Fresh-Baked Orange Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Is How to Win Mother's Day by Chef Gigi

Looking for something a little extra special to make your mom this Mother's Day? Well, I think my homemade orange cinnamon rolls are just what you're looking for! And these cinnamon rolls are not that hard to make.

The orange-flavored cinnamon roll dough is made with brown sugar, orange sugar (made with fresh orange zest), flour, baking powder, salt, butter, cream cheese and milk or half and half. The delicious cinnamon roll filling is made with ground cinnamon, butter and more orange sugar. The sweet glaze is an irresistible combination of cream cheese, orange zest and juice, powdered sugar and a touch of milk.

The aroma that fills your house as these orange cinnamon rolls bake is intoxicating. You will love these orange cinnamon rolls so much that I bet you'll make them year-round! Serve these cinnamon rolls hot, warm or cold for brunch, breakfast, dessert or as a sweet snack. Mom will never forget them.

Cuisine: American
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 25 to 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

Dough

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 oranges
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine-grain salt
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus softened butter for the pan
• 4 tablespoons cold cream cheese
• 2/3 cup whole milk or half and half

Filling

• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or a combination of cinnamon and cardamom
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• orange sugar

Glaze

• 1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar, or to taste
• dash of milk

Here's how to make it: 

1. Place the brown sugar in a small bowl and zest the oranges directly over the sugar. With your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the orange sugar in a large bowl for the dough. Set aside the remaining orange sugar for the filling.
2. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the large bowl and whisk well. Rub the butter and cream cheese into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until they're fully incorporated, and the mixture resembles crumbs in a pie dough recipe. Add the milk and stir gently with a fork until the dough comes together. Cover and freeze while you prepare the filling.
3. Very generously butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan or ovenproof skillet. Set aside.
4. Make the filling by combining the cinnamon and cardamom with the reserved orange sugar.
5. Remove the dough from the freezer onto a well-floured work surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a 12x5-inch rectangle. It may be sticky, don't overwork it and only use enough additional flour to be able to shape it.
6. To fill the dough, spread the soft butter evenly over the surface, then sprinkle the orange and cinnamon sugar generously. Starting with one long side of the dough, roll it up into a long log. If it's stuck to the surface, scrape it up as you roll it using a spatula. Chill the log for 30 minutes to make the slicing manageable (this is an optional step). 
7. Using a serrated bread knife, carefully saw the log into eight 1 1/2-inch thick slices. Place the cinnamon sugar swirl side up in the center of the pan, then space the remaining portions 1/2 inch apart to form a circle around the center portion.
8. Bake in a preheated 375-degree F oven until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overbake. The dough will be done when you press the top and it springs back.
9. Prepare the glaze while the rolls are in the oven by adding the cream cheese and the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Zest the last orange directly into the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Squeeze in the juice of the orange and add the milk. Mix well. Allow the rolls to cool for a few minutes in the pan, then spread the top generously with the glaze. Serve hot or warm.

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