Lemon Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls

Fluffy lemon brioche, rolled with lemon blackberry butter and topped with a lemon cream cheese frosting, these lemon blackberry cinnamon rolls are perfect for brunch. Ps the blackberry butter also makes the perfect filling for a blackberry stuffed french toast!

Can you make cinnamon rolls the night before?

Cinnamon rolls can seem daunting because of the proofing or rising times so to cut down on that, I like to start them the night before. I wouldn’t fully bake the cinnamon rolls the night before as they just won’t be as fresh and delicious, but you can start them! I recommend making the dough the night before and letting the first proof happen in the fridge overnight in the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a lid on top. Then in the morning, roll out the dough, spread on the filling, shape, proof one more time and bake!

Why put heavy cream on cinnamon rolls before baking?

Pouring a tablespoon or two of heavy cream on top of the cinnamon rolls before baking them will ensure a light and fluffy cinnamon roll and also help the tops brown!

What’s the best way to cut cinnamon rolls?

A lot of people like to cut cinnamon rolls with dental floss because the equal pressure from all around prevents them from getting squished. But I find that a sharp knife, especially if your dough and filling are on the colder side from being in the fridge overnight, works perfectly.

How do I know when the dough is finished kneading?

This dough should pass the window pane test which means that when a golf ball sized piece is torn off, you should be able to stretch it gently until light passes through but without it tearing. I usually check it once all of the butter has been fully kneaded into the dough.

How to make Blackberry stuffed french toast?

I made these cinnamon rolls as part of a larger brunch spread where I used the same blackberry butter filling for stuffed french toast and you guys it’s unreal. Follow the steps from this Lemon Ricotta Stuffed French toast but instead of the ricotta (or in addition if you’re feeling crazy), add about a tablespoon of the blackberry butter into the opening of each french toast pocket. Then, continue with the steps of freezing them for a few minutes, give them the custard bath, and cook until golden brown in butter in a cast iron pan!

You may also like…

• Cinnamon Roll Wreath
• Cherry Sweet Rolls (Kirschschnecken)
• Lemon Poppyseed Bun

Tips for making a Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls

• To cut down on time in the morning, I recommend making the dough and even the blackberry butter the night before. Once the dough is fully kneaded you can just ball it up, put it back in the mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a lid and put it straight in the fridge. In the morning take the dough and the butter out of the fridge and continue with assembling!
• Fresh or frozen blackberries will work for this recipe, the frozen blackberries tend to take a bit longer to cook down because they release more moisture so just keep an eye on them as they cook. The blackberries are done cooking when they kind of hold their shape in the pan. So if you drag a spatula through the mixture, the lines should hold for a good 2-3 seconds.
• When making yeasted dough, ensure that you allow your mixer to fully knead the dough, until it forms a smooth ball and the sides of the bowl are cleaned. This will happen twice while kneading the dough, once before the butter is added and once after.
• When rolling out the dough, try to make it as square as possible. This will help when it comes shaping and cutting the twist. I use a bench scraper to keep reshaping into a square as I roll it because it can be tricky to reshape at the end.
• These won’t get super dark while baking so a better indicator that they are done is that the top of the dough looks dry and if you push down it should spring back mostly.
• If you aren’t a big cream cheese frosting person, no stress, you can use the lemon glaze from this Lemon Poppyseed Bun!

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour: Any all purpose flour will work for this! I have not yet tried any other flours with this recipe.
• Sugar: This recipe uses granulated sugar in the dough and the filling and a little powdered sugar in the frosting.
• Yeast: In this recipe, instant yeast is used. However, if you are using active dry, simply whisk it in with the warm milk and let it sit for 10 minutes first and then add in the remaining ingredients.
• Salt: fine sea salt is used to balance out the sweetness and enhance the flavors.
• Milk: The dough use milk as the liquid in the dough; however, it will also work with non-dairy milks such as almond milk.
• Eggs: I use standard large eggs from the store. There are two whole eggs in the dough.
• Vanilla: Vanilla extract enhances the flavors of the dough.
• Butter: The butter adds moisture to the dough and the filling! I recommend Kerrygold unsalted butter for this.
• Lemons: The zest of two lemon adds flavor to the dough and the juice is used in the blackberry butter and cream cheese frosting.
• Blackberries: Fresh or frozen blackberries are great for the filling of these cinnamon rolls. If they’re in season, use fresh! Otherwise I recommend using frozen.
• Cream Cheese: I like the tangy cream cheese frosting with the blackberry butter for these cinnamon rolls. Use standard full fat cream cheese for the frosting.

How to make a Lemon Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls

Lemon Brioche

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the sugar and zest of two lemons. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until combined and frangrant.
• Add in the flour and yeast, and whisk to combine.
• Sprinkle in the salt. Then add in the warm milk, two eggs, and vanilla extract.
• Use a dough hook to knead everything together on medium low speed for 15 minutes until the dough has smooth edges and the bowl is clean.
• Add half of the butter in and knead again until incorporated (about 5 minutes). Add in the second half of the butter and knead once more until smooth. The dough should pass the window pane test *see notes section for more info.
• Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl that is at least twice the size of the dough.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and place somewhere warm to rise for 1 hour. The dough should double in size. *Alternatively if prepping the night before, cover the bowl with something airtight and place it in the fridge.

Blackberry Butter

• Add all of the blackberries into a medium pan or small pot along with the salt, lemon juice, and sugar. Place over medium low heat, stirring frequently.
• Keep cooking the blackberries until thicken. It won’t necessarily get “jammy” because there’s very little sugar added but it will look like the excess juice has evaporated and all the blackberries have broken down.
• The blackberries are done cooking when they kind of hold their shape in the pan. So if you drag a spatula through the mixture, the lines should hold for a good 2-3 seconds.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add in the butter. Stir until all the butter has melted. Then pour into a large shallow dish and continue to stir every 10 minutes so that the blackberries and butter stay combined as they cool.
• Once the butter is at room temperature. Place it in the fridge for at least 15 minutes (or overnight if prepping it the night before) to firm up.
• The butter will need to be spreadable before assembling the rolls so you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a little if you leave it in the fridge overnight.

Assemble

• Preheat the oven to 375 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
• Line a 9″x13″ metal pan with parchment paper.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the air out of the dough and then scoop it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll it out to a 14″ x 14″ (36 cm x 36 cm) square. Try to keep the dough as square/right angled as possible while rolling it out and use flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
• Spread the blackberry butter over the surface of the dough, but leave a 1/2″ border on one of the sides.
• Roll the dough up, starting with the side opposite of where you left the border. Be careful to keep the roll tight but don’t squeeze out the butter.
• Once fully rolled, place it seam side down. Give the roll a few squeezes while also ever so slightly stretching it out. You want the roll to grow to be 18″ long.
• Use a long sharp knife to mark 1.5″ marks along the roll. Then slice where each mark is to cut the roll into 12.
• Working with one roll at a time, take the end of the dough spiral (the tail), stretch it slightly away from the roll and tuck it under.
• Place the rolls into the pan so that they are in 4 rows of three. Space the rolls evenly in the pan so that there is also space between the rolls and the edges of the pan.
• Cover the pan with plastic and set aside for at 30-45 minutes to proof until the rolls are almost touching one another.

Bake

• Drizzle or brush the tops of the rolls with the heavy cream.
• Bake the pan of cinnamon rolls in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes.
• The rolls should just start to turn golden brown. Take the pan out of the oven and make the cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, salt, and lemon juice together until smooth. Sift in 50 grams of powdered sugar at a time and beat until smooth.
• Add more powdered sugar as desired to sweeten or thicken the frosting.
• Dollop the frosting over the top of the rolls. Then use the back of a spoon to swirl it out over the top of each roll.

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