This is a yeast-risen sweet roll dough shaped into a candy cane, easy to make, filled with a delicious apple and cranberry jelly with just a hint of spice for a festive Christmas morning breakfast.
The dough is a simple basic recipe and perfect for making sweet rolls plain for dinner, or filled with just about anything you prefer we are making a holiday-themed easy-shaped dough.
As these baked in the oven on Christmas morning the smell was intoxicating to wake up to with anticipation to just grab hot right out of the oven as a child and still as an adult.
The apple and cranberry combination in a candy cane form is so festive on the table when served during the holiday season.
This versatile dough can be filled with another fruit if you’re not an apple lover, feel free to substitute another kind of filling or jam flavor of your choice.
You may remember my yeast-risen recipes like my Almond Filled Coffee Cake Recipe or my Amaretto Pannetone, two more of my delicious homemade breakfast treats.
You’ll find the complete instructions if you scroll to the bottom of the post and hit print to avoid any interruptions and get right to our recipe.
Step-by-Step Making Apple Cranberry Cane Cane Sweet Roll
- make the yeast dough and rise for 1 hour
- finely mince the apples (or another fruit you prefer)and set aside
- mix the cinnamon and sugar together
- roll out the dough
- add the apples and a little cranberry jelly
- sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar
- roll up like a jelly roll
- make slits on top after the next rise
- bake until golden around 25 minutes
- add more cranberry jelly in the slits on the candy cane
- drizzle with icing
Shopping List to Make This Festive Candy Cane Yeast Roll
- Dough:
- dry yeast
- warm water
- milk
- sugar
- softened butter
- salt
- flour
- eggs
- cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest
- Filling:
- sugar and cinnamon blended
- finely minced apples
- cranberry jelly or cranberry sauce
- Icing Ingredients:
- powdered sugar
- cream cheese
- butter
- vanilla
- For the complete recipe scroll to the printable instructions at the end of this post below
Some Tips for Making Apple Cranberry Candy Cane:
- Milk and water need to be about 110 degrees, if it’s too hot it kills the yeast
- be careful not to add too much spice to the dough it can kill the yeast (just a pinch of each cinnamon and nutmeg)
- Soften the butter and eggs to room temperature so it is soft and mixed in easily.
- Place the dough in a warm place covered with plastic wrap or a towel to eliminate drafts
- The dough will be a little tacky, do not add too much flour or overwork the dough
- Always preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Sweet Roll dough is basic and can be used for dinner rolls and other favorite fillings
- Let rise for at least 30 minutes for the second rising
- Add raisins or craisins to the filling if preferred scattered on the dough around 1/3 of a cup
- Use a different dried fruit if you’re not an apple fan or canned pie fillings just enough to thinly cover the dough do not overfill
- Make the slits just before baking and brush with beaten egg
- If you want to make a quick sweet filled candy cane, use refrigerator biscuits, phyllo dough, or premade crescent dough and follow the same instructions and bake to their package instructions
Shapes and Fillings for Sweet Roll Dough:
- The dough can be made into sweet rolls instead of a candy cane shape
- Frost only after cooling completely
- Make sweet dinner rolls (just make knots and rise) with no extra filling
- Other dried fruits can be substituted instead of apples
- Add orange zest and fresh cranberries or blueberries instead of apples
- Brush with egg wash before baking instead of frosting
- Substitute other fresh fruit like blueberry, diced fresh peaches, or chopped fresh pitted cherries, and top with coordinating jelly
- Use cream cheese on the dough and top with chocolate chips before rolling for a sweet filling
- After filling the dough, roll it up seam side down. Slice into 2-inch increments and place into a 13 x 9 baking pan lined with parchment for making rolls.
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Festive yeast risen dough filled with apples and cranberries shaped into a candy cane.
American
Yield: 14
Author: Claudia Lamascolo
Apple Cranberry Candy Cane Sweet Roll
Festive yeast risen dough filled with apples and cranberries shaped into a candy cane.
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinInactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 40 M
Ingredients
- Dough:
- 3 1/2 cups of AP flour ( a few extra teaspoons for rolling)
- 3/4 cup of whole milk heat to 109 degrees (use an instant-read thermometer)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 5 tablespoons of butter softened not melted
- 1 tablespoon of orange zest
- pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon
- Garnish: 1 beaten egg
- Apple Filling:
- 2 cups of thinly sliced apples
- 2 tablespoons of cinnamon and sugar mixture
- 1/2 cup or more of cranberry jelly divided (or you can use leftover cranberry sauce)
- Icing After Baking and Candy Cane is cooled:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar or more to make a free flowing icing
- 1/4 cup whipped cream cheese
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- (if the icing is too thick add a teaspoon of milk a little at a time for free-flowing)
- Note: this dough can be rolled up and sliced into rolls instead of shaping into a candy can if you prefer an Apple Cranberry roll.
Instructions
- Heat the milk to 109 degrees (a very important step), add the yeast to a large mixing bowl, and let this sit for 6 to 7 minutes.
- Add the sugars, butter, extract, eggs, salt, all the zest, spices, and 1 1/2 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture in a mixing bowl.
- Using the dough hook beat this mixture for 2 minutes then slowly add the flour to this batter.
- Knead the dough by hand for at least 5 to 6 minutes on a lightly floured mat or board.
- Place the dough in a warm spot and cover the dough with an oil-sprayed piece of plastic wrap or use a metal pan cover with a dish towel on top.
- Rise this dough for around 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- In the meantime, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Punch dough the dough.
- Roll out the dough into a long rectangle around 1/2 inch thick.
- Add the thinly sliced or diced apple in the center.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar around 1 tablespoon over the apples.
- Top randomly with around 1/4 cup of the jelly.
- Roll this up into a log shape.
- Bend the top to shape into a candy cane.
- Place seam side down on the baking sheet and cover this with plastic wrap.
- Rise again for around 35 minutes to 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Make slits with a razor blade on top candy can just around 2 inches long two on the bend around 4 on the long stem part of the dough.
- Brush with beaten egg.
- Bake until the top is nicely browned around 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool completely.
- Spoon the rest of the cranberry jelly into the slitted area of the candy cane spaces ( so the red is showing through the slits).
- Mix the icing ingredients until smooth and drizzle over the top, let dry.
Notes
Shapes and Fillings for Dough:
- The dough can be made into sweet rolls instead of a candy cane shape
- Frost only after cooling completely
- Make sweet dinner rolls (just make knots and rise) with no extra filling
- Other dried fruits can be substituted instead of apples
- Add orange zest and fresh cranberries or blueberries instead of apples
- Brush with egg wash before baking instead of frosting
- Substitute other fresh fruit like blueberry, diced fresh peaches, or chopped fresh pitted cherries, and top with coordinating jelly
- Use cream cheese on the dough and top with chocolate chips before rolling for a sweet filling
- After filling the dough, roll it up seam side down. Slice into 2-inch increments and place into a 13 x 9 baking pan lined with parchment for making rolls.
Some Tips for Making Apple Cranberry Candy Cane:
- Milk and water need to be about 110 degrees, if it’s too hot it kills the yeast
- Soften the butter and eggs to room temperature so it is soft and mixed in easily.
- Place the dough in a warm place covered with plastic wrap or a towel to eliminate drafts
- The dough will be a little tacky, do not add too much flour or overwork the dough
- Always preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Sweet Roll dough is basic and can be used for dinner rolls and other favorite fillings
- Let rise for at least 30 minutes for the second rising
- Add raisins or craisins to the filling if preferred scattered on the dough around 1/3 of a cup
- Use a different dried fruit if you’re not an apple fan or canned pie fillings just enough to thinly cover the dough do not overfill
- Make the slits just before baking and brush with beaten egg
- If you want to make a quick sweet filled candy cane, use refrigerator biscuits, phyllo dough, or premade crescent dough and follow the same instructions and bake to their package instructions
Nutrition Facts
Sodium (milligrams)
256 mg
Cholesterol (grams)
49 mg
The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.
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