YUM.

I found a bag of cranberries in the freezer left over from Thanksgiving/Christmas (we bought a large bag – they’re so much cheaper that way!) and hunted around on Good Things Catered for something delicious to bake. And found ………… cranberry cinnamon rolls. Oh, so good. We are enjoying them for breakfast, dessert, snacks … and snacks in between snacks. They are sweet, but the cranberries offer a refreshing little tang. I added some cream cheese to cut the heavy sweetness of the icing, and now they’re almost addicting. Oh yum.

Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls (adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook)
Ingredients:
For dough:
1/2 cup warm water (105–115°F)
5 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
5 cups flour plus additional for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup warm milk
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

For filling:
1/4 cup water
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries (9 oz)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon

For glaze:
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tbsp milk
(I added about 3 oz of cream cheese for a bit of tang)

Directions:-In bowl of large stand mixer, stir together warm water, yeast, and a pinch of the sugar and let stand until foamy, about 5-10 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over.)
-Meanwhile, in large mixing bowl, combine 5 cups flour, salt, and remaining sugar and whisk to combine; set aside
-In small bowl, combine milk and eggs.
-With mixer and dough hook on low speed, add milk and egg mixture then slowly add flour mixture, stirring to combine.
-Beat at medium speed until a very soft dough forms, about 2 minutes.
-Add butter and continue beating at medium speed until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic (adding more milk or flour to achieve good consistency if needed), about 4 minutes (it will be quite sticky).
-Add dough to large oiled bowl and tightly with plastic wrap.
-Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare cranberries by bringing water and 1 cup granulated sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
-Add cranberries and simmer just until they begin to burst, about 2 minutes.
-Pour through a large sieve into a bowl and cool berries, reserving syrup for another use.
-Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and dust with flour, then roll out into a 16-inch square.
-Stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, and remaining 2/3 c. granulated sugar and sprinkle evenly over dough.
-Dot dough evenly with drained cranberries.
-Beginning with side nearest you, roll up dough, firmly but not tightly, into a log, then pinch seam to seal.
-Cut log crosswise into 12 slices.
-Arrange slices, cut sides up, into prepared 9×13 pan, spacing evenly as they will bulk up.
-Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight to rise (you can also just let rise at room temp until doubled in bulk about 1 -1 1/2 hours).
-In morning, remove rolls from fridge and preheat oven to 350 degrees while they comes to room temperature.
-Bake rolls in lower third of oven until puffed and golden, 30 to 35 minutes, then cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes.
-Meanwhile, stir together confectioners sugar and milk with a fork until smooth. -Drizzle over buns while still relatively hot.
-Serve buns warm or at room temperature.