe, so if you’re looking for a traditional cinnamon roll, check those out!
Can I freeze the baked rolls?
Yep! Allow the rolls to cool completely, then wrap tightly and freeze. Use within 3 months. For best results, I’d recommend waiting to glaze until they’ve been thawed and reheated.
Can I use dried cranberries instead of fresh?
You can, just be aware they won’t produce the same result. I recommend soaking them in warm water or orange juice for about 10 minutes to help plump them up. You can use them whole or chop them up and sprinkle them over the orange filling mixture on your dough. No need to add extra sugar.
Cranberry-Orange Rolls
Traditional orange rolls studded with sweet fresh cranberries and a dreamy orange glaze. Make right away, or pop in the fridge overnight to bake fresh in the morning!
Servings
Ingredients
Orange Filling
- ½ cup real butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
Cranberry Filling
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Dough
- 1 cup milk
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3-4 cups flour divided
- 1 packet instant or “rapid rise” yeast about 2 ¼ teaspoons
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
Orange Glaze
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
Prepare Fillings
- Prepare Orange filling by mixing butter, sugar, and orange zest. Set aside.
- Prepare cranberry layer by pulsing cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves in food processor until finely chopped with a jam-like appearance. Place mixture in a fine mesh sieve over a bowl to drain out a bit of moisture while you prepare the dough.
Prepare Dough
- Place milk and 4 tablespoons butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Butter should be at least partially melted. Stir and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together 2 cups flour, yeast, white sugar, and salt.
- When milk mixture has cooled to warm (not hot) add it to the flour mixture along with the egg while the beater (paddle attachment for those using a stand mixer) is running. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute. (Switch to the dough hook now.) Add remaining flour only until dough barely leaves the sides of the bowl. It should be very soft and slightly sticky. Continue to let the dough knead for 5 minutes.
Assemble Rolls
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll into a rectangle, about 12×14 inches. Spread orange filling evenly over dough and then dollop cranberry filling.
- Roll up from the longer side of the rectangle and pinch edges closed. Use thread or dental floss to cut rolls into 12 smaller rolls or 8 larger ones. Place in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover pan with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size. In the mean time, preheat oven to 350℉.
Bake and Glaze
- When rolls have finished rising bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown.
- While they're cooking, prepare icing by mixing all ingredients together, add more or less orange juice until desired consistency is reached (you could also use the drained cranberry juice). Spread icing on while rolls are hot.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: After rolling and cutting rolls, place in pan and then cover with plastic wrap and place immediately in fridge. Remove pan in the am and set at room temperature to rise until double in size (about 2-3 hours). You may also place in freezer instead of fridge. When ready to bake, take rolls directly from freezer and let sit at room temp, 3-4 hours, until double in size. Bake as directed.
- Store finished rolls, tightly covered, at room temperature and enjoy within 1-2 days for best results.
Nutrition
Calories: 384kcal, Carbohydrates: 63g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 210mg, Potassium: 93mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 37g, Vitamin A: 458IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 40mg, Iron: 2mg
Calories: 384kcal
Cost: $8
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
Questions & Reviews
I just sent you a msg to Facebook but I am trying here as well. I want to make these for Valentine’s day and cannot get fresh cranberries, and I do not have frozen. What to do? Any good substitutes, raspberries? Would they work with the orange? HELP!
Just replied to you on Facebook! Not sure – maybe try strawberries?! Experiment before the big day and let us know how it goes!
I just came across a comment on another site about substitutes for cranberries. “Red currants are the closest substitute for cranberries if you can’t find cranberries in any form. They have a similar tart flavor and work well as a 1:1 substitute in most recipes.”
I made these on Christmas morning, and they were fantastic!! So much easier than some other sweet rolls I’ve made before too. I’ll definitely be making these again with a variety of flavors! 🙂
I made these on 2 Jan 2016. I really enjoyed making them and found the recipe really easy to follow and they are delicious. I will be making this version and others in the future, so thank you very much for sharing this lovely recipe.
These were killer!!! I will definitely be trying the plain orange version when cranberries are no longer fresh. I think I might even like these better than regular cinnamon rolls???
I put the batch into two pie plates as pictured and baked one up, and stuck the other in the freezer. My thought process was that I would then not be eating 12 rolls in one week. Well, I didn’t. I just ate 5 in one day is all. At first, I only ate two but then I HAD to finish off my kids’ un-eaten rolls because those crazies didn’t like them.
These look so yummy! I’m definitely making these for tomorrow morning. Thanks for the recipe and Merry Christmas!
Does this mean you’ll be making these for us on Christmas? 🙂 They look amazing!!!
These rolls look delicious – I love cranberry!