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 Crisco
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 9 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 tablespoon salt
For the filling:
- ½ cup softened butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 3 ½ cups frozen raspberries
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
For the frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- ¼ 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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Does this make two 9×13 trays or one?
Two
I have to giggle because I made this in one 9×13 pan with 12 rolls for the entire recipe and they are massive, but so so good. I definitely will read more next time and make it in two pans. They are about 6 inches tall maybe more hahahahaha
Ha! Those are massive rolls:) Enjoy!
Hi they look great, just a couple of questions, how much is a packet of yeast? and what is shortening Crisco, can I use butter or some other fat/oil?
Can you make this the night before and bake it in the morning? If so how would I do that.
Instructions from her father’s original cinnamon roll recipe:
Making in Advance
You can refrigerate the rolls overnight and bake in the morning. Don’t let the dough rise a second time if you are going to do this. Put the rolls in pans and cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let them come to room temperature and give them time to rise. This will take 2-3 hours, depending on the temperature of your house. Then bake as directed!
How to Freeze
Cinnamon rolls freeze beautifully and you can freeze them a few different ways.
You can freeze unbaked cinnamon rolls. If I am going to freeze unbaked cinnamon rolls, I like to put them in aluminum foil disposable pans so I can put them in the freezer. After the second rise, bake the cinnamon rolls for 12 minutes. You want them to be raised and set, but not golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Cover the pans tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, remove the pans from the freezer and place in the refrigerator to defrost. Once thawed, finish baking for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and frost.
Baked cinnamon rolls can be frozen for up to 2 months. Place completely cooled cinnamon rolls in a freezer container or bag. Remove from the freezer the night before and thaw in the refrigerator. Warm up the cinnamon rolls in the microwave or oven. You can freeze frosted or unfrosted cinnamon rolls.
This was UGH-Mazing!!! My new go-to dough recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Glad you loved them!
On my 4th batch since April. I am going to have to be cut out of my home after quarantine!
What size rectangle do you roll the dough out to? And are there any changes if only making half a recipe?
about 22 X 13 inches
I have the same question as Carla.
In addition to my previous question could these be frozen after they are baked and iced?
yes, you can freeze the baked rolls.
Hello! Do you think I can make this in a bread machine ? I always do my dough for cinnamon rolls in my bread machine . Thank you !
I haven’t tried it but if you normally make cinnamon rolls in your bread machine it should work!
These looks so good!!!! I normally wouldn’t want to tweak anything in a tried and true recipe but with the reduction of shopping trips right now, wondering if I could substitute the Crisco for butter? I don’t have Crisco on hand and would really like to make them before my next grocery run! Do you think the fats could be interchangable?
I have made a lot of cinnamon rolls but these are absolutely one of my favorites! I make them every year for Mother’s day because they are such a treat – highly recommend! The cream cheese icing is the perfect finish for these rolls!
Hi, would like to find out if the rolls will be less fluffy when cooled?
mine has to be heated up (when i put it out for 1 night) before it’s fluffy and soft again.
thanks for sharing the recipe, my family enjoyed the rolls a lot!
These are soo delicious!!
Have made this recipe numerous times now and it has replaced what I thought was my best sweet dough ever!! Have gotten rave reviews from family and friends. Definitely 5 stars.
Yay!
Instead of blueberries or raspberries. Could you use fresh cranberries
Cranberries are more tart. If you like them, go for it!
Is there a point in this recipe where I could freeze the dough for later use?
How many rolls has it made. Can I cut the recipe in half
Thanks for the simple to print, easy to understand recipe! I appreciate it!
You are welcome!
BTW, your website is fantastic!
Hi 🙂 I dont have enough reg. flour., wondering if i could sub. cake flour?? Thank you
Cake flour Is different. I don’t recommend using it for this recipe.
Hi,
I’m not a big fan of using shortening, can I use 6 TBSP of butter? I guess what I’m asking is, what’s the conversion from shortening to butter?
Yes, you can use butter or shortening. Use the same amount.
I’ve got another question, for the filling, there really isn’t a description of how to make it. You say put 4 tbs of butter on the dough, but it calls for 1/2 cup, so do the other TBS go in with the fruit mixture?
Read steps 5 and 6.
Hi there!
This recipe looks amazing, does it have to be instant or active yeast?
Thanks!
These were so good! I’ve never used yeast before (haven’t experimented too much with baking) and they turned out sooooooo good. I added cinnamon to the first tray and now that I’ve tried one of each I can say I definitely prefer the ones with cinnamon. These are perfect. I can definitely see these being my staple for future brunches and holidays.
Its was my first time making a dessert with dough made from the scratch. And it was absolutely awesome, its delicious!! And very well explained, i really appreciate since im new in the world of making ny own dessert rather than buying them.
Thanks.
Same question as above that hasn’t been answered. Can the recipe be halved successfully? Has anyone tried?
Sure, you can make a half batch.
Same question as someone else but hasn’t been answered yet. I see a lot of roll recipes where you can complete it up until you put the rolls in the 13 x 9 and instead of doing second rise put in fridge. Next day leave it out to rise for an hour and then bake. Can this recipe be made the night before and baked morning of?
I love this recipe <3 The first time I made it though I didn't have two 9×13 pans, so i used 1 9×13 and a 8" round pan. they were hilariously huge but soo good! I just made them again but halved the recipe this time! Very easy and delicious!
And for those who would like the calories of these (since some people don't enjoy doing the math)
If you make two pans of rolls, 12 in each pan:
Roll with frosting: 361 cal
Roll without frosting: 313 cal
Just the dough roll (in case you wanna make your own filling!) : 238 cal
My husband made these twice and he they didn’t work out at all. Followed the recipe exactly 🙁
I’m wondering about the frozen berries. Is there any reason why a person can’t use fresh? I would think the frozen would make the dough too wet? Thank you.
Very poor written instructions.