Orange Cinnamon Sweet Rolls
ShareGiant fluffy orange sweet rolls with a brown sugar-cinnamon filling. A perfect addition to holiday mornings!
The holidays have a way of making me think back to my childhood and all of the traditions we had growing up. Whether it be silly things like singing the 12 days of Christmas with our entire family, cousins and all… including dancing. The guys did their version and then the girls. There are photos floating around somewhere. I definitely need to dig those up for a good laugh.
Or, sneaking around the house with my brother trying to find presents. Trust me, I’ll remember those moments when my kids are older. I may go back to locking presents in suitcases so the surprises aren’t ruined.
One of my favorite Christmas moments was always dumping out our stockings together before our parents were up. It’s the little things. And every year it was the same. Even down to the food.
Specifically…
Orange sweet rolls. For as long as I can remember orange rolls were a part of our Christmas mornings. Warm fluffy rolls, fresh from the oven. A perfect holiday breakfast.
I keep putting new twists on them. This year, the brown sugar-cinnamon filling. In the past, I’ve gone a different route. This is by far my favorite way to enjoy them. So much flavor and the perfect blend of a classic cinnamon roll with a sweet orange touch.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you can very easily adjust it to serve a wide variety of people… giant fluffy rolls for a few or for a mini crowd! Easily adjustable for every family size!
Be sure to add these easy and flavorful homemade orange cinnamon sweet rolls to your holiday breakfast plans!
Orange Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 C and 2Tb milk
- 1/4 C and 1 tsp granulated sugar divided
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 3 C all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 C unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
- 2 Tb unsalted butter melted
- 3/4 C light brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- zest of 1 orange
Glaze:
- 2 1/2 C powdered sugar
- 1/4 C orange juic
Instructions
- Heat milk to 115°F. Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm milk, a llow to proof for 5 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a dough hook, combine flour, remaining sugar and salt. With mixer running on low, slowly pour in yeast mixture, followed by butter and vanilla. Increase speed, mixing until dough comes together. Transfer to a large greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm location until doubled in size, roughly 1 hour.
- Prepare a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and brown sugar.
- On a silicone counter mat, roll dough into a 10x20-inch rectangle. Brush dough with melted butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar-cinnamon mixture, followed by the zest of one orange. Starting at one of the short ends, begin rolling the dough tightly, pinching the ends as you roll. Pinch seams together to seal well. Slice into 6 equal pieces* (see note). Transfer to prepared baking pan. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm location for an additional 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until center reaches 190°F. Allow rolls to cool for 10-15 minutes before icing.
- In a medium bowl, beat together powdered sugar and orange juice until desired consistency is reached. Pour or spread glaze over warm rolls.
- Store remaining rolls in an airtight container for up to several days.
Notes
Items used in this recipe:
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I’ll be making a double batch of this tomorrow!
BREAKFAST!!!! These look to die for. I am drooling over myself as I type this. The orange flavor really adds to it and I just love it.
Thanks Taylor!
I can imagine they would be so perfect for Christmas morning!
They absolutely are! :)
Cinnamon rolls are a Christmas morning tradition of ours but I could definitely get behind orange rolls! These look delicious, Rachel!
Thanks Taylor!
I love that you were allowed to open stockings before your parents woke up! That’s so fun!!
I’m not sure at what age we started doing that, definitely when we got older but still so much fun.
Ooh these sound scrumptious! It was always tradition in our house to open the stockings before Mom and Dad got up too (as I think back now I realize that was their way of sneaking in a few extra minutes of shut eye!)
I imagine that was part of their reasoning for letting us do that too! And thanks Heather!
These look amazing!! I could eat these anytime!
Thanks Heather!
Double batch of dough is made, and you might want to edit your directions. The ingredients list is fine but the use of milk and orange rind never make it into your text. On the other hand, the rolls I’m making are going to make it into the bellies of a dozen friends this morning. :) Thanks again for a great idea!
I hope you enjoy them! And thanks for catching the typo, it’s been fixed.
Wow – definitely a good one for a holiday morning. I just need to get some yeast and then I can try these. Thanks Rachel.
Enjoy! :)
Yum! I wouldn’t mind having these delicious rolls as part of my Christmas morning tradition!
There’s always next year! :)
It looks soooooo yummy!! I have a question, what’s the difference about the consistency or texture of this rolls and your Maple Glazed Cinnamon Rolls? Thanks! Merry Christmas!! :)
They’re very similar in texture and equally delicious. :)
Perfect Christmas rolls!
What kind of surface do you transfer the rolled dough to before cutting? It’s great that the silicone mat is non stick, but unable to cut on it!
You don’t need to transfer the dough if you’re careful. You can absolutely cut the rolls on the mat if you’re not pressing down hard, which isn’t necessary with a recipe like this. If you prefer, you can use unflavored floss to cut the dough or carefully roll the dough onto a cutting board to slice.