Cranberry Orange Cinnamon Rolls

The final recipe for Christmas brunch is cranberry orange cinnamon rolls. I wanted something that could be made/prepped in advance and my family has a tradition of eating cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning so these seemed like a good fit. These were another hit for our Christmas brunch (and with the friends who got some of the leftovers). Neither of us prefers a ton of frosting so we cut the frosting recipe in half and just drizzled it over the rolls instead of completely topping them with frosting. The rolls are not overly sweet, you can taste the orange and cranberry without any of the flavors being overwhelming. I reheated some in both the oven and microwave. Both methods worked fine for reheating the rolls. I hope you have an enjoyable holiday weekend! 

Recipe from My Baking Addiction.

Ingredients:

Dough and Filling

-1/3 cup sugar

-1/2 tablespoon orange zest

-4 1/2 to 5 cups all purpose flour

-3 (0.25 ounce) packets instant yeast

-1 teaspoon salt

-1 1/2 cups water

-6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

-1 egg

-1/3 cup light brown sugar

-1 tablespoon orange zest

-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

-1 cup dried cranberries, diced

Frosting

-1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

-1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

-1 tablespoon orange juice

-1/2 teaspoon orange zest

-1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix the sugar and orange zest in a large bowl. Stir in 2 cups of flour, the yeast, and the salt. Heat water and butter until warm but not hot. Stir the warm water and butter into the flour mixture, and add the egg.

Beat for two minutes, then add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time while beating until the dough forms. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 5 minutes and form into a ball. Place the dough ball back in the bowl, cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, orange zest, and cinnamon, and set aside. Punch down the dough, then place on a floured surface and roll out to a 10 by 15 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter over the top of the dough, leaving about 1/2 inch border, then evenly sprinkle the brown sugar mixture. Distribute the dried cranberries across the top of the dough, then carefully roll the long edge to form a log. Cut the log into twelve pieces and place each cut-side-down into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover the dish with a towel and let rest and rise for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and let cool slightly in the dish. Combine the frosting ingredients until uniform consistency, warming briefly in the microwave if too thick, then drizzle over the cooling cinnamon buns.