are soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls made with sweet yeast dough, swirled with cinnamon sugar and raspberry jam, then topped with a creamy peanut butter frosting.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1 ½ cups lukewarm milk, 2 teaspoons of the sugar, and 2 teaspoons instant yeast. Whisk together and let sit for 10 minutes, until the mixture looks foamy.
Add the remaining sugar, eggs, bread flour, butter, and salt to the bowl. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on medium speed for 6–7 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Don’t worry if it’s too sticky it will be firm up.
½ cup + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar 120g, 3 large eggs room temperature, 5 ¾ cups bread flour plus more for dusting 720g, ½ cup unsalted butter softened 113g, 2 ¼ teaspoons salt 14g
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, perform one stretch and fold (lift one side of the dough and fold it over itself, repeating on all four sides). Cover again.
Place the covered dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours overnight. This cold proof develops flavor and makes the dough easier to work with when rolling out. While the dough is rising, make the raspberry filling.
Make the Raspberry Sauce
In a medium saucepan, combine frozen raspberries, water, sugar, lemon juice, and zest.
10 ounce package frozen raspberries, ½ cup water, ½ cup granulated sugar, Juice of one lemon, Zest of one lemon
Cook over medium heat until the raspberries break down and it begins to simmer.
In a small bowl, mix ⅓ cup water with cornstarch to make a slurry. Stir the slurry into the raspberry mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
4 tablespoons cornstarch, ⅓ cup water for the cornstarch slurry
Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Filling and Shaping Instructions
Lightly spray the sides of a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. set aside
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, and unsalted butter on medium speed until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
1 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, ¾ cup unsalted butter softened to touch
Lightly flour a clean work surface. Roll the chilled dough into a large rectangle, about 12x16 inches in size. Try to keep the edges as even as possible so the rolls bake uniformly.
Spread the filling mixture evenly over the dough, using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to get it all the way to the edges.
Then spread ¾ of the raspberry filling on top of the cinnamon sugar filling.
Starting with the long edge farthest from you, cut the dough into 12 even strips using a sharp pizza cutter. Each piece should be about 1⅓ inches wide. Take your time to keep the cuts straight so the rolls bake up evenly.
Working one at a time, roll each strip into a not too tight, spiral, starting from the bottom edge and rolling upward until you reach the top. As you roll, gently tuck in any filling that tries to escape and keep light, even pressure so each roll stays compact and uniform. Once rolled, pinch the end seam lightly so it stays closed.
Arrange the rolls cut-side up in the prepared pan. 3 across and 4 down. They should have a little space between them — they’ll puff and rise into each other during proofing and baking.
Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the rolls rise for 60-90 minutes in a warm spot, or until puffy and nearly doubled in size.
Baking Instructions
Once the rolls have finished their second rise, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Warm the heavy whipping cream just until it loses its chill (microwave for about 15–20 seconds). Gently pour the cream evenly over the tops of the risen rolls, letting it soak down into the layers.
½ cup heavy whipping cream 120
Place the pan in the oven and bake at 375°F for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 30-35 minutes, until the rolls are deep golden brown on top. These rolls take a long time to bake because they need to absorb the cream.
If the rolls begin to brown too quickly, loosely tent the pan with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the rolls cool for at least 20 minutes before frosting.
While the rolls are cooling making the peanut butter frosting.
For the peanut butter buttercream
In the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, peanut butter, and cream cheese. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
½ cups unsalted butter room temperature, ½ cup creamy peanut butter I use Skippy, 3 tablespoons cream cheese room temperature
With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and cream to the bowl. Once mixed, beat on medium for 1-2 minutes. It should smooth and creamy, if it looks stiff add a dash more cream.
2 ½ cups powdered sugar measured and then sifted, 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, Pinch of salt
Use a wooden spoon to mix frosting one last time to get rid of air bubbles.
Assembly
Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled slightly, spread or pipe the peanut butter buttercream evenly over the tops of the rolls.
With a spoon, drizzle the rest of the raspberry sauce on top.Serve warm or at room temperature.