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I could not let Christmas pass by without sharing my overnight eggnog brioche cinnamon rolls. Buttery, eggy brioche dough made with seasonal eggnog, sprinkled with warming cinnamon sugar, and frosted generously with a browned butter and cream cheese frosting. There’s nothing not to love, every bite is melt in your mouth delicious. These rolls are a great make ahead breakfast, and perfect for your Christmas celebrations!
Happiest Friday before Christmas!!
For a lot of you, today is probably your last day in the office for 2018. I hope everyone is feeling the excitement in the air like we are over here. There’s still a few things to finish up over the weekend, but that just goes with the territory of running your own business…it’s somewhat non-stop.
I feel like it’s super important to be real with you guys. The internet and social media can paint this perfect picture. But the reality is that nothing (and no one) are perfect. It’s so easy for me to sit here and type that out, but I really need to listen to my own words.
This week I let myself fall down the Instagram rabbit hole that feels lonely and miserable. I know a lot of you can probably relate. For some reason I let my guard down and broke all the Instagram rules I set for myself long ago. I played the comparison game all week long. It was zero fun and I’ve decided that I will not let that happen anymore. This means no scrolling Instagram for a while. Instead I’ll be focusing on what really matters. Cooking good food, spending time with my family (arriving tonight), celebrating Christmas, working to finish up a big project, and hopefully playing in the snow a little too.
No real reason for the life talk other than the fact that I know a lot of you can struggle with comparison too. When that happens, it’s really important to step away from social media and focus on what you really want to be focusing on. For me right now that’s family and work. And at this very moment, sharing these delicious cinnamon rolls!
I was out hiking yesterday morning and had a mild panic attack (not really, but going for dramatics) when I realized I never shared these cinnamon rolls with you guys. I have been planning to make these for months and months now. Yet somehow the last Friday before Christmas snuck up on me way faster than I could have imagined.
I had another post planned for today, but I knew I needed to share these first. So I spent all day perfecting this recipe. And here they are, my Christmas Cinnamon Rolls. They turned out better than I could have wished, and I’m really excited to be sharing them with you guys today. Hoping you still have time to fit them into your Christmas baking list.
Seeing as everything is hectic this time of year, I wanted to keep these as easy as possible. I took the base recipe from the salted brioche cinnamon rolls I have in my cookbook, sped up a few things, and flavored the recipe with seasonal eggnog. Now, I know that eggnog is rather a touchy ingredient. You either love it or hate it…I get the feeling there may be more haters out there than lovers.
I too am not the biggest fan. BUT, have you ever baked with eggnog? If you have not, you’re missing out. Using eggnog in sweet breads is truly my favorite thing to do during the holidays. The eggnog is flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg, so in reality it’s just like favored whole milk. And everyone, it’s delicious when used in a cinnamon roll recipe.
So add some eggnog to the brioche dough. Let the dough rise a bit, then roll it out and sprinkle with a brown sugar cinnamon. I like to use brown sugar for a nice depth of flavor. And I go heavy on the cinnamon…I mean, these are cinnamon rolls!
Roll the dough, cut into rolls and place in a baking dish to rise. Next, you have two options. You can do a quick rise or you can let the rolls rise overnight in the fridge. I love to make these a day or two ahead and let them rise in the fridge. That way, on Christmas morning, all I have to do is bake and frost them. This gives me plenty time to open gifts and drink coffee by the fire with little miss Asher (who’s really not so little anymore…enter sad face).
For the frosting, I stuck with my standard.
Browned butter + cream cheese + vanilla. Simple. Easy. And the best. I cannot think of a better Christmas morning breakfast. Very excited to be making these for my family this year. Hoping you all will be too!
See you tomorrow for the very last Christmas Cocktail Saturday of 2018!
If you make these cinnamon rolls, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Overnight Eggnog Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 1574 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup high quality eggnog, warmed (you can also use whole milk)
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Filling
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
Frosting
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. To make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the eggnog, yeast, honey, eggs, butter, 3 ½ cups flour, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining ½ cup of flour. It’s better to have a sticker dough rather than a dry do, so add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.3. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, and cinnamon. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment. 4. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Turn out the dough, punch it down, and roll it into a rectangle about 10 x 16 inches. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the butter and lightly push into the butter. Starting with the long edge closest to you, carefully roll the dough into a log, keeping it fairly tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edge to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut into 12-15 rolls. Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 20-30 minutes or transfer to the fridge to rise overnight (this is ideal if you have time).5. Remove the rolls from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.6. Meanwhile, make the frosting. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the butter is lightly browned and smells toasted. Immediately remove from the heat. Let cool.7. In a medium bowl, beat together the cooled browned butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until smooth. If the frosting is too thick for your liking, add a tablespoon of eggnog or milk.8. Spread the frosting over the warm rolls. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt (if desired) and serve.
This post was originally published on December 21, 2018
Fantastic recipe!! I added a dusting of cinnamon to the dough before mixing it. And 3/4 of a cup of egg nog to the icing (you’ll need two cups of icing sugar to make up for the extra liquid). These are perfect! Thank you for the great recipe.
Thank you Traci!
These were amazing! Seriously, PERFECTION. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Thank you for trying these! I am so glad they turned out amazing for you Sarah!
Merry Christmas, Tieghan! I don’t know how you do it, but every recipe is delicious, including this one. They turned out perfect and were so easy to make.
Thank you so much! I am so happy to hear that!
These were FABULOUS! Made them for hrismas breakfast today and will be making them every Christmas from here on out. The browned butter in the frosting makes all the difference in favor. I added a couple tablespoons of egg nog to the frosting as I prefer it a like thinner. Now I want to try the gingerbread cinnamon roll recipe!
Thank you so much Corynne! I am so glad this turned out so amazing for you!
Cooked these up for Christmas morning, tasted amazing! Thanks for the fantastic recipe! Merry Christmas
I am so glad these turned out amazing for you! Thank you Rhiannon!
Is it ok double the filling? My kids are all about the cinnamon and frosting and less about the dough! Lol.
I am sure that will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
Quick question! I couldn’t find instant yeast so I got dry active yeast. I read online if I’m going to use active vs instant I just need to do the yeast and liquid separate before adding to the whole mixing bowl is that correct? I was contemplating using your other roll recipe with the active yeast just to be safe but keep this icing. What do you think?
HI! Just mix the milk, yeast and honey and let that sit for 5-10 minutes until the mix is foamy on top. Then add the remaining ingredients as directed. That will work great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
Hi there! Just made these tonight and are in the fridge as we speak! Question: do they need to do a second rise out of the fridge before they’re baked?
HI! No need for a second rise. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
Hi Tieghan!!!
I want to give these rolls as gifts christmas eve to bake the next morning. Can I make the frosting ahead and package it..with
the unbaked rolls?
Hey Kim! You can make the frosting ahead and gift with the rolls. Such a sweet gift! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you loved this recipe and had a great Christmas! Thanks so much and happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
I’m going to try these using a sourdough starter for leavening instead of yeast mostly because I’m obsessed with sourdough. I’ll let you know how it turns out. They look DELICIOUS.
Thank you so much Becca!
I have these cinnamon rolls in the fridge right now. Baking then before work and surprising my co-workers. I read the comment about the half and half so I am going to do that before I bake them, Hope they turn out as good as yours look. Love your blog and your cookbook -Its a beautiful book. Have a wonderful holiday. Enjoy your family!
That is so sweet of you! I hope they all love this recipe, Elaine! Thank you!
UPDATE! Tieghan…these rolls turned out fantastic ! Likely the best I’ve ever made. Lovely and soft and that icing with th browned butter is to die for! Thanks so much for giving us this.
I am so glad you loved these! Thank you Colleen!
Hi! I’m so excited to make these Christmas Eve to bake Christmas morning. It’s a tradition, and this recipe looks AMAZING! How many cinnamon rolls does this make? I usually double the recipe to make 2 pans. Thank you!
Hi Lexi! About 12 cinnamon rolls! I hope you love these!
I’m planning to make this recipe tomorrow! One question: if I’m making eggnog just for this recipe, do you know the proportions for the ingredients I should use to only make 1 cup of it? I’ve never made eggnog before, so I don’t really have an eye for it. Thanks!!
HI! I am sorry, I don’t have a recipe for eggnog, so I am not sure of the measurements. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you loved this recipe and had a great Christmas! Thanks so much and happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
This might be a silly question, but do you just add dry yeast with all the ingredients?
HI! Yes, just add the yeast to other ingredients. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you loved this recipe and had a great Christmas! Thanks so much and happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?