Glazed Cranberry Rolls

One of my favourite holiday ingredients, the delectably tart cranberry, is being put to great use today! These Glazed Cranberry Rolls are made with a light, biscuit-like dough and rolled with chunky cranberry sauce. Drizzled with a sweet glaze, these are absolutely delicious and very festive too!

It’s time for another one of my favourite recipes. This time, it’s these simple and rustic, no-fuss Glazed Cranberry Rolls. These are essentially a traditional Newfoundland-style cinnamon roll without the cinnamon! Now, I can’t speak for the present, but you could search the island over and not find a cinnamon roll topped with icing when I was growing up there in the 80s and 90s.

Maybe there’s a family or two that make them drizzled with icing now, but I would wager to guess that it’s still not that popular. In fact, according to their website, Cinnabon still does not have a franchise in Newfoundland, and I blame them for the icing craze anyway. As far as I’m concerned if your cinnamon roll was made properly, it wouldn’t need gobs of icing to get people to eat it. But, with that said, these rolls are so delicately tart, that they can handle the glaze, so in this case, go for it!

WELCOME TO A LORD BYRON CHRISTMAS!

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the holiday-themed recipes! Over the past decade, I have built a reputation for sharing series-type recipes. The most popular would be my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas, which was fashioned after an advent calendar. But, I have others that are only 12 days, which were fashioned after the 12 Days of Christmas.

This particular recipe is a part of my second holiday series for this year. So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Cranberry Recipes Series. Just like every other series that I’ve shared over the years, this one will also see a new recipe shared each day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER RECIPE!

Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

You will need Lilac Infused Sugar and Lilac Syrup to make these rolls. You can make the rolls with regular sugar and you can even substitute the syrup with extract, but the end result won’t be quite right. The rolls will still taste delicious, but it won’t have that strong, aromatic lilac scent and flavour I mentioned in the introduction. The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

• Butter – The butter must be softened and completely at room temperature. You can use salted or unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, halve the amount of added salt further down this list.
• Sugar 
• Egg – This is used to bind the dough.
• Milk – Like the egg, this is used to bind and moisten the dough.
• Orange Extract
• All Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder – There seems like a lot of this, and there is, but it is needed and it works!
• Salt

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

• Butter – Yes, more butter! In this case, the butter is the glue that holds the other filling ingredients in place. When it melts in the oven, it melts the sugar and creates a sticky, sweet center.
• Sugar – This is where the sweetness comes from.
• Cranberry Sauce – I have a recipe here for homemade chunky cranberry sauce, but you can buy canned chunky cranberry sauce in most larger grocery store chains.

ASSEMBLY INGREDIENTS:

• Egg 
• Water

GLAZE INGREDIENTS:

• Confectioner’s Sugar – This superfine sugar is sometimes called powdered sugar.  It is used in frostings quite often. 
• Milk
• Sanding Sugar

HOW TO MAKE GLAZED CRANBERRY ROLLS

For the dough, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand-held mixer to beat together the butter and the sugar until well incorporated. Add the egg and beat into the butter and sugar. Next, add the milk and orange extract. Beat to combine. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and beat well to combine. When a dough is formed, pat into a ball and place the dough into the fridge to cool for 15 minutes.

Once the dough has cooled, roll dough on a lightly floured surface to a rectangular shape measuring 11×16 inches. Use a pastry brush to brush the butter over the surface of the rolled dough. Evenly distribute the cranberry sauce over the layer of butter and sprinkle the sugar over the layer of cranberry sauce. Carefully lift the dough slightly from one end and begin rolling the dough into a long cylinder, working your way down the side of the rolled dough. Try to roll as tightly as possible without breaking or tearing the dough.

Once rolled, use a sharp knife to slice the rolled dough into 3/4 inch slices. Place onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving two inches of space between each roll. Next, whisk together the egg and the water. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the top and sides of each roll. Bake for 14 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet.

Once cooled, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls and top with sanding sugar. Serve and enjoy!

SANDING VS GRANULATED SUGAR

I use coarse sanding sugar quite often when baking for the holidays. I hope it hasn’t been too difficult for you to find. Sanding sugar is sometimes referred to as baking sugar, and there are some substitutes. You can use other sugars – which are basically the same, but named something differently – there’s pearl sugar and coarse sugar. You cannot, however, use granulated sugar. Let me explain why.

Whereas an individual granule of sanding sugar is large and hard, a single granule of granulated sugar is quite small. Sanding sugar will hold up to the heat in your oven without melting; granulated sugar will not. If you can only find granulated sugar, you can either skip the coating in the sugar step, or you can use turbinado sugar. Turbinado sugar is a golden brown though, so it will throw off the colour of your finished product. Alternatively, you can dust the top of your rolls with confectioner’s sugar once they are fully cooled.

HOW TO EAT A GLAZED CRANBERRY ROLL PROPERLY!

I have to tell you, I prefer to eat these the same way I used to eat cinnamon rolls when I was a kid. I love to have a cup of hot tea with a little bit of sugar and milk. I’ll place the roll on a plate and smear the bottom of each roll with butter. Then, I’ll have a slice of cheese or two to go with it. To me, it’s a great afternoon snack or a late lunch!

The pairing of the salty sharp cheddar cheese with the tartness of the cranberries and the sweetness of the sugary glaze is a combination that I just cannot get enough of! Wash it all down with sips of very hot tea and I’m in treat/snack heaven! I do hope you’ll give these rolls a try and don’t skip out on the hot tea and cheddar cheese! Trust me!

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most baked goods like these rolls, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. They will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one or two, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Glazed Cranberry Rolls, you certainly can! Once they are completely cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

If you iced the rolls, and you need to stack them in your container, lay a sheet of parchment between each layer to prevent sticking. Also, the icing should be completely hardened before you pile them into the container. You can freeze these for up to three months.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!