Cinnamon Orange Rolls

Orange Cinnamon Roll with Coffee on the Side

These fall-scented orange cinnamon rolls are as tasty as the original cinnamon rolls you know and love, but they're much more flavorful! Let's just say this is a classic reinvented. Yes, you can get them in a can and pop them in the oven, but these babies are so much better. And who can't use an orange cinnamon roll for breakfast every now and then?

Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Rising Time 2

Total Time 2 50

Servings

Calories 225kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

Orange Cinnamon Roll Dough

¾ cup milk, warm
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg
1 orange (zest and juice)
1 teaspoon salt
3¾-4 cup all-purpose flour

Orange Cinnamon Roll Filling

1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ cup butter, melted

The Orange Cream Cheese Glaze

4 ounce cream cheese, softened
3 ounce butter, softened
2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice, or more

Instructions

Orange Cinnamon Roll Dough

In a large bowl, combine warm milk and yeast. Let it sit until it dissolves, about 3-5 minutes.
In a microwaveable bowl, add butter—microwave for about 1-1½ minutes. After a minute, stir until butter has completely melted.
Pour the warm (not hot) butter into the yeast mixture, add vanilla extract, sugar, eggs, orange juice, orange zest, and salt - thoroughly mix.
Gently add the flour, one cup at a time. Mix well, using your hands or a stand mixer. The dough is going to be sticky. If it's too sticky, add just a tad more flour. Less flour is preferable for a moist cinnamon roll.
Cover the dough loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for an hour or two or until doubled.

Orange Cinnamon Roll Filling

Make cinnamon sugar by combining sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest. Set aside until ready to use. Punch the dough down.
Lightly flour a board surface, roll out to a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Brush with melted butter, leaving an approximately 1-inch border on the cinnamon dough, sprinkle with the orange-cinnamon-sugar mixture. Pat it gently on the surface.
Starting with the end nearest you, roll the dough up nice and snug like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Don't forget to pinch the seal, so they don't come apart while baking.
Slice the roll into four equal lengths, then slice each one into three equal parts for a total of twelve rolls.
Oil the bottom of the baking pan with butter or cooking spray. Place orange cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until they double in size, about 45 minutes. Bake the orange cinnamon rolls for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes.

The Orange Cream Cheese Glaze

For the cream cheese glaze, whip together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, orange zest, vanilla, and one or more tablespoons of orange juice until very creamy.
Add enough orange juice to get the desired consistency for drizzling. Pour over the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven.

Notes

Work with room-temperature ingredients so that you get a smoother dough and more consistent results.
Don't over-knead your dough, or it will become tough, and no one wants tough cinnamon rolls.
Sticky dough isn't a problem. If hard to handle, just dust it with flour.
Don't make the dough too thin, so it doesn't tear. However, you don't want it too thick either. Remember, the dough will rise in the oven.
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition