This Rustic Cranberry-Orange Pecan Cobbler Roll is a beautiful holiday dessert made with tart cranberries, bright citrus, and crunchy pecans—all wrapped in a soft cobbler-style crust and baked in a rich, sweet syrup.
It’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart, making it a standout addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert table.
I originally created this recipe for the Cape Cod Select Holiday Blogger Recipe Challenge several years ago. While it didn’t win any awards, it was definitely a winner in our home!
Frozen Cranberries are so wonderful to bake with because they are always available. I like to keep a bag on hand to use year round.
How To Make Rustic Cranberry Orange Pecan Cobbler Roll
INGREDIENTS
SIMPLE SYRUP
water
sugar
CRUST
flour
sugar
baking powder
salt
Crisco shortening
milk
FILLING
frozen cranberries
sugar
cinnamon
an orange
pecans
butter
FOR SERVING
confectioner sugar
whipped topping or ice cream (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare the syrup
Whisk together water and sugar in a baking dish and place in the oven until hot and ready. - Make the filling
Combine cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, and pecans. - Prepare the dough
Make the crust and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. - Fill and roll
Spread part of the filling over the dough, pressing cranberries gently into the surface.
Roll up like a jelly roll. - Slice and arrange
Cut into 1-inch slices and place into the hot syrup.
Shape slightly with your hands if needed to hold together. - Top and bake
Add remaining cranberries and pecans over the top, along with any cinnamon-sugar left in the bowl.
Bake until lightly golden and bubbly. - Finish and serve
Cool slightly, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve warm.
Assemble the ingredients.
Whisk together a simple syrup of water and sugar in baking pan. Bake until dough slices are ready to go into this.
Mix together ingredients for filling.
Prepare and roll out the crust.
Arrange part of the filling onto the dough, pressing the cranberries down slightly into the dough.
Roll up like a jelly roll. Cut into 1-inch slices and place into syrup. You can see how perfect these cranberries are. The slices do not have to be perfect as they will bake together. I also shaped them in my hand before I put them in the syrup to keep everything together.
Top with remaining cranberries, and nuts, and be sure to scrape any cinnamon-sugar from the bowl to add to the pan.
Ready for the oven! Bake until light golden brown.
Allow to cool slightly and sprinkle with confectioner sugar.
Top with ice cream or whipped topping if desired.
Other variations of this cobbler roll: Rustic Blueberry Cobbler Roll
and Peach Mascarpone Fruit Rolls.
Why You Will Love this Rustic Cranberry Orange Pecan Cobbler Roll
- A warm and delicious dessert, loaded with fresh cranberries.
- Baked in a large pan, this dessert feeds a crowd.
- Easy to transport to any event.
- This dessert will bring back precious moments of having cobblers when growing up. A perfect summertime dessert.
- Perfect balance of tart cranberries and sweet syrup.
- Ideal for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or winter gatherings.
- A unique twist on a classic old-fashioned cobbler.
Tips for Best Results
- No need to thaw cranberries—they bake perfectly from frozen
- Press cranberries gently into the dough so they stay in place when rolling
- The syrup will thicken as it cools
- Serve warm for the best flavor and texture
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I store the cobbler roll?
This dessert is best if served warm, right after it is made. It can be made a day ahead of time. Allow it to cool in pan, wrap tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 1 day. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F, uncovered, until warm. The crust becomes too soggy after the 2nd day.
A Perfect Holiday Dessert to Share
This Rustic Cranberry Orange Pecan Cobbler Roll is a cozy, nostalgic dessert that brings together classic holiday flavors in a unique and beautiful way. Whether you’re serving it for Thanksgiving dinner or a winter gathering, it’s sure to become a favorite.
This post was shared on Sweet Little Bluebird Weekend Potluck.
RUSTIC CRANBERRY-ORANGE-PECAN COBBLER ROLL
Ingredients
- SAUCE
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- CRUST
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- + 1/4 cup to sprinkle on pastry sheet
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 Tablespoons solid shortening
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- FILLING
- 3 1/2 cups CAPE COD SELECT PREMIUM FROZEN CRANBERRIES
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- zest of 1 medium orange
- 1 teaspoon juice from orange
- 1/3 cup pecans roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons cold butter cut in small cubes
- 2 Tablespoons sifted confectioner sugar
- ice cream or whipped topping if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk together the water and sugar in a 13x9 inch glass baking dish. Place in oven and allow to bake until it starts to bubble or dough is ready to be placed in it. Remove carefully from oven.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Using a pastry cutter, or fork, cut in the shortening until crumbly. Stir in the milk and form ball. Chill dough about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle some of the extra flour on flat work surface. Roll dough out into a rectangle about 12x8 inches.
- Place the cranberries in a large mixing bowl. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the cranberries. Add orange zest, orange juice, and pecans to bowl. Toss gently to combine the ingredients.
- Arrange about 2 cups of the cranberry mixture evenly over the dough. Place butter cubes over the cranberries.
- Roll dough up, jelly roll style. Cut slices 1-inch thick and place, cut side down, into the syrup. ( I lightly shaped each slice in my hand prior to putting it into syrup to keep it together better) Add the remaining cranberries, nuts, and cinnamon-sugar from bowl, over top of the rolls.
- Bake until crust is light golden brown and syrup is bubbly, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Sprinkle confectioner sugar.
- Top with ice cream or whipped cream if desired. Serve warm. Serves 12
Notes
I received the kindest comment from a lady that made this recipe..
mentioned you in a comment in Taste Of Home Recipes.
November 21 at 2:33pm
Pamela Shank, thank you so very, very much. I made this today and it was a HUGE success. I will be making it again tomorrow for my puzzle/soup/dessert group. I wanted to have it warm for lunch so I rolled the log, cut it in half and wrapped it. At church, I turned on the oven and put the 9×13 in the oven. I heat the water sugar mixture on top of the stove. When it began to bubble, I removed the dish from the oven, added the syrup, sliced the log and assembled. It was perfect. What I love is that I am NOT good with pastry and this is so forgiving …who really knows. Thank you again
Now with fresh cranberries being in abundance I really have to try this!
It looks and sounds tasty, and I love cranberries. Thank you for partying with me at my very first Wednesday AIM Link Party. I shared your post on my social media sites.