Raspberry Sweet Rolls-soft and sweet yeast rolls filled with raspberries and topped with cream cheese frosting. These sweet rolls are perfect for breakfast or brunch.
My dad’s cinnamon rolls are hands down the BEST cinnamon rolls in the universe. I shared my dad’s recipe on our blog years and years ago when my dad was probably the only one reading our blog. The post includes pictures of my dad making cinnamon rolls and the recipe. My dad didn’t care at the time because he didn’t think anyone would actually read the post and see his picture, but now his cinnamon roll recipe is the most popular recipe on our site. My dad gets a little embarrassed that his photo is all over the internet.
I have thought about taking new pictures for the post, they aren’t the greatest and probably should be updated to show you how amazing the cinnamon rolls are, but I love those memories with my dad in the kitchen.
When my dad came to visit us a few months ago, I asked if we could make his famous cinnamon rolls, but with a twist. I wanted to make Raspberry Sweet Rolls. My dad said sure, but he made me promise I would only take pictures of the rolls. He is kind of camera shy:)
We used my dad’s recipe for the base of the rolls because it is PERFECTION! You will never eat a softer, fluffier, melt in your mouth sweet roll. The dough is like satin.
To mix things up, we added raspberries to the filling. We used frozen raspberries because they hold together better. The raspberries will still get juicy and ooze out a little, but that is ok. They make a pretty mess:)
We topped the raspberry sweet rolls with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting. I added a little lemon zest to brighten up the rolls.
The raspberry sweet rolls were heavenly! I loved the fruity raspberry filling. And my dad, the cinnamon roll master, approved too!
My dad is coming to visit us for Christmas and I know he will be making his famous cinnamon rolls for Christmas brunch. It is a family tradition. I am going to put in a request for Raspberry Sweet Rolls too. They are the perfect Christmas morning treat! The raspberries make them so pretty and festive…and it is the holidays. It is ok to indulge. I am going to eat a cinnamon roll and raspberry sweet roll. Merry Christmas to me:)
Add these Raspberry Sweet Rolls to your Christmas brunch menu. Your friends and family will love them! And don’t forget to try my dad’s world famous cinnamon rolls! They are the BEST!
Raspberry Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 packages yeast (4 ½ teaspoons), dissolved in 1 cup lukewarm water
- 6 tablespoons shortening or unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 9 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon salt
For the filling:
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 3 1/2 cups frozen raspberries
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
For the frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Add yeast to 1 cup of lukewarm water. Stir with a spoon and set aside for about five minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add shortening, sugar, and salt to hot water and beat for 30 seconds. Let cool to lukewarm temperature. Stir in 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture and mix until well combined. Mix in the beaten eggs.
- Gradually stir in the remaining flour and mix with the dough hook for about 2 minutes. Remove dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured counter. Knead by hand, add a little flour if the dough is still sticky. Knead until dough feels satiny and smooth.
- Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for 30 minutes or until dough doubles in size.
- Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured counter. Divide dough in half. With a rolling pin, roll one half of the dough into a rectangular shape. Spread dough evenly with 4 tablespoons of softened butter. Sprinkle dough with ¼ cup brown sugar. In a medium bowl, carefully stir together the frozen raspberries, granulated sugar, lemon zest, and cornstarch. Sprinkle half of the raspberry mixture over the dough.
- Gently roll up dough into one long roll. Cut rolls, using a piece of dental floss or thread, about two inches thick. Place rolls into a greased 9X13 baking pan.
- Now follow the exact same steps with the other half of the dough, using the remaining ingredients.
- Place rolls in a warm spot and cover with a towel. Let rolls rise until double in bulk, about an hour. Bake rolls at 350 degrees F for 25-32 minutes or until golden brown on top. The insides should be soft, but not doughy. Remove pans from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
- While the rolls are cooling, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and lemon zest. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread frosting on rolls and serve.
Have you tried this recipe?
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This left sooooo much juice in the bottom of the pan… rolls soggy.
These rolls turned out perfectly! Beautiful, fluffy, and delicious. I read through a lot of the feedback and the only thing I did was cook them for 25 minutes exactly at 375. 20 minutes might have been enough if I had cut them smaller but I ended up with eight rolls per pan because of how big I cut them. I did one pan raspberry and because I didn’t have enough raspberries I did the second pan with chocolate chunks. Both turned out so delicious with such a silky, fluffy texture. This will be my new go-to dough for any kind of roll. Thanks!!!
I was looking for something that didn’t include cinnamon, because my husband isn’t a fan and I came across this recipe!! OH MY GOSH!!! THIS WAS FANTASTIC!! I made the recipe as is, without cutting it in half and I gave one pan to my daughter and her family, gave the neighbors some and still had plenty for my family!! This is a definite keeper and now that I know the neighbors and my grandkids LOVE it, I’ll be making this regularly maybe switch out the raspberries with blueberries 🙂 It even started a neighborly food sharing for those recipes that make a lot, but, there are only a few people in the household! So, thank you for that too 🙂
Absolutely loved this recipe! Turned out PERFECT! I gifted 6 – 9″ round pans to friends and family and received so many compliments. I am adding this one to my FAVORITES list, as these would be great for any gathering, hostess gift, or just a “I’m thinking of you” thoughtful gift. 5-Star from me!
I followed the recipe but mine were so dry. I did let them sit overnight to rise. I baked them according to the directions.
I never leave reviews, but I just had to this time because this recipe is probably the BEST I’ve ever used! The dough was soft and fluffy, not too dry or too moist. I made it for my host family this morning, it’s 2pm now and they’re all gone! I was worried about the raspberries being too juicy and making the dough soggy but it soaked right up during baking and made a lovely thick syrup between the layers. I didn’t have a lemon to zest this time but I’ll have to grab one next time I make these. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
I am so glad you loved the sweet rolls.
Look amazing Ijust made them can’t wait to try them . Thanks for your good recipes . Can I freeze those with or without icing?
Both will work. You can freeze with or without the icing.
Hi, could you please clarify wether we are to thaw the raspberries first and drain the liquid before adding… or…add them to the dough while the berries are still frozen? That part of the recipe was a little vague.
I have made these twice now and both times were amazing! The second time I used double the brown sugar and butter on the inside of the rolls, and mixed raspberries and blackberries. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Can you let the rolls rise in the fridge and then bake them later in the day?
Yes!
I use this dough recipe all of the time. I have tried apples, peaches, nutella, and Door County cherries in addition to the raspberries. Each kind turned out amazing! The dough is so simple and so delicious. 10/10 recommend!
Oh my goodness these Raspberry Sweet Rolls are wonderful, not very sweet with a light moist dough. The lemon zest adds a nice brigjtness.
I halved the recipe and was slightly concerned of the outcome being as we live at 3200 ft. but it turned out perfectly.
We have an abundance of fresh raspberries and ill make sure to freeze extra for these rolls during the winter and Holidays.
I baked at 375° for 25 min turning the pan halfway through.
can you use fresh raspberries?
Very tasty for a brunch!! Will be making again!
When I make my cinnamon rolls I make them the night before and put them in the fridge before the final rise time and then in the morning put them in the oven while it’s preheating and they rise there before baking. Have you tried that with these? I’m worried that the raspberries would melt overnight and make everything soggy.
Should these be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator?
We store them at room temperature.