Raspberry Sweet Rolls – Sweet yeast dough is filled with raspberry jam and fresh raspberries and then baked until golden perfection. They’re topped with a tangy icing that takes them to a whole other level.
I’m always trying to step up my cinnamon roll game. I’ve taken this classic recipe and made it special is so many ways. Here are my favorites so far:
After doing so many variations of this classic treat, I wasn’t sure where to go next. But then I stumbled upon the idea of sweet rolls – the cousin of the cinnamon roll. It’s made almost exactly like cinnamon rolls but the filling is usually made with fruit and not cinnamon sugar.
For my first attempt at a sweet roll, I am making a filling comprised of my favorite fruit – raspberries. Here are my Raspberry Sweet Rolls!
How are these rolls made
The dough
The recipe for the dough used in these sweet rolls is the same dough I use in all my sweet dough recipes. It’s super versatile and it can be used in anything from these Nutella Pull-apart Muffins to these Blackberries & Cream Slider Doughnuts.
The dough uses both eggs and yeast to make it light and fluffy. But don’t forget to knead it completely – that step is crucial for creating the perfect texture.
The filling
The filling is comprised of two components – raspberry jam and fresh raspberries. Fresh raspberries are too tart to stand alone in the filling. Therefore, the jam is necessary to add some sweetness. I also add a secret ingredient to cut down on the tartness – ground cinnamon. I love adding it to berry recipes. You barely know it’s there but it adds so much!
The icing
For this icing, we use a little something different to pair it perfectly with the flavors in this sweet roll. Sour cream serves as the base of the icing but it’s still perfectly sweet. Plus, the texture stays nice and thick and won’t melt too much over the warm rolls.
Tips & Tricks
- I used a glass baking dish to bake these rolls. This ensures even baking and no browning on the bottoms before the rolls finish baking. If you only have a metal pan available, reduce the temperature of the oven by 25 degrees.
- To ensure the rolls are their fluffiest, knead the dough for the full time and let it rise for the full time. I know how hard it is to be patient and you’ll want to cut corners to get these done faster. But don’t! I promise you all the time and effort will be worth it in the end.
- For evenly-sized rolls, make sure you spread the filling evenly over the rolled dough.
Raspberry Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- 4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
For the filling:
- 1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups fresh raspberries
For the icing:
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
- First we will begin making the dough. Heat up milk in a small sauce pan until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat and add sugar and salt and stir. Let it cool down to lukewarm to the touch. While milk is cooling, proof the yeast by adding the warm water and yeast in a small bowl and stirring together. Let it activate by setting it aside for 10 minutes.
- Once milk is cool, add to a large bowl, along with 4 cups of the flour, 2 tablespoons of oil, eggs, and yeast mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon until combined. The dough will be very thick but still pretty wet and sticky.
- Place 2 tablespoons of flour on the surface of your counter. Place dough on top of it and begin kneading the dough with the flour until all the flour is mixed into the dough. Keep kneading for about 4-5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. If it starts to stick to the counter, add a little more flour. Once you finish kneading, shape into a ball. Lightly grease another large bowl and place the ball of dough into bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 ½ hours, where it will be double the size. I like to place mine in the microwave to keep it away from any cool draft from the A/C.
- Prepare a 13×9 rectangular pan by spraying with non-stick spray. Once dough has risen, punch it down with your fist and remove from the bowl. Lightly dust your counter with flour and place the dough on top. Roll out dough into a large rectangle, 16 inches x 24 inches. Mix water, seedless jam, and cinnamon in a small bowl until smooth. Spread over the dough in one even layer. Top with fresh raspberries in an even layer.
- Starting on the long edge, tightly roll the dough into a log. Cut the edges off and then cut the log in half and then into quarters so you have 4 parts. Cut each part into 3 even rolls. Place into prepared baking pan into a 4×3 pattern. Cover and let them rise for another 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 375 degrees while the rolls rise.
- Once they're done rising, uncover them and place into the oven to bake for 23-25 minutes or until they've browned on top. Remove from oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before icing.
- Prepare icing by combining all ingredients together. Spread over the warm rolls. Serve rolls warm or room temperature.
Pin for later:
More recipes you’ll love:
Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Banana Nut Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Breakfast or dessert… either way these are going down on Sunday! I am ready for our Sunday Brunch.
Oh my gosh these sweet rolls sound amazing. Practicing recipes with yeast with my daughter to teach her a few things in the kitchen while we are all still in lock down. This one will be next!
I love cinnamon rolls but this sounds even more delicious. That filling is gorgeous. Cinnamon and raspberries… just one big YUM! I must make this for my family.
With yeast rolls you can never go wrong. I mean, I never had raspberry rolls before but I can poly imagine how delicious those are! I would eat them lightly warm with vanilla ice cream on the side!
This Raspberry Sweet Rolls are mouthwatering! I am really drooling right now. My son will definitely love this. He’s a fan of raspberries.
Beautiful…this looks like a perfect combo of delicious flavors! I think they are perfect for Easter!
YUM! What a great idea…I have so much home made jam in storage, I just might have to give these buns a go!
How delicious are these raspberry rolls. What a great recipe to try. Thanks for sharing
I’ve been on a sweet binge lately. I would love to give these raspberry sweet rolls a try. We made raspberry jelly with the kids the other day. Curious if we could use it on these.
I’ve been on a sweet binge lately. Would love to give these raspberry sweet rolls a try. We made raspberry jelly with the kids the other day. Curious if we could use it on these.
I can’t say ‘yum’ enough! I can’t wait to try out this recipe!
Ok, you had me at raspberry!!! These sweet rolls look divine
Oh MY! With all of my extra time at home lately I might have to whip some of these up!
These look amazing! I need to make them one morning. I know my family will be excited.
I will definitely be making these sweet rolls this week! They look so delicious and I know my family will love them!
Baked and Homemade and best for any meal or snack box option. Delicious, sweet and the Icing is the perfect solution for Sweet cravings.
I love raspberries in all forms, and these sweet rolls look amazing! This will be my baking project for the weekend!
These raspberry sweet rolls look AMAZING! I need to try out this recipe ASAP, I know my family will love it!
Annnnnd……now I need these in my life! Oh! They look amazing. I’m waiting for my order of yeast to come in, and then these are at the top of my list. They look amazing!