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    Home » Recipes » Breads

    Cranberry Citrus Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls

    Published by Melissa on May 22, 2017 | Updated June 10, 2022 | 2 Comments

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    These Cranberry Citrus Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls start with a rich, buttery yeast roll dough that’s filled with citrus sugar and tart cranberries, then topped with a creamy orange cream cheese topping. Topping the rolls with more citrus sugar before baking gives the rolls a sweet crunchy top. The finishing touch is a tart lemon glaze drizzled on top before serving. They’re so good you’ll want to lick the plate clean.

    This post first appeared on the Red Star Yeast blog and is sponsored by Red Star Yeast.

    Featured Image for post Cranberry Citrus Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls

    My family is in love with these Cranberry Citrus Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls. They’ve got a little bit of something for everyone to love. They’re sweet and tart, messy, and soft and crunchy in every bite. And they’re fun to make. 

    Collage of making the dough for Cranberry Citrus Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls.

    I used Red Star Platinum Yeast to make the rolls so they’d rise big and fluffy, and really quickly, but you could also use Red Star Quick Rise Yeast or even Red Star Active Dry Yeast with great results.

    Making the dough in a stand mixer takes most of the work out of making roll dough. So your hands on time isn’t very long. Most of the time making the rolls is waiting for the dough to rise. Then, once the dough has risen and you’ve punched it down, you’re ready to roll it out and shape the sweet rolls.

    Collage of rolling out and filling Cranberry Citrus Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls

    I like to roll out my dough on a silicone pastry mat but you could use a floured counter. If your butter is room temperature, it’s easy spread evenly on the dough. You can use a bench scraper or your fingers to spread the butter, whichever way you find is easier.

    Once you’ve spread the butter, sprinkle the citrus sugar evenly on top of the butter, and then top it with the dried cranberries. Turn up the bottom edge along the long edge and roll the dough up. Leave about 1 inch without sugar on the end so you can pull it to the top and pinch it closed.

    Collage of slicing Cranberry Citrus Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls

    When your dough is rolled up, you need to cut it into 12 rolls. To get more even rolls I like to use a ruler. Then I cut the dough in half, cut each half in half so you have four equal pieces. Then cut each quarter into three sweet rolls.

    Place each sweet roll on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Cover the tray loosely with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until they’re about double in size. If you don’t have parchment paper, you could use tin foil. These rolls are pretty messy, so you’ll want something under them as they bake for easy clean up.

    Collage of adding the toppings to Cranberry Citrus Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls

    After the rolls have risen, gently push the center down to create a small well. I used a tamper tool, but a small glass or your fingers would work as well. Then pour the cream cheese topping in the well and over the top of the roll.

    Once you’ve added the cream cheese topping, sprinkle the tops with the remaining citrus sugar. The sugar crisps as it bakes and adds a wonderful crunch topping to the rolls in addition to a sweet citrus flavor.

    After glazing the Cranberry Citrus Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls

    Then put the rolls in the oven and wait for them to rise up and turn golden brown on the edges. They smell amazing as they’re baking.

    Once the rolls have cooled for a few minutes, you’ll finish them with a drizzle of lemon glaze. The glaze adds a tart burst of flavor to the rolls. And it makes them prettier too.

    The finishing touch is a tart lemon glaze drizzled on top before serving. They're so good you'll want to lick the plate clean.

    Usually I’ll put the glaze in a small Ziploc bag and snip the corner off and drizzle the icing on the rolls. That way I get a prettier drizzle on the rolls. But you could also just use a spoon to drizzle the glaze too.

    Either way your family is going to go crazy for these rolls. I know mine did.

    Featured Image for post Cranberry Citrus Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls
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    5 from 1 vote

    Cranberry Citrus Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls

    Cook Time20 mins
    Additional Time4 hrs 40 mins
    Total Time5 hrs
    Course: Breads
    Keyword: baking, Breakfast, Lemon, yeast, yeast bread
    Servings: 12 Sweet Rolls
    Author: Barbara Schieving
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    Ingredients

    Dough

    • 3 cups bread flour
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • 2 ¼ teaspoons 1 package Red Star Quick Rise or Platinum Yeast
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup milk
    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
    • 2 large eggs room temperature

    Citrus Sugar and Filling:

    • ¾ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
    • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
    • ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries

    Cream Cheese Topping:

    • 4 ounce cream cheese softened
    • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
    • 1 large egg yolk

    Glaze:

    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

    Instructions

    • In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
    • In saucepan or microwave safe dish, heat milk and butter until warm (120° – 130°).
    • Add liquids to flour mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened. Add eggs; beat 3 minutes at medium speed.
    • Switch to the dough hook and mix in the remaining flour a little at a time, to make a soft, slightly sticky dough, add more or less flour as needed. Knead the dough for 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place until double, about 45 minutes.
    • Make the citrus sugar by mixing ¾ cup sugar with the lemon and orange zests. Set aside
    • Punch down the dough and let it rest 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 16-inch x 12-inch rectangle. Spread 2 tablespoons butter evenly over the dough with a rubber spatula or your fingers. Sprinkle ½ cup of the citrus sugar evenly over the butter. Sprinkle cranberries evenly over the sugar. Starting with the long end, roll the dough into a log, and cut it into 12 slices.
    • Place each piece, cut edges up, 1 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double, about 30 minutes.
    • Preheat oven to 350°.
    • Make Cream Cheese Topping: Combine cream cheese, sugar, orange juice, and egg yolk; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended.
    • Make a slight indentation in the center of each sweet roll. Fill the center of each roll with cream cheese topping. Sprinkle remaining citrus sugar over the tops of the sweet rolls.
    • Bake about 20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool on the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.
    • Prepare glaze: Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over rolls.

    Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Red Star Yeast, but all opinions expressed are always my own.  You can also find Red Star Yeast on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

    More sweet roll recipes you might like:
    Apple Crisp Sweet Roll Coffee Cakes, Barbara Bakes
    Cinna-Mini Cinnamon Rolls, Barbara Bakes
    Honey Oatmeal Sweet Rolls, Barbara Bakes
    Chocolate Orange Sweet Rolls, Cupcakes & Kale Chips
    Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls, Crazy for Crust
    Raspberry Sweet Rolls, Two Peas and Their Pod

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    About Melissa & Barbara

    As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. 2 Sisters Recipes

      May 27, 2017 at 4:49 pm

      Barbara these sweet rolls look delicious! You make everything look so beautiful. My husband loves sweet rolls, and this recipe would be perfect for him since he loves citrus flavor! Great recipe!

      Reply
    2. Carol

      May 22, 2017 at 8:24 am

      Oh my stars…there are SO many things to love in these rolls…cranberries, citrus sugar, cream cheese filling….what a perfectly wonderful treat for any time of day.

      Reply

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