Unbelievably soft, pillowy, golden brioche rolls filled with gooey cinnamon-brown sugar and citrus blueberry compote, slathered with a sweet and tangy whipped blueberry cream cheese icing. Step-by-step from scratch with an easy overnight option so they’re ready-to-bake in the morning.
The best kind of weekend is one that starts with the aroma of hot, gooey homemade cinnamon rolls… Do you smell it? Add in a vibrant citrus blueberry compote and tangy whipped blueberry cream cheese icing, and you have the ultimate comfort food for spring and summer mornings. These insanely soft, pillowy, buttery brioche blueberry cinnamon rolls are just what you need for Mother’s Day, Labor Day, and every brunch in between.
The recipe includes an overnight option for stress-free mornings plus a convenient small-batch version that’s perfect for the family or smaller gatherings. The effort required to make the dough from scratch is nothing compared to the catharsis of the process, the aroma, the presentation, the taste, and the overwhelming satisfaction of the crowd.
Brioche Dough
This is the only brioche dough recipe you’ll ever need. Use it for every type of cinnamon roll, sweet bun, monkey bread, and soft loaf you can dream of. There are just a few simple ingredients:
- whole milk, warmed to about 110ºF
- instant yeast
- granulated sugar
- an egg + a yolk, at room temp
- unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- bread flour
- fine sea salt
Bread flour (instead of all-purpose flour) makes the texture of these rolls extra special. The higher protein content allows for more gluten formation, meaning stronger, stretchier dough. The result is taller, airier, fluffier rolls. You’ll know what I mean when you see the rolls puff up like magic and try to crawl out of the pan. Gluten is also how you get that super satisfying stretch when you pull apart a freshly baked roll.
In this recipe, kneading the dough is crucial for gluten development–thus optimal dough strength and chew. But don’t fear this step! You can easily avoid a big floury mess and even bigger forearm workout (unless you prefer it that way, in which case be my guest). All you need is a dough hook for your hand-held electric mixer or stand mixer, and it will do all the work for you in just 7 minutes. Then you just plop the dough ball into a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot.
Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Filling
After rolling out the dough, start with a slather of the classic cinnamon-brown sugar-butter combo. It gives the rolls the warmth and nostalgia everyone craves, plus extra softness and gooeyness in the center.
Citrus Blueberry Compote
This vibrant blueberry compote is ultra rich in blueberry flavor, bright and tangy with a hint of orange, and not overly sweet. It’s loaded with plump blueberries that add satisfying texture to the rolls. Not to mention, it comes together in just a few minutes on the stovetop. Just combine the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until thickened:
- fresh or frozen blueberries
- granulated sugar or maple syrup
- orange juice + cornstarch slurry
Save a few spoonfuls for the blueberry cream cheese icing, and you may even want to make an extra batch to serve on French toast, pancakes, waffles, ice cream, cheesecake…
Assembly
Spread the blueberry compote over the cinnamon-sugar layer, and you’re ready to roll.
To assemble the rolls, you have two major options:
- Roll the whole rectangle into a log, then slice cross-wise with a serrated knife or unscented floss.
- OR use a pizza wheel to cut vertical strips across the width of the rectangle, then roll up each strip by hand.
Overnight Option
At this point, you can move forward with the second rise (about 45 min starting from room temp) and bake, OR cover the dish and refrigerate overnight (ideally no more than 12 hours). About two hours before you plan to serve, pull the dish out of the fridge, bring to room temp and place in a warm spot for the second rise (about 1.5 hours total from the fridge), and you’re ready to bake.
I’m continually amazed at how much this dough puffs up during both rises (after kneading and after assembling the rolls). When they look like this, they’re ready to bake. Just takes 20-25 minutes at 350ºF .
Blueberry Cream Cheese Icing
The icing is super easy to whip together just before serving. It’s creamy, fluffy, melty, and has the perfect balance of sweetness and tang. Using a whisk or electric hand mixer, beat together:
- softened full-fat cream cheese (from the block)
- softened unsalted butter
- powdered sugar
- sea salt
- vanilla
- reserved citrus blueberry compote
Smear it all over the hot rolls right out of the oven, and let it melt down into the nooks. 🙂 No decorative skills required.
Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls with Blueberry Cream Cheese Icing
Unbelievably soft, pillowy, golden brioche rolls filled with gooey cinnamon-brown sugar and citrus blueberry compote, slathered with a sweet and tangy whipped blueberry cream cheese icing. Step-by-step from scratch with an easy overnight option so they're ready-to-bake in the morning.
Notes
The full recipe as written makes 9 large rolls. For a small batch of 6 rolls, simply multiply the ingredients by 2/3.
- For the dough: 1/2 cup milk, 1.5 tsp yeast, 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp sugar, 1 egg, 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp (37g) butter, 2 cups (240g) bread flour, 1/2 tsp salt.
- For the cinnamon sugar filling: 2.5 Tbsp butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, heaping 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
- For the blueberry compote: 1 1/3 cups blueberries, 1 Tbsp + 1 tso sugar, 2 Tbsp orange juice, 2 tsp cornstarch.
- For the icing: 75g cream cheese, 2 Tbsp butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, pinch sea salt, 1/4 tsp vanilla, 1.5 Tbsp blueberry compot
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3/4 cup whole milk, warmed to ~110ºF
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast (1/4-ounce package)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg plus 1 yolk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3 cups (360g) bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 3/4 tsp salt
For the cinnamon sugar filling:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the blueberry compote:
- 2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar or maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp orange juice
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
For the icing:
- 4 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/16 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp reserved blueberry compote
Instructions
- Warm the milk: Pour milk into a microwave-safe measuring cup and microwave 40-45 seconds, or to about 110ºF (like warm bath water). Make sure it is not scalding, as it could kill the yeast.
- Transfer the warm milk to the bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle yeast on top. Add sugar, egg, yolk, and melted butter (warm, not hot). Mix until fully combined.
- Stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.
- Place dough hook on stand mixer or electric hand mixer, and knead dough on medium speed for 8 minutes. The dough should form into a structured, stretchy ball and be slightly sticky to the touch. (If too wet or sticking to the bottom of the bowl, add in 1-2 Tbsp additional bread flour.)
- Transfer the dough ball to a well-oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Place in a warm spot (such as a slightly warm oven, turned off, with the door cracked) and let it rise 1 - 1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Make the blueberry compote: In a small bowl, whisk the orange juice and cornstarch together until you have a slurry without lumps. In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar or maple syrup, and orange juice slurry. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir. Reduce heat to low and let it gently bubble until thickened and jammy, stirring occasionally (about 5 more minutes). Transfer to a heat-proof container and let it cool to room temp. Store covered in the refrigerator if making in advance.
- After the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a well-floured surface. Roll it out into a 14x9-inch rectangle, the long axis oriented horizontally.
- Make the cinnamon sugar filling: In a small bowl, add the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and mix until fully combined.
- Evenly spread the cinnamon sugar filling over the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch margin at the far end of the dough.
- Reserve about 2 Tbsp of the blueberry compote to use in the icing. Spread the rest of the compote evenly over the cinnamon sugar filling.
- Use a pizza wheel to cut the dough into 9 equal vertical strips, each about 1.5 inches wide. Tightly roll each strip of dough away from you into a pinwheel. (Alternatively, roll the whole rectangle into a 14-inch-long log, starting at one end and progressively tucking the edge closest to you under, then rolling tightly away from you. Then, using a serrated knife or unscented floss, cut the log into 9 equal rolls, about 1.5 inches each.)
- Prepare a 9x9-inch baking pan or 9-inch round cake pan by greasing with cooking spray or butter and lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- Place rolls in the prepared pan, pinwheel side up. They should be close enough to just touch each other with some room to expand.
- For the overnight option: Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove the pan from the fridge, loosen the plastic wrap to allow room for expansion, and cover with a warm towel. Bring to room temperature on the counter, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1.5 - 2 hours in total. For the same-day option: Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a warm towel, and let rise again until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Remove plastic wrap and towel. Bake the buns 20-25 minutes, or until just golden on the edges.
- Make the icing: Add the cream cheese and butter to a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to mix on low-medium until combined. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, then increase to medium-high speed until whipped and fluffy. Add the salt, vanilla, and blueberry compote and gently mix until evenly combined.
- After removing the rolls from the oven, smear the icing over the tops of the rolls. Serve immediately.
- When completely cool, wrap any leftover rolls tightly with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator up to 3 days.
To reheat leftovers:
- Oven or toaster oven: Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350ºF. Place cold rolls on a large sheet of foil. Pour about 1 Tbsp water (per roll) over and around each roll. Wrap them up in the foil so they are completely covered. Place in the heated oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Microwave (in a pinch): Place one roll on a microwave-safe plate. Wet and squeeze a paper towel, then wrap the damp paper towel over and around the roll. Mcrowave about 20-30 seconds, or until soft and heated through.