A soft, tender dough all wrapped up with a homemade raspberry filling and topped with a light cream cheese frosting. It is a winning sweet roll in our home!

These raspberry sweet rolls are a family favorite. It’s made up of a soft, tender dough that’s not overly sweet to perfectly compliment a raspberry filling and light cream cheese frosting to top. A secret? You can double the batch or (half it) to make half into dinner rolls, and keep half sweet. My dough for sweet rolls has a little more added sugar and butter, but when I’m using them for the same occasion, I just use the same dough for both!

Sweet Roll FAQ’s

Can I make this overnight?

Yes! You’ll make the dough, let it rise, and form into the rolls at night. Cover and refrigerate. In the morning let them get back to room temperature and rise, usually about 1 hour. You could also start in the morning for an all day rise in the fridge and then bake early evening to have fresh for dinner or dessert.

I’m new to using yeast – any tips?

Yes! Check out my working with yeast guide for some insights and tips!

Can I cut out the first rise if I’m short on time?

Yes! I love to make the dough, let it rise, form the rolls, and then let it rise again before putting in oven – so two rises. I’ve found it makes for a lighter, fluffier roll. However, I’ve cut out the first rise before, and they’ve still been a hit, so do that if you need to and your family will still devour them.

Can I make this into a mini cinnamon roll?

Yes! Mini buns are perfect for brunches and showers, or little kids. I do so by forming my rectangle to be a longer log and shorter width. This will make your twirl tighter and smaller by the time you roll it up. You’ll have one long skinnier log instead of a shorter fat one. Cut through the log in 1″ sections, and it’ll make the perfect mini cinnamon rolls!

Can I switch out the cream cheese frosting for a basic, classic icing?

Of course! If you want to keep the chocolate as the main star, I suggest this recipe for a basic light icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 TB butter (optional, just makes it slightly thicker)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 TB milk
Beat all ingredients together. 

How to Form Raspberry Sweet Rolls

I like to roll my dough out into about a 14×18 inch rectangle. I spread an even layer of filling and then roll up starting from the shorter side (in the pictures – rolling from left to right). This makes for fattier roll, but to get a few more rolls out of it, you can also roll up starting with the long side. Both will work fine – just depends on if you’d like them big or really big.

To slice the raspberry sweet rolls, you can use a sharp serrated knife or my personal favorite…floss! I know, kind of funny, but this priceless secret I learned from my mom is now the only way I do it! It makes for a cleaner cut. The floss keeps the swirl layers perfectly even. Just cross the ends over and pull tight. It’s magic!

Put these gorgeous swirls on a jelly roll pan or in a large baking pan. Whatever pan you use, just be sure to place them 1-2 inches apart so they have room to grow and rise. Our family hopes you enjoy them as much as we do! Happy baking!

More sweet roll recipes you’ll love…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sweet Rolls

Classic Cinnamon Rolls

Cranberry Orange Rolls

Orange Sweet Rolls

Small Batch Raspberry Rolls

Raspberry Sweet Rolls

Lori Vaughn

A soft and fluffy dough all wrapped up with a homemade raspberry filling and topped with a light cream cheese frosting. It is a winning sweet roll in our home!  

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Rise Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

Dough

• 2 cup whole milk (at about 110 degrees F) any other milk will do; fattier the better
• 1 ½ TB instant yeast
• ½ cup sugar or honey
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• About 6 cup all purpose flour

Filling

• 3 ½ cups raspberries (frozen or fresh)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup brown sugar (can sub with granulated sugar if needed)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup butter (salted or unsalted is fine)
• 3 tbsp E-Z gel thickener or cornstarch *optional

Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese
• ½ cup butter
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ tsp lemon juice
• 1-2 TB milk as needed to thin to desired consistency

Instructions

 

• Preparing the dough: Heat milk to be warm to the touch (about 110° F). Using a stand mixer* with a dough hook, combine the warm milk, yeast, and sugar together. Add 3 cups of flour and begin to mix.
• Add your first 3 cups of flour and mix together. Once it's mostly incorporated, add softened butter, eggs, and salt. Continue to mix on low.
• Slowly add the additional 2 ½ cups of flour. In pouring your last cup, do so slowly, watching the dough. Add additional flour as needed, just a little at a time. When you've added enough flour, the dough will be soft and slightly sticky. It will also be pulling away from the bowl. You don't want a tough dough. Leave the mixer on for an additional 8-10 minutes to knead.
• Take your dough hook out, and cover the bowl to let the dough rest and rise for about 30-40 minutes.
• Filling: In a medium size pot over the stove, combine all of the filling ingredients and let it get to a simmer. Simmer occasionally and let it simmer for about 8-10 minutes to let it start to thicken. Remove from the heat and store in the refrigerator while you wait to to assemble in your rolls. (This is an easy step to make in advance earlier in the week as well!)
• Assembly: When the dough has about doubled, punch it down and place on a clean, floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into about a 14x18 inch rectangle, making sure the dough is smooth and even in the corners. Spread an even layer of the raspberry filling.
• Tightly roll it up into a log. You can roll either direction. I like to roll from the short end to make a nice thick log. Rolling from the long end will create a slightly skinnier, longer log which will yield more rolls.

  Use a strand of floss to cut into 1 inch sections and place in a greased jelly roll pan or baking pan, leaving about 1-2 inches in between so the rolls have room to grow.
• Rest & Bake:

  Overnight Instructions: Cover well with sprayed plastic wrap and let them rest in the fridge overnight. The next morning, preheat the oven to 350°F and let the rolls get back to room temperature and rise (usually takes about 1 hour).

  Baking immediately: Keep the rolls in a draft free place and let them rise until they've grown and the dough gets soft and puffy, usually about 25 minutes. While they're resting, preheat the oven to 350°F.

  Bake for 16-20 minutes. I like to cover them with foil about half way through so they don't brown as much on top. They're done when the tops and bottoms are starting to get lightly golden and it doesn't look doughy.
• Frosting: While the rolls bake, make the frosting (or make in advance night before). Beat the butter and cream cheese together, then add remaining ingredients and beat until light and spreadable. Spread the frosting on while warm and serve immediately.
• Storing: Store airtight for up to 5 days. You can freeze them, but I recommend freezing the rolls plain and adding the glaze day of for best results. Heat up slightly before serving for the ultimate gooey treat! Enjoy!

Notes

*If you don't have a stand mixer, you can still do this by hand by placing the ingredients in a large bowl, and when the dough gets hard to work with because of how thick it is, put on a floured work surface and knead by hand for about 10 minutes. 

Making in advance: You can make the filling and frosting in advance to speed up the assembly process day of. Keeps well in the fridge easily for a couple weeks! 

Optional thickener (cornstarch or EZ-Gel): This is optional but it will help ensure your jam is thicker and therefore easier to spread. Boiling the mixture for a longer period of time to reduce the amount of liquid and letting the jam set in the fridge before spreading will also help in the assembly process.