Cherry Almond Sweet Rolls
Updated June 28, 2019
Cherry Almond Sweet Rolls-soft and tender sweet rolls filled with tart cherries, almond paste, cinnamon, sugar, and finished with a sweet almond glaze and sliced almonds. These sweet rolls are a real breakfast treat!
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My dad's cinnamon rolls are famous for a reason, they are hands down the VERY best cinnamon rolls in the world. If you haven't tried them, you need to ASAP! His classic cinnamon rolls are my all-time favorite, but we like to play around with the recipe too.
My dad came to visit a few weeks ago and we switched things up a bit and made Cherry Almond Sweet Rolls. The cherry almond combo was SO good, I think we were all surprised by how much we love these sweet rolls. We were just playing around, but these Cherry Almond Sweet Rolls are going to be a regular in our kitchen.
The sweet rolls are filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, almond paste, and tart cherries. When the rolls come out of the oven, they get slathered with sweet almond frosting and are finished with sliced almonds. The cherry almond combo is perfection! They are a new favorite at our house and I think you will love them too!
Fresh or Frozen Cherries?
Cherries are the star of these sweet rolls and the good news? You can use fresh or frozen cherries. I like to use fresh cherries when they are in season, but when they aren't, frozen cherries work beautifully! Just make sure you use PITTED cherries. Chop the cherries, fresh or frozen, before adding them to the sweet rolls.
What is Almond Paste?
For the filling, you need almond paste. If you haven't used almond paste before, let me fill you in on this amazing ingredient. Almond paste is made from ground almonds and sugar, with small amounts of corn syrup and water, which are added for binding. Almond paste is similar to marzipan, but they are not the same and can't be used interchangeably. Almond paste is often used as a filling in pastries and cakes. It is sweet, soft, and has a coarse texture. It is sold in tubes or cans. You can find almond paste in the baking aisle at most grocery stores or you can buy it here.
To use the almond paste for the sweet rolls, crumble the almond paste in small pieces and sprinkle it over the brown sugar. The almond paste will melt into the sweet rolls creating an amazing almond flavor.
Tips for Making Sweet Rolls
- Mix the yeast with lukewarm water. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast. If the water is too cold it will take longer to bloom. If your yeast doesn't bubble up after about 5 minutes, start over. Yeast does expire, so check the date before you get started.
- I use my stand mixer to mix together the dough for sweet rolls, but I always knead the dough by hand after using the mixer. You want the dough to feel soft and satiny, it shouldn't be sticky.
- The dough needs to rise twice, the first time will take about 30 minutes. Make sure you place the dough in a warm place in your house to help the dough rise.
- After the first rise, remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured counter. Divide dough in half and work with one piece of dough at a time. Roll out the dough and spread it with butter, brown sugar, almond paste, cherries, and cinnamon.
- Gently roll up dough into one long roll. Cut rolls, using a piece of dental floss or thread, about two inches thick. Place rolls into a greased 9X13 baking pan, leaving a little space in between each roll so they have room to rise.
- Now follow the exact same steps with the other half of the dough. Place rolls in a warm spot and cover with a towel. Let rolls rise until double in bulk, about an hour.
- Bake the sweet rolls at 350 degrees F for 25-32 minutes or until golden brown on top. The insides should be soft, but not doughy. Remove pans from oven and let cool until slightly warm on a wire rack.
- While the rolls are cooling, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soft butter, confectioners' sugar, milk, and almond extract. Spread frosting on rolls and top with sliced almonds. Serve.
Sweet Breakfast or Brunch
These Cherry Almond Sweet Rolls are the perfect treat for breakfast or brunch. We like making them on a Saturday or Sunday, for Father's Day, 4th or July, baby showers, bridal showers, or any celebration. The cherry almond combo is perfection and the sweet rolls are melt in your mouth good!
More Cinnamon Roll Recipes:
Cherry Almond Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
For the rolls:
- 2 packages active dry yeast (4 ½ teaspoons)
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 6 tablespoons shortening or butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 9 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon salt
For the Cherry Filling:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 4 oz almond paste
- 3 cups chopped frozen or fresh cherries, pitted
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
For the Frosting:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Add yeast to 1 cup of lukewarm water. Stir with a spoon and set aside for about five minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add shortening or butter, sugar, and salt to hot water and beat for 30 seconds. Let cool to lukewarm temperature. Stir in 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture and mix until well combined. Mix in the beaten eggs.
- Gradually stir in the remaining flour and mix with the dough hook for about 2 minutes. Remove dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured counter. Knead by hand, add a little flour if the dough is still sticky. Knead until dough feels satiny and smooth.
- Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for 30 minutes or until dough doubles in size.
- Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured counter. Divide dough in half. Set one half aside and make sure you only use half of the filling ingredients, save the other half for the second piece of dough.
- With a rolling pin, roll one half of the dough into a rectangular shape. Spread dough evenly with half of the softened butter. Top evenly with half of the brown sugar. Next, crumble half of the almond paste in small pieces over the brown sugar. Place half of the pitted chopped cherries on top, spacing them out evenly and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon on top.
- Gently roll up dough into one long roll. Cut rolls, using a piece of dental floss or thread, about two inches thick. Place rolls into a greased 9X13 baking pan, leaving a little space in between each roll so they have room to rise.
- Now follow the exact same steps with the other half of the dough, using the remaining ingredients.
- Place rolls in a warm spot and cover with a towel. Let rolls rise until double in bulk, about an hour. Bake rolls at 350 degrees F for 25-32 minutes or until golden brown on top. The insides should be soft, but not doughy. Remove pans from oven and let cool until slightly warm on a wire rack.
- While the rolls are cooling, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soft butter, confectioners' sugar, milk, and almond extract. Spread frosting on rolls and top with sliced almonds. Serve.
Nutrition
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