Blueberry cinnamon rolls - This version of the classic cinnamon rolls recipe is the bomb-dot-com! Buttery brioche dough layered with blueberry filling, and topped with blueberry cream cheese icing, AND cinnamon sugar filling! This may be the best cinnamon roll recipe ever.
Waking up felt like Christmas morning today. I knew that I could have these cinnamon buns with my cup of coffee. And you want to know the best part? The explosion of blueberry flavor that is in the cream cheese glaze, and the cinnamon filling.
We love cinnamon roll recipes of all kinds around here. If you want to try out a more classic version, try our giant cinnamon rolls post. We also have all kinds of sweet treats in our bake shop category, everything from apple empanadas to peach and pecan zucchini bread, and so much more!
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What You're Going to Need!
Brioche Dough
- Unsalted Butter - you can't make brioche without some softened butter.
- Sugar - white and granulated.
- All Purpose Flour - we don't suggest using bread flour, as it has more protein, thus leading to a chewier texture.
- Milk - whole milk is ideal, but 2% will also do.
- Eggs - this ingredient is part of what gives these sweet rolls, (and this bread dough in general), it's delightful unique mouthfeel.
- Salt - never leave out salt just because you're making something sweet, just a little bit helps to bring that sweetness to the forefront.
- Yeast - we use active dry yeast and would not suggest using instant yeast for this recipe.
Filling & Frosting
- Brown Sugar - this is one of the key ingredients that contributes that lovely stickiness that cinnamon rolls are famous for.
- Blueberries - frozen, wild blueberries are the easiest to use because of their reduced moisture, and concentrated flavor.
- Lemon - lemon juice for the blueberry jam, and lemon zest for the icing.
- Corn Starch - thickening agent for the blueberry sauce.
- Sugar - white and granulated, for the blueberries.
- Butter - softened butter to spread inside the rolls.
- Cream Cheese - can't make cream cheese icing without this!
- Milk - to provide some moisture for the cream cheese icing, (you could use heavy cream here, but we didn't think that the recipe needed any more richness!),.
- Cinnamon - this is one of those ingredients where purchasing the highest quality really makes a difference. We suggest Frontier Co-Op Korintje.
- Salt - essential when "seasoning to taste"!
- Powdered Sugar - for the blueberry infused cream cheese icing.
See recipe card for quantities.
Recipe
Blueberry Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer with dough hook attachment
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 9x13 casserole pan metal or glass will work
- 1 Measuring Spoon Set
- 1 Measuring cup set
- 1 Sauce Pan
- 1 Offset spatula
- 1 liquid measuring cup
- 1 Kitchen thermometer
- 1 cooking spoon
- 1 small bowl for mixing the cornstarch slurry
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 dough blade or knife for cutting the rolled dough into a rectangle
- 1 Sharp Knife or Bread Knife for cutting the roll into single rolls
- 1 Rubber Spatula
- 1 Zester or micro plane
- 1 citrus juicer or a fork for juicing the lemon
- 1 Cooling rack
Ingredients
Brioche Dough, Sponge
- ⅓ cup Warm Milk
- 2¼ tsps. Dry Active Yeast 1 packet
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
Brioche Dough
- ⅓ cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 4 large Eggs lightly beaten
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour hold back a ½ cup, it might not be needed to create a smooth slightly sticky dough
- 1½ sticks Butter unsalted and room temperature
Blueberry Filling
- 2 cups Frozen Blueberries wild variety works best
- ½ cup Sugar
- 2 tbsps. Lemon Juice approximately the juice of a large lemon
- ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
- 2 tbsps. Corn Starch
- ¼ cup Cold Water for the corn starch slurry
Cinnamon Sugar and Butter
- ¾ cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsps. Ground Cinnamon
- 5 tbsps. Butter unsalted and softened
Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
- 8 oz. Cream Cheese softened
- 4 oz. Butter unsalted and softened
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp. Lemon Zest approximately the zest from 1 large lemon
Prepare Baking Pan
- 1 sheet Parchment Paper you don't need the parchment paper if you are using a glass baking dish
- Pan Spray Release as needed
Instructions
Brioche Dough Sponge
- Heat the milk in the microwave to 100-110℉
- Add the warm milk and yeast to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer
- Add the egg and 1 cup of flour, using a rubber spatula mix to combine
- Cover the top of the mixture with the remaining cup of flour and let it sit for 20-30 minutes until cracks form (indicating that the yeast is working)
Mixing the Brioche dough
- Add the sugar and beaten eggs to the mixing bowl containing the sponge, mix to combine using the dough hook attachment
- Add the flour ½ cup at a time until a smooth and slightly sticky dough is formed
- With the mixer on low add the room temperature butter a few tablespoons at a time. At this point the dough will appear separated. Don't be nervous continue mixing until smooth, you might have to add a few more tablespoons of flour to create a smooth dough that comes away from the sides of the bowl and climbs up the dough hook
- Using some softened butter, coat the inside of a mixing bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly creating a ball
- Place the dough ball into the buttered bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to proof for 2 hours, remove the plastic wrap and punch it down. Cover it with plastic wrap again, and place in the refrigerator overnight to continue proofing. Then it will be ready for the remainder of the recipe
Prepare Baking Pan
- Using pan spray release, spray the pan. Place the sheet of parchment over the pan, and using scissors make cuts at each corner and push the paper in to line the pan, spray the parchment paper with a little more pan release
The Blueberry Filling and Cinnamon Sugar
- In a saucepan combine the frozen blueberries, sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stir to combine
- In a small bowl combine the cold water and cornstarch, creating a slurry
- Add the corn starch slurry to the simmering mixture and stir to combine, gently increase the heat and continue stirring until thickened (about 5 minutes)
- Place the cooked filling into a bowl and set it in the refrigerator to cool
- In another bowl combine the light brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside
Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, milk, salt, and lemon zest
- Starting slowly mix to combine the ingredients, increase the mixer speed and whip until combined and fluffy. Set aside at room temperature for later
Rolling the Dough and Creating the Rolls
- Prheat your oven to 350℉
- Remove the brioche dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin roll it out to about ¼ inch thick. Using a sharp knife or dough blade, cut around the sides creating a rough rectangle. (you can save the dough scraps for later, they make a great little brioche roll!)
- Carefully Spread 5 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter onto the dough rectangle, the sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top evenly
- Spoon about half of the blueberry mixture over the top of the cinnamon sugar mixture. (this part can be messy! Make sure to have a towel handy!
- Roll the rectangle into a log, again this can be messy, don't worry do your best to create a roll. Using a sharp kitchen knife or a bread knife cut 8 rolls and place them in a prepared baking pan. Spoon about a tablespoon of the reserved blueberry filling on each roll before baking
- Place on the center rack of a preheated 350℉ oven for 30 minutes
- Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 20-30 minutes to cool
- Add about a ¼ cup of the reserved blueberry filling to the cream cheese icing and stir gently to combine, spread the icing onto the top of the rolls in the baking pan, serve the rolls with additional blueberry filling on the plate and Enjoy!
Directions
- The first step in the process of making the yeast dough is called making the "sponge". You take warm milk, (100 to 110 degrees F), and mix it with the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Using a rubber spatula, mix one egg, and one cup of flour with the yeast mixture. Then you will cover the mixture with one more cup of flour and set aside in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. You will know that the sponge is ready, and the yeast is active when the dough is showing cracks in the flour.
4. Get the dough hook attachment ready and add the sugar.
5. Pour in the beaten eggs.
6. Start adding the flour, in increments of ½ cup, with the mixer on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl on occasion, (we like to use a wooden spoon for this).
7. Finish adding the flour, and it will form a sticky dough.
8. Add the butter to the mixer, one tablespoon at a time, waiting for it to incorporate fully before adding more.
9. This is usually a point of anxiety. The beautiful dough ball starts to come apart as you add the butter! It's ok, this is just part of the process when making a butter enriched dough.
10. Notice how the dough climbs up the hook and comes away from the sides of the bowl? That is the sign that it's ready for the next step.
11. Butter the inside of a large bowl, scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead just long enough to form a ball.
12. Place the soft dough ball into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours for it's first rise. then you will "punch" it down, (knead out the bubbles formed), and re-cover it. Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight to let it rest and rise for the second time.
13. Bring the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan.
14. Combine water with the corn starch to form a slurry, and feed it into the rapidly boiling blueberry mixture to thicken it. Pour it into a small bowl and set aside.
15. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness.
16. The dough will then need to be cut to form a large rectangle. using a sharp knife, (not a serrated knife!), or a dough blade.
17. Once you have created a nice shape like this, get an offset spatula and your softened butter ready.
18. Smear the butter evenly over the dough sheet.
19. Mix the cinnamon and brown sugar together, and sprinkle evenly to form a golden-brown layer on top of the butter.
20. Spoon half of the blueberry compote on top, reserving the remaining filling for the icing and to spoon onto the rolls before serving them. Then you will roll the whole thing up into a relatively tight log, and then gently cut it into equal pieces, (slices), forming the blueberry rolls.
21. Place rolls into a buttered and prepared baking pan, (see recipe card for instructions). Bake for 30 minutes in a 350-degree oven.
22. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 20 to 30 minutes.
23. Combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon zest, milk, and salt.
24. Using either the whip attachment on the stand mixer, or a handheld electric mixer, slowly mix the ingredients together. Once they are mixed, increase to medium speed and continue until the icing is soft, creamy, and fluffy.
25. Fold about ¼ cup of the reserved compote into the cream cheese frosting.
26. Coat the top of the rolls with the frosting evenly and generously. Enjoy!
Chef Tip
This recipe has three separate smaller recipes within it, the dough, icing, and filling. One of the top tips that I could share would be that you can do these entirely separately in order to save time. You will need to make the dough a day in advance in order for it to be ready, so do this part first. You can make the blueberry compote just about any time, as it will stay fresh in the fridge for several days. The next morning after making the dough, do the cream cheese icing, and then you can assemble everything and bake the cinnamon rolls.
Variations
- Fresh Blueberries - if you would rather use fresh blueberries in this recipe, just make sure that the compote is thick enough due to the higher moisture content, and you may want to use more berries because of the same thing, (more water means lesser concentration of flavor).
- Different berries - blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, any kind will work
Storage & Helpful Hints
These sticky buns will remain fresh and delicious for up to three days at room temperature when stored in an airtight container. You can also store them in the refrigerator to extend the life of them for up to six or seven days, ( I doubt that they will last that long uneaten, though!). Pop them in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds to warm them up for the best taste explosion!
When doing the assembly, have a clean kitchen towel at the ready! To make the best cinnamon rolls, especially with sticky sweet fruit filling, it will most likely get messy. Trust us, though, the mess is well worth it!
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Yes, you can use fresh blueberries. You will have to use less water in the recipe, because fresh fruit has more water.
Yes, you can make it up to 3 days ahead of time. Keep it in the refrigerator tightly covered, and pull it out to warm up for about 40 minutes before rolling it out to create the cinnamon rolls.
Jason Miller says
Like I said, bomb-dot-com!!!