Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls

Fluffy and extra pillowy, these Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls are swirled with homemade blackberry filling and slathered with tangy blackberry cream cheese frosting!

What happens when you combine sweet juicy blackberries and fluffy cinnamon rolls?

Well, you get one of the most heavenly treats to ever exist on this planet…

These Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls are absolutely bursting with blackberry lusciousness! Not only are they swirled with brown sugar cinnamon filling, but they’re also loaded with delicious homemade blackberry filling. They’re also slathered with the most delectable blackberry cream cheese frosting. That’s right! This definitely ain’t your ordinary cream cheese frosting. It’s BLACKBERRY cream cheese frosting! 

A few months back, I made these Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls. Not to toot my own horn, but they were perfection. Brimming with blueberries…so soft and incredibly fluffy, it was like biting into a cloud. After that, I knew I had to try this same recipe with blackberries. 

Needless to say, I was NOT disappointed. And I guarantee you won’t be disappointed either if you give this recipe a try! Although cinnamon rolls do require a little time and patience, the reward will be well worth it! I pinky promise!

You’ll need to begin by making the blackberry filling first since it needs to cool completely before it’s rolled up in the dough. Ever since I discovered how easy it is to make your own fruit filling, I’ve stopped using the store-bought canned pie filling that barely has any actual fruit in it.

For this filling, you can either use fresh of frozen blackberries. I used blackberries that I picked this past summer and flash-froze in my freezer. Place the berries into a medium saucepan and cook on medium-low until their juices begin to release. As they slowly cook, combine some granulated sugar, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. Pour this mixture into the berries and stir everything together. After about 5 minutes, the mixture should thicken up and look like a nice pie filling. Immediately transfer it to a shallow bowl and allow it to cool completely by chilling it in the refrigerator. Oh! And DON’T forget to transfer 1/4 cup of the filling to a separate bowl. This will be needed for the cream cheese frosting later on…

Now it’s DOUGH time! To simplify things a little, I’ve listed a few tips for making the BEST cinnamon rolls:

1. Test your yeast FIRST. This recipe uses active dry yeast, which is “proofed” before it’s added to the rest of the dough ingredients. To ensure that it’s still alive and active, just dissolve a teaspoon of granulated sugar in warm water. Depending on the brand of yeast, the water temperature should be between 105ºF and 115ºF. Add the yeast and stir until fully dissolved. After about 10 minutes, the mixture should’ve risen to double or triple in size. This means that your yeast is active! 
2. Secret ingredient–PUDDING MIX. I’m a huge advocate of pudding mix due to the fact that it adds both sweetness and softness to most any baked good, whether it’s cakes, cookies, or in this case, cinnamon rolls. The pudding mix makes the dough nice and pliable, and ensures that the rolls bake up EXTRA pillowy. 
3. DON’T add too much flour. Adding too much flour to the dough can make cinnamon rolls dry and tough. This recipe calls for 3 – 3 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour. I usually start with 3 cups, and mix in my stand mixer until the dough just cleans the sides of the bowl. It should still stick to the bottom of the bowl. If it’s still really sticking to the sides of the bowl, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until you reach the right amount.
4. DON’T over-knead/over-work the dough. After the dough rises, punch it down, plop it onto a floured surface, and get to rolling. You might be tempted to knead the dough a little since the dough is rather sticky, but try your best not to. Just sprinkle flour all over the ball of dough and rub a good amount onto the rolling pin. The less you work the dough, the softer the rolls will be.
5. Use dental floss to cut the rolls. THIS is a game-changer, folks. Contrary to popular belief, a sharp serrated knife is not the best tool for cutting rolls because you still end up smashing them in the process. Floss, on the other hand doesn’t! Simply tear off a long strand of floss, slide it underneath the log of dough, bring both ends up, twist them around each other and pull tightly. You get a neat, sharp cut every time! Oh, and make sure you use unwaxed, UNFLAVORED dental floss.
6. DON’T over-bake the cinnamon rolls. Baking the cinnamon rolls for too long can dry them out. I baked these cinnamon rolls in a 350ºF oven for exactly 28 minutes. It can be a little trickier to know exactly when the cinnamon rolls are completely baked through, but if the tops look golden brown, that’s a good sign they’re done.

Once the brown sugar cinnamon filling is evenly spread on top of the dough, you’ll take the cooled blackberry filling and spread it on top. Try to leave about an inch of space along the edges since the filling tends to squish out of the sides as you’re rolling the dough up. Also, when you’re rolling the dough up into a log, instead of using a pushing action, try to LIFT and roll the dough on top of itself. This will keep the blackberry filling from smushing out. 

After you’ve used the super nifty dental floss trick to slice the cinnamon rolls, place them into a greased baking dish. I’ve found that it’s easiest to use a narrow metal spatula to scoop the roll up and transfer it to the baking dish. Once all 12 rolls are in the pan, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow them to rise for an hour. However, if you’d rather wait to bake them up the next morning, place the rolls into the refrigerator immediately after they’ve been placed into the baking dish. This is supposed to be done BEFORE their second rise. Most likely, they’ll end up rising in the refrigerator anyway, but that’s totally fine. I’ve kept my cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator for up to 20 hours, and they baked up perfectly.

Although there’s definitely nothing wrong with good ol’ classic cream cheese frosting, I thought these cinnamon rolls would really stand out with BLACKBERRY cream cheese frosting. The frosting recipe is pretty standard. Beat equal parts butter and cream cheese together, add a splash of vanilla, a little corn syrup (for a glossy shine), and some powdered sugar.

Now that you’ve got your cream cheese frosting, remove the bowl from the mixer and use your hand to fold in HALF of the reserved blackberry filling–about 2 Tablespoons. Try not to over-mix. You still want to see streaks of white.

After you spread the frosting on top of the cinnamon rolls, take those last 2 Tablespoons of blackberry filling, dab a little onto each roll, and use an offset spatula or a butter knife to gently swirl it into the frosting. This is how you create that fancy artsy fartsy look.

Unbelievably fluffy…deliciously ooey gooey centers…and PHENOMENAL blackberry cream cheese frosting. These Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls are what Cinnabon cinnamon rolls ASPIRE to be…

Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls

Fluffy and extra pillowy, these Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls are swirled with homemade blackberry filling and slathered with tangy blackberry cream cheese frosting!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Resting Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 12 Rolls

Ingredients

  

Blackberry Filling:

• 3 ½ cup blackberries, fresh or frozen
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 ½ Tablespoon cornstarch
• ⅛ teaspoon of salt

Dough:

• ¼ cup warm water*
• 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (one 1/4-ounce packet)
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ¼ cup instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup milk, warmed in microwave for 30-40 seconds
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 Tablespoon Greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3-3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Filling:

• 5 Tablespoons salted butter, softened
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 5 ounces cream cheese
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 Tablespoon corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup blackberry filling, reserved from filling

Instructions

 

Make the Blackberry Filling:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the blackberries over medium heat until they soften and their juices start to release, about 3-4 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add mixture to the blackberries and continue cooking until it begins to thicken, about 4-5 minutes.
• Take the pan off the heat and pour berry filling into a shallow bowl. Transfer 1/4 cup of the filling to a small bowl to use for the frosting. Chill in the refrigerator to cool completely.

Make the Dough:

• In a glass measuring cup, combine the water, yeast, and sugar; set aside to foam for about 5-10 minutes.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the pudding mix and milk together until combined and thickened. Add the butter, Greek yogurt, egg, and salt, beating until fully combined.
• Switch to the dough hook, and add the yeast mixture and 3 cups of the flour. Mix the dough on low and allow it to knead for about 6-7 minutes. If dough is still too sticky, add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until dough just cleans the bowl, but is very soft. It should still stick to the bottom of the bowl.
• Coat a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray and place dough in bowl. Seal tightly with plastic wrap. Place bowl in a warm place and allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. In the meantime, spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
• After dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Turn dough out onto a floured Silpat or floured countertop. With a rolling pin, roll it out to an 18-by-12-inch rectangle. Sprinkle extra flour onto the dough if it begins to stick to the rolling pin.
• Make the cinnamon brown sugar filling by combining the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Spread the filling evenly over the entire surface of the dough. Pour the blackberry filling on top of the brown sugar filling and spread evenly. Roll dough tightly into a log, ending with the seam side down. Pinch the ends to seal.
• Using plain, unwaxed dental floss (or a bench scraper), slice the rolls into 12 evenly-sized rolls. Arrange the rolls cut side down in the prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.

*If Baking Immediately

• Allow the rolls to rise again in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

*Or...If You Want to Bake the Rolls the Next Day

• Place covered rolls in the refrigerator for up to 20 hours. Before baking, let the rolls sit at room temperature until they have nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour.**

Baking:

• For either version, bake at 350ºF for 25-30 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. While the rolls bake, prepare the cream cheese frosting.

Make the Frosting:

• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the corn syrup, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl, and beat for 1 more minute until light and fluffy. Stir in 2 Tablespoons of the reserved blackberry filling.
• Once the rolls have baked, remove from the oven. Spread the cream cheese frosting over the warm rolls. Take the remaining 2 Tablespoons of blackberry filling, dab the tops of each cinnamon roll, then use a knife or spatula to swirl it into the frosting. Serve immediately.
• Rolls are best eaten fresh, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Reheat leftover rolls for 10-15 seconds in the microwave before serving.

Notes

*Different brands require different water temperatures for the yeast to react with. Make sure to use a food thermometer to get the correct temperature. You don't want the water too hot, or it will kill the yeast; too cold, and the yeast won't react. Mine had to be anywhere between 110ºF-115ºF.

**My cinnamon rolls usually rise slowly when they're in the refrigerator overnight. If they're already doubled in size the next morning, just let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to take the chill off, then bake.