Mother’s Day Brunch: 5-Ingredient Jam Rolls

By Erin Phraner /

The key to a successful brunch is a simple menu. This Mother’s Day—whether you’re in charge for making the special meal yourself or you’re looking for an easy recipe dad and the kids can tackle—pare down and focus on one fabulous baked good!

This wow-the-crowd jam roll recipe only calls for 5 ingredients, and it’s ready in fewer than 35 minutes. You see, the best shortcut for making breakfast pastries at home is store-bought dough. My favorite: new seamless crescent dough sheets! They’re one solid roll of dough that you can customize a million different ways. Here I rolled ‘em up with good-quality jam, fresh berries and melted butter—topped with a sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar, you’d never know that the base wasn’t homemade!

Want to show mom how much you really care? Swap in her favorite jam flavor for a personalized treat. You can bake these rolls in a plain 9-inch pie plate but feel free to get fancy with a cute cast-iron skillet or other baking dish of a similar size. Even better: Buy mom a decorative pie plate, bake the rolls in it and wrap it all up as a complete gift for your loving lady.

If you can’t find the seamless dough sheets, no worries! Snag yourself 2 (8-ounce) rolls regular crescent roll dough. On a lightly floured surface, unroll the sheets and press the perforated seems together to make one full rectangle of dough. No matter which dough product you use, make sure you roll the dough up tightly before slicing. Loosey-goosey rolls are difficult to work with—they make a mess and often end up unraveling while you transfer ‘em to the dish.

Looking for a make-ahead tip? Assemble these rolls up to step 4 the night before and store, covered, in the refrigerator over night. Let the rolls come to room temperature for 15 minutes before baking.

Oh! If you’re willing to splurge on an extra ingredient or two, mix a little orange zest and/or raspberry liqueur into the filling. For a quick glaze, whisk 1 cup confectioners’ sugar  and 1 to 2 tablespoons buttermilk until smooth. Drizzle that over the still-warm rolls in place of confectioners’ sugar!

5-INGREDIENT JAM ROLLS

SERVES: 6 to 8

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
  • 1 (6-ounce) container raspberries
  • 1/4 cup raspberry or strawberry jam
  • 2 (8-ounce) flaky dough sheet rolls (such as Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations)
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Lightly coat a 9-inch pie plate with melted butter; set aside.

2. Stir together the raspberries and jam in a medium bowl, crushing the berries gently into smaller pieces.

3. One sheet at a time, unroll the dough on a lightly floured surface. Spread half of the berry mixture over the center of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Tightly roll up and place on a cutting board, seam-side down. Slice into 1-inch-thick rolls. Arrange, cut-side up, in the prepared plate. Repeat with remaining roll and berry mixture.

4. Bake the rolls 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool in the pan 5 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Hot Tip: Serve leftovers for dessert! Reheat in the microwave and serve topped with vanilla ice cream. 

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