Swirls of Raspberry Delight: Baking Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls

There's nothing quite like the tantalizing aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls perfuming the air with their warm, spicy sweetness. And when you add a vibrant twist of raspberries to the mix? Well, that's a whole new level of breakfast bliss! These Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls are little swirled morsels packed with bright berry flavor alongside the cozy comfort of buttery cinnamon-sugar.

Ingredients:

For the Dough:
- Milk
- Active dry yeast
- Eggs
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
For the Raspberry Filling: 
- Fresh or frozen raspberries
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon juice
- Cornstarch
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Filling:
- Melted butter
- Brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract

Instructions:

Step 1: Make the dough. In a bowl, warm the milk slightly and stir in the yeast to dissolve. Add in the eggs, melted butter, granulated sugar, and salt. Gradually stir in the flour until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Step 2: Prepare the raspberry filling. In a saucepan, combine the raspberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens to a jam-like consistency, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Step 3: Once the dough has risen, punch it down to release air bubbles. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. 

Step 4: Spread the melted butter evenly over the dough rectangle. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and ground cinnamon for the filling. Sprinkle this cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the buttered dough.

Step 5: Carefully spread the raspberry filling over the top of the cinnamon-sugar layer in an even layer. 
Step 6: Starting from one long side, tightly roll up the dough into a log, keeping the filling spiraled inside. Pinch the seam closed. Use a sharp knife to slice the log into 12 equal pieces, about 1-inch thick.

Step 7: Arrange the sliced cinnamon rolls cut-side up in a greased 9x13 baking dish or cast iron skillet. Cover and let rise again for 30 minutes, until puffy. (Or refrigerate unbaked rolls at this point to bake the next morning).

Step 8: Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover the risen rolls and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown on top.
Step 9: While the rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting. In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy.

Step 10: Remove the baked raspberry cinnamon rolls from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Generously drizzle the warm rolls with the cream cheese frosting.

Sink your teeth into one of these warm, gooey Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls and let the dance of juicy berries and warm cinnamon-sugar awaken your senses.

The flaky dough swirled with pockets of bright raspberry filling is truly dream-worthy. Bake up a batch of these special breakfast treats this weekend!