Name: Orange Spice Rolls
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 125 min
Ingredients: 1 cup milk; 1/4 cup butter; 2 1/4 teaspoons active yeast; 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup white sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 egg (beaten); 1/2 cup white sugar; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/4 cup butter (softened); 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 Tablespoon Orange zest; 2 cups powdered sugar; 1/4 cup orange juice (**fresh squeezed); 2-3 Tablespoons half and half ((based on consistency)); 1 Tablespoon orange zest

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Orange-Spice Rolls

Citrus season is in full swing and I’m taking full advantage! These fluffy rolls are not only filled with bits of orange zest, and warm spices like cardamom and cinnamon but topped with a sweet orange-infused frosting too!

Hello, friends!

I hope you all enjoyed the merriest of Christmas’ and a safe and blessed start to the new year!

Michael and I enjoyed time with both of our families for Christmas. The week after we were busy taking all the decorations down and organizing a few spaces. Then we quietly rang in the new year at home.

Then the first day of 2022 found us sipping our morning coffee, discussing our goals for the new year, and enjoying one of these SCRUMPTIOUS Orange-Spice rolls fresh from the oven.

Now if you’re new here, you probably aren’t aware that we are huge fans of sweet rolls.

Our 7-year-old grandson would eat them every day for breakfast if he could. His favorite? My plain old homemade cinnamon rolls.

Of course, if you were to ask him, there isn’t anything plain about the rolls. They are just SUPER yummy!

And me? Well, I think my favorite is Blueberry-Lemon. Or maybe Pumpkin Spice.

Oh heck. Who am I kidding? They are all my favorites.

Including today’s recipe.

I’ve been making these Orange Spice rolls for years now but recently decided to change it up just a wee bit.

It really seemed like a simple change. Just swapping out one ingredient for another.

I’d been doing some research on spices, and one of them on my list to try was Cardamom.

Up until that time, I’d never even heard of cardamom, never mind using it in any of my recipes.

But that all changed when I started to learn how complex and flavorful the spice really was.

That’s when I slowly started to incorporate it into my baking and I’ve never looked back.

The flavor of course will depend on what type of cardamom you use. (Green, Black, or White).

Although grinding fresh cardamom pods yourself is the absolute best way to get all the wonderful nuances of this “queen of spices” they are not easy to find at your local grocery.

But that is okay because a really good quality ground will do just fine. Most of the ground versions will use white cardamom. So you can expect a mild-warm spice filled with a slight sweetness. You might pick up flavors much like vanilla, nutmeg, and a wee bit of citrus.

Which of course I realized would go perfectly with my Orange Spice rolls!

So I made a few tweaks and Viola!

what else will you need to make the orange spice rolls?

(Affiliate links are provided throughout this post. If you make a purchase we will receive a small commission at no cost to you. All opinions are my own.)

Recommended tools & equipment:

Stand mixer with a dough hook
(1) medium mixing bowl
Glass measuring cup
9×13 baking pan
rolling pin
wooden spoon

Ingredients:

DOUGH:

Flour
White Sugar
Salt
Egg
Yeast
Milk
Butter

FILLING:

Brown Sugar
White Sugar
Butter
Ground Cardamom
Ground Cinnamon
Orange Zest

FROSTING:

Powdered Sugar
Half & Half
Orange Juice
Orange Zest
Vanilla

how to make orange spice rolls:

Create the dough:

Combine the yeast & warmed milk & butter. Allow this mixture to sit for 5 minutes, or until it begins to froth and bubble. (This means the yeast is activated)
. Add in the dry ingredients. Using your dough hook attachment, mix until the dough begins to form a ball. Add the beaten egg.
Continue to knead the dough with the dough hook for about 5 minutes. **NOTE: Dough will be sticky.
Grease a large mixing bowl with butter and place the dough into the bowl. Cover and place in a warm location for 20 minutes,

Combine filling ingredients (except for butter) in a medium mixing bowl.
Roll the dough out onto a well-floured surface. (I try and create a rectangle measuring 15″x 10″x 1″)
Spread the butter over the dough
Sprinkle with the dry filling mixture
Tightly roll up the dough.
Cut the roll into 12 pieces
Place each piece into the greased baking dish
Cover and place in a warm location to rise.
When rolls have risen-bake until golden brown. (About 15 minutes).

But be VERY prepared my friends. Because the moment you remove these fluffy spiced rolls from the oven, your home will be filled with the most AMAZING scents!

In fact, the smell will be so yummy that you might even convince yourself that these rolls don’t need the glorious-creamy-citrusy frosting I created. Because you just can’t wait to take a bite.

I’m telling you, my friends. You don’t want to skip this frosting. It’s thick and creamy and it has even more of that sweet orange flavor!

These light and spice-filled rolls were the perfect treats to ring in the new year! But would also be a great addition to your next family gathering or Sunday brunch.

Here’s the full recipe!