Julie Clark
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Cherry Rolls
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In under 1 hour, you’ll be serving up these Amish Cherry Rolls with almond glaze. Soft, sweet dough pairs perfectly with the tart cherries stuffed inside. This is a no yeast sweet roll recipe!
When I’m in the mood to sit down and read, I often pick up a cookbook. I love pouring through old church cookbooks and finding new recipes to try.
I had been eyeing up this recipe for Amish Cherry Rolls for awhile now. I’d flip past the dog-eared page and tell myself, “Sometime soon…these will be on a plate in front of me!”.
I made it a priority this spring to make the glazed cherry rolls and let me tell you…they did not disappoint! Soft, sour cream based dough and homemade cherry sauce…you’ll fall in love with these cherry sweet rolls!
About the Cherry Rolls:
Two things about this easy sweet roll dough:
- No yeast. This means the dough is quick. No kneading, no rising. Just mix it up, roll it out and bake. The cherry rolls will be ready in under 1 hour!
- Sour cream. When I saw sour cream as an ingredient, I knew these rolls would be a winner! Substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream in this recipe if you’d like a little extra protein. Either one makes the rolls so soft.
- Tart cherries. Although many cherry roll recipes call for cherry pie filling or cherry preserves, which are sweet cherries, this recipe calls for canned tart cherries. They have such a homemade flavor using this type of cherries. And they are the same cherries we use in my grandma’s cherry pie!
- Homemade cherry sauce. Use both white and brown sugar and cherry juice as the base of this homemade syrup. Cornstarch thickens the sauce and it is flavored with a touch of almond extract and a pad of butter for richness.
How to Make Cherry Rolls
- Make the dough. The key to making the dough is to not overmix it. Whisk the sour cream, then add in the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula just until combined.
- Assemble the rolls. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, spread it with a bit of butter, the drained tart cherries, two tablespoons of sugar and a touch of cinnamon sprinkled on top. Roll them up like cinnamon rolls and cut them into 9-12 slices, depending on your pan size. (A deep dish 9″ round pie pan or 9×13″ baking pan.
- Make the syrup. In a saucepan, combine the sugars, corn starch, juice, extract and coloring. Bring this mixture to a boil and stir constantly over medium heat. Boil until the mixture thickens slightly (about 5-10 minutes). Then stir in the butter and mix well. Butter may sound like a strange addition, but I add it to my strawberry topping and raspberry sauce. It adds richness!
- Bake the rolls. Pour the syrup over the unbaked rolls. Please note: The syrup will bubble up as the rolls cook, so just be sure the pan isn’t full to the top or it will overflow. (If you’re using the pie late you may not use all of the syrup.) Bake the rolls for 25 minutes or until just lightly golden brown.
Catch any drips
Bake the cherry rolls with a cookie sheet underneath to catch any potential overflow of cherry juice.
- Lastly, make the almond glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, cream and extract. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the cooled cherry rolls.
These rolls were absolutely devoured. And they will be made again. Do yourself a favor. Make yourself these rolls, then savor each bite as you curl up with a good book and a cup of coffee!
Oh, and if you love frosting and want more than just a powdered sugar glaze, make our cream cheese frosting!
Other Cherry Recipes
Cherry Rolls
In under 1 hour, you’ll be serving up these Amish Cherry Rolls. Soft, sweet dough pairs perfectly with the tart cherries stuffed inside. The light, almond glaze makes a gorgeous presentation for your breakfast or brunch!
Servings 12
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup sour cream 180 grams
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 260 grams
- 3/4 teaspoon salt 4 grams
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 12 grams
- 2 tablespoons salted butter softened, 28 grams
- 2 cups drained tart cherries*
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 24 grams
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon 3 grams
For the cherry sauce:
- 1/3 cup brown sugar 70 grams
- 1/3 cup white sugar 67 grams
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch 20 grams
- 1 1/2 cups 100% cherry juice** 12 ounces
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- red food coloring optional
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter 21 grams
For the almond glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar 260 grams
- 2 tablespoons salted butter melted, 28 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream 30-45 grams
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the egg with a whisk, then add the sour cream and mix well. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Stir well with a rubber spatula just until combined. 1 large egg, ¾ cup sour cream, 2 cups all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- Turn the dough onto a slightly floured surface and roll it into a rectangle ¼ inch thick. Spread it lightly with the butter. Cover it with the cherries, then sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the cherries. Roll it up like a jelly roll and use a sharp knife to cut it into 9-12 pieces, as desired. 2 tablespoons salted butter, 2 cups drained tart cherries*, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Prepare the baking pan, either a large, deep dish pie plate (9 rolls) or a square 9×9" or 9×13" baking dish, by spraying it with cooking spray. Place the rolls, cut side up, close together in the pan. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- In a saucepan, combine the sugars, corn starch, juice, extract and coloring. Bring this mixture to a boil and stir constantly over medium heat. Boil until the mixture thickens slightly (about 5-10 minutes).*** Add the butter and mix well. ⅓ cup brown sugar, ⅓ cup white sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 ½ cups 100% cherry juice**, ½ teaspoon almond extract, red food coloring, 1 ½ tablespoons salted butter
- Pour this mixture over the rolls. Bake them for 25 minutes or until just lightly browned. *Bake these with a cookie sheet underneath to catch any potential overflow of cherry juice.
- In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar, melted butter and flavoring. Add the heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time until the glaze is drizzling consistency. 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons salted butter, ½ teaspoon almond flavoring, 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
- Drizzle the almond glaze over the cooled rolls.
Notes
- *I used canned tart red cherries in water.
- **I used Juicy Juice 100% Cherry Juice.
- ***If the cherry syrup is not thickening, you may need to add a touch more cornstarch. Take a small cup and mix together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix until smooth. Pour this into the boiling syrup and whisk until combined. It should thicken quickly at that point.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
- The calories shown are based on the recipe making 12 rolls, with 1 serving being 1 sweet roll. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 213mg | Potassium: 210mg | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 545IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1.9mg
This recipe is great!! I love the easy dough cherries & almond pure extract & slivered almonds (which I will sprinkle on top) 😋, Thank you
These were exactly what I was looking to do with fresh cherries! Making the rolls was easy and they looked beautiful. I would probably handle the syrup differently next time though. I used half the sugar and slightly less juice (about 1cup) and it thickened up substantially before I poured it over the rolls — like emptying a jar of jam over top. The jam-like topping obscured the pretty rolls I’d just made! Next time I would use or reduce to 3/4 c. juice, sugar to taste (maybe 2T.), and be more sparing with the corn starch. We skipped the… Read more »
Delicious and quick! I usually make yeast rolls but this might be my go to recipe for now on. Thank you for the recipe!
These look and sound amazing. I love that there’s no rising time. Pinning 🙂
They look perfect! Pinning and craving. 😉
I love these easy rolls too! And the cherries and almond is just perfect together! We would get along so well…my favorite books were Mary Higgins Clark but now I always reach for cookbooks 🙂