If you are a lover of cranberries and cinnamon rolls…and you may want to save time this holiday in the kitchen..this recipe is for you! Ready in less than 40 minutes with minimal prep and work, this gooey cinnamon roll casserole bedecked with tart Christmas cranberries is sure to please!

Ingredients

  • One can Pillsbury Flaky Grands! Cinnamon Rolls (5 rolls)

Fresh Cranberries & Brown Sugar Compote

  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • ½ Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp milk or half n half
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla

Extra Frosting (Optional; I make extra to serve)

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp milk or half n half
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla

Tools & Timing

  • Cooking spray
  • Kitchen shears (or sharp knife)
  • 9 in baking dish (or two smaller dishes that equate to a similar volume; a 9 in square dish easily holds 4 cups of water )
  • Small glass prep bowl and spoon
  • *If making extra frosting, you will also need beaters and a large prep bowl
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Oven Mitts (or towels)
  • Timing: 25-35 minutes, depending on pan size *If a different size of pans, watch the bake time (I used two 5 ½ inch pie dishes, and it took about 30-32 minutes)

Background

It’s always fun to make fancy breakfast for holidays (well, I think so)! Last year, I made fancy cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning…however, they definitely required some work…so when I saw a cinnamon roll hack from Crazy for Crust, I knew I had to try it! Turns out, it works really well…so I added cranberries to make it festive…and voila! Easy Christmas Cranberry Cinnamon Roll Bake! Enjoy!

This cinnamon roll casserole is adapted from Crazy for Crust

Cranberry compote adapted from Half Baked Harvest

Step-by-step

  1. Rinse, sort, and dry cranberries (note: you could use frozen cranberries; simply thaw and dry them).
  2. Preheat oven to 350 and spray either a 9 in pan or three 5 ½ in pans with cooking spray.
  3. Prep brown sugar cranberry compote: melt butter in heatproof bowl. Add cranberries and toss so berries are coated in butter. Add brown sugar and cinnamon and toss again.
  4. Open cinnamon rolls. Separate rolls, then, using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cute each roll into 6 equal parts. (If using two dishes, make sure to cut 2 ½ rolls for one pan, and 2 ½ rolls for the other!)
  5. Place pieces of rolls into baking dish(es).
  6. Scoop cranberries onto pieces of rolls, working to space them evenly across the top of your ‘casserole.’
  7. *If using two dishes, you may want to place a large cookie sheet under them.
  8. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and cooked through. Check for doneness by using a knife to gently separate pieces of cinnamon rolls directly in the center of the casserole – you’ll be able to see if the center is still doughy or is cooked! If not done, return to oven for another 5 minutes.  
  9. *If making extra frosting (ok…ok…I always want extra frosting!), do it when the rolls are baking: simply add your powdered sugar, milk or half and half, and vanilla to your prep bowl and beat on medium until all ingredients are blended. I put this extra frosting out in a cute serving pitcher or bowl in case anyone wants extra 🙂
  10. When done, remove from oven. Let rest for 2 minutes. Drizzle with frosting from package and serve!