Name: Apple Cranberry Candy Cane Sweet Roll
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 14
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Dough:; 3 1/2 cups of AP flour ( a few extra teaspoons for rolling); 3/4 cup of whole milk heat to 109 degrees (use an instant-read thermometer); 1 teaspoon granulated sugar; 2 eggs at room temperature; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla; 5 tablespoons of butter softened not melted; 1 tablespoon of orange zest; pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon; Garnish: 1 beaten egg; Apple Filling:; 2 cups of thinly sliced apples; 2 tablespoons of cinnamon and sugar mixture; 1/2 cup or more of cranberry jelly divided (or you can use leftover cranberry sauce); Icing After Baking and Candy Cane is cooled:; 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar or more to make a free flowly icing; 1/4 cup whipped cream cheese; 1/4 cup butter melted; 1 teaspoon vanilla; (if the icing is too thick add a teaspoon of milk a little at a time for free flowing); Note: this dough can be rolled up and sliced into rolls instead of shaping into a candy can if you prefer an Apple Cranberry roll.

This is a yeast-risen sweet roll dough shaped into a candy cane, easy to make, filled with a delicious apple and cranberry jelly with just a hint of spice for a festive Christmas morning breakfast.

The dough is a simple basic recipe and perfect for making sweet rolls plain for dinner, or filled with just about anything you prefer we are making a holiday-themed easy-shaped dough.

As these baked in the oven on Christmas morning the smell was intoxicating to wake up to with anticipation to just grab hot right out of the oven as a child and still as an adult.

The apple and cranberry combination in a candy cane form is so festive on the table when served during the holiday season.

This versatile dough can be filled with another fruit if you're not an apple lover, feel free to substitute another kind of filling or jam flavor of your choice.

You may remember my yeast-risen recipes like my Almond Filled Coffee Cake Recipe or my Amaretto Pannetone, two more of my delicious homemade breakfast treats.

You'll find the complete instructions if you scroll to the bottom of the post and hit print to avoid any interruptions and get right to our recipe.

holiday yeast risen dough shaped into a candy cane

Step-by-Step Making Apple Cranberry Cane Cane Sweet Roll

make the yeast dough and rise for 1 hour
finely mince the apples (or another fruit you prefer)and set aside
mix the cinnamon and sugar together
roll out the dough
add the apples and a little cranberry jelly
sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar
roll up like a jelly roll
make slits on top after the next rise
bake until golden around 25 minutes
add more cranberry jelly in the slits on the candy cane
drizzle with icing

yeast risen dough shaped into a candy cane

Shopping List to Make This Festive Candy Cane Yeast Roll

Dough:
dry yeast
warm water
milk
sugar
softened butter
salt
flour
eggs
cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest
Filling:
sugar and cinnamon blended
finely minced apples
cranberry jelly or cranberry sauce
Icing Ingredients:
powdered sugar
cream cheese
butter
vanilla
For the complete recipe scroll to the printable instructions at the end of this post below

this is homemade yeast risen candy cane roll dough

Some Tips for Making Apple Cranberry Candy Cane:

Milk and water need to be about 110 degrees, if it's too hot it kills the yeast
be careful not to add too much spice to the dough it can kill the yeast (just a pinch of each cinnamon and nutmeg)
Soften the butter and eggs to room temperature so it is soft and mixed in easily.
Place the dough in a warm place covered with plastic wrap or a towel to eliminate drafts
The dough will be a little tacky, do not add too much flour or overwork the dough
Always preheat oven to 350 degrees
Sweet Roll dough is basic and can be used for dinner rolls and other favorite fillings
Let rise for at least 30 minutes for the second rising
Add raisins or craisins to the filling if preferred scattered on the dough around 1/3 of a cup
Use a different dried fruit if you're not an apple fan or canned pie fillings just enough to thinly cover the dough do not overfill
Make the slits just before baking and brush with beaten egg
If you want to make a quick sweet filled candy cane, use refrigerator biscuits, phyllo dough, or premade crescent dough and follow the same instructions and bake to their package instructions

this is sweet roll dough with all the ingredients in bowls to make cinnamon rolls

Shapes and Fillings for Sweet Roll Dough:

The dough can be made into sweet rolls instead of a candy cane shape
Frost only after cooling completely
Make sweet dinner rolls (just make knots and rise) with no extra filling
Other dried fruits can be substituted instead of apples
Add orange zest and fresh cranberries or blueberries instead of apples
Brush with egg wash before baking instead of frosting
Substitute other fresh fruit like blueberry, diced fresh peaches, or chopped fresh pitted cherries, and top with coordinating jelly
Use cream cheese on the dough and top with chocolate chips before rolling for a sweet filling
After filling the dough, roll it up seam side down. Slice into 2-inch increments and place into a 13 x 9 baking pan lined with parchment for making rolls.

rolled up yeast dough for a candy cane shaped filled sweet roll

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Festive yeast risen dough filled with apples and cranberries shaped into a candy cane.

American

Yield: 14

Author: Claudia Lamascolo