Raspberry Sweet Rolls

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

These raspberry sweet rolls with cream cheese frosting are the perfect treat for breakfast or brunch!

4.88 from 16 votes

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Cook Time

17 minutes

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 2 packages yeast 4 1/2 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:

• 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

1. Add yeast to 1 cup of lukewarm water. Stir with a spoon and set aside for about five minutes.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for 30 minutes or until dough doubles in size.
5. 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 1/4 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.
6. 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.
7. Now follow the exact same steps with the other half of the dough, using the remaining ingredients.
8. 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.
9. 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.