I can’t believe that I haven’t shared this recipe here before.  These buttery, sweet orange rolls are one of my favorite family traditions.  Every holiday memory I have revolves around these orange rolls…in our house we call the time of year from Thanksgiving to Easter “Orange Roll Season” because we know they will pop up at family dinners.  I can’t wait to head to grandma’s house this year and be the first to taste test a batch hot out of the oven.  While they are a teeny bit time intensive, they are worth every minute spent making them.  And, my advice?  Double the batch.  These re-heat really well and are great for breakfast all week long…if they last that long. 😉

I love the way that cooking and baking are a way for family traditions to be passed from one generation to another.  One of my favorite things is being in the kitchen at my grandma’s house working together preparing family meals.  I love to watch her cook and I learn so many little tips and tricks from just being in the kitchen with her.  It is fun to be able to pass those same traditions on to my kiddos.

Here are a few tools that I use to make these rolls which I have learned over the years will make life much easier!

Silicone Cookie Sheet

Non-Stick Muffin Tins (you will need 4 for this recipe)

Zester/Grater (this is one of my all-time favorite kitchen tools…it makes taking the skin off citrus SO easy!)

Here’s all you need to know for perfect Orange Rolls:

Yield: 30-36 rolls

Holiday Baking: Recipe for the best Buttery and Sweet Orange Rolls

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The best cinnamon roll style rolls with a gooey sugary orange flavored filling. The perfect compliment to holiday dinners.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 packages yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water (sprinkle a little granulated sugar on top to aid in yeast growth)
• 2 Cups Warm Milk (not hot, just warm)
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 2 eggs (these are best at room temperature or at least warmer than right out of the fridge too, it all helps the yeast)
• 6-7 Cups of Flour
• 1 Cup Oil or Shortening (I use oil)
• Filling: ( I double this recipe)
• 1 Cube Butter (room temperature)
• 1 Cup Sugar
• Zest of One Orange
• A little bit of orange juice from one of your oranges. No too much, you don't want to make the filling runny.

Instructions

Combine Milk, Sugar and Oil in a mixer or by hand with a beater.
Add 1/2 of your flour
Beat in eggs and yeast
Add more flour to reach the 6-7 cups mark (just enough to make it so your dough is soft...not sticky, but not hard either) and mix until all is combined and dough is soft
Put dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover. Let it rise until doubled in size either overnight in the fridge, or in a warm spot for a few hours. It usually takes about 60-90 minutes for me) Punch it down and divide dough in half.
Roll the first half of the dough out into a rectangle. I like to use a Silicone Baking Sheet that I have to roll out my dough. The dough doesn't stick to it and you don't need additional flour.


Mix your filling. I double the filling in the recipe because, well, that's the best part! 😉 However much filling you make, spread half of the filling out evenly over first half of your dough...it should be about whipped frosting consistency. Once your filling is spread evenly, roll your dough like you would a cinnamon roll... Now to cut the rolls...I cut mine with dental floss...yes, floss. It makes a clean easy cut with no mess. Cut each roll about 1 inch thick. Place the rolls in a greased muffin tin. Once you have cut out all the rolls (each half of the dough makes about 18-20 rolls), let them rise again until doubled, then bake.


Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes depending on your oven and altitude.


When you bake them, keep a close eye on them. They brown much faster on top than they cook through in the middle. I watch for the tops to get just golden brown...usually about 7-8 minutes in, depending on your oven, and then I place a loose piece of foil over them to cover the tops for the rest of the baking time so that they don't get too dark. As soon as you remove them from the oven, wait 30 seconds to a minute and then flip them upside down onto a piece of parchment paper and let the ooey, gooey filling run back onto the bottom of the rolls.

Let them cool for a few minutes (if you can handle it...but we have burned our tongues plenty of times because we are impatient ;)) Enjoy!

Mix your filling.  I double the filling in the recipe because, well, that’s the best part! 😉  However much filling you make, spread half of the filling out evenly over first half of your dough.

Once your filling is spread evenly, roll your dough like you would a cinnamon roll…

Now to cut the rolls…I cut mine with dental floss…yes, floss.  It makes a clean easy cut with no mess.  Cut each roll about 1 inch thick.  Place the rolls in a greased muffin tin.

Once you have cut out all the rolls (each half of the dough makes about 18-20 rolls), let them rise again until doubled, then bake.  When you bake them, keep a close eye on them.  They brown much faster on top than they cook through in the middle.  I watch for the tops to get just golden brown…usually about 7-8 minutes in, depending on your oven, and then I place a loose piece of foil over the tops of them for the rest of the baking time so that they don’t get too dark.  When you remove them from the oven, wait for 30 seconds to a minute and then flip them upside down onto a piece of parchment paper and let the ooey, gooey filling run back onto the bottom of the rolls.  As they cool the filling will become less molten lava and more sticky goodness.  My last tip, try not to burn your tongue too badly when you can’t wait to dive into them and they are still burning hot. 😉

I hope you enjoy these rolls and they become as much a part of your family as they are ours.
Tammy