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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
I can’t bake. I can barely make a cookie without people questioning whether or not my husband helped me. I naively volunteered to make these for breakfast two nights ago and while I messed up within the first thirty seconds, I was able rectify my blatant baking mistake (cold milk plus yeast) and make the.best.rolls.ever.
I’m a bit sad that our stores here stopped carrying eggnog before I could snag some for this recipe. BUT even with milk, they were amazing and fluffy and had depth in the flavor. We can’t wait to try them in the future with nog. These were a crowd pleaser all around.
I intend to try my hand at baking (and reading directions…) in 2019, and I must admit I’m probably going to bake my way through the blog. I’m so looking forward to it.
I am so glad these turned out great for you and you loved them Mandy! Thank you!
I cannot get enough of these! I am not a fan of cinnamon rolls at all but these were just calling my name to be made for family for Christmas morning! So I made them and have never tasted anything so good! I made another two batches for work this morning! This will be a new holiday staple!
Hi McKenzi! I am so glad you loved this recipe and it will be a new staple in your house! Thank you!
These cinnamon rolls were amazing and super easy to make. I have been using another over night recipe for years now, but that all changed Christmas morning when we tasted these. This will be my “go too” from now on. Thank you & Happy New Year!!
I am so glad you loved this Mia! Thank you so much!
These are quite possibly the ,let delicious cinnamon buns I have ever tasted. I was worried that they would be difficult to make since they are made from scratched … but the recipe was simple and turned out excellent! The browned butter cream cheese icing was the perfect finish for the soft, moist buns. I used the Kirkland brand eggnog from Costco Liquor store. The additional flavors from the rum just made these taste of perfection.
This will definitely be a new Christmas morning tradition ?? Thank you for sharing, Liz!
Thank you so much Sherryl! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
I made these for Christmas morning and they were excellent! I made the dough the evening of Christmas Eve and let rest for an hour before completing the filling and rolling. However, the dough didn’t double in size. It had gotten a bit bigger and I had run out of time so I popped it in the fridge and hoped for the best for them to rise overnight. However, they didn’t rise at all. My mom and I were a bit panicked but we knew if we set them out for a while on the counter, they would get at least big enough to bake. They rose so fast then! I’m wondering if it was a user error? Did anyone else have issues with them actually rising in the fridge? I’m new to the cinnaroll game and I haven’t found the recipe winner yet that’s satisfied all family members. My dad LOVED these because he tends to enjoy things on the drier side but the rest of my family was yearning for more of a soft/chewy cinnamon roll. P.S. the dough smelled AMAZING because of the addition of eggnog.
Hi Shantel. I am not sure what would have gone wrong. Were there any ingredients you forgot to include? Please let me know! Also, I am so glad your father loved these cinnamon rolls! Thank you!
My husband and I made the overnight eggnog brioche cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. The dough was the best I’ve ever worked with, and I can’t wait to make them again! Many thanks. Happy New Year!
I am so glad these turned out amazing for you, Marie! Thank you!
We absolutely loved this recipe and the cinnamon rolls were promptly devoured. Super idea of using a brioche based recipe for the dough, eggnog instead of milk. I thought that the butter amount for the filling was too much…until I tried them. Loved the overload of cinnamon and how magically the rich dough soaked in the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon! These cinnamon rolls were a highlight to our holiday breakfast! Thank you!
That is so amazing! I am so glad everyone loved these Victoria! Thank you!
HI! I made these for my family of 4 for Christmas morning and froze the rest like you suggested. Can’t wait to make them again in a few weeks from the freezer. Thanks again and Merry Christmas!
Thank you so much Happy Holidays!
I have been terrified of making bread, but finally jumped in for Thanksgiving and made your buttery pull apart whole wheat potato rolls and easy flaky pull-apart dinner rolls. Both were a huge hit! I made these eggnog brioche cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning and they were loved by all. Perfect balance of sweetness and had everyone going back for more. The added bonus of being able to make them the night before made my Christmas morning so much easier. I cannot wait to make them again. Thank you so much, Tieghan for helping me to find my confidence through your beautiful recipes.
Thank you so much Sara! I am so glad you enjoyed these rolls!
You hit it out of the ballpark again, Tieghan! I’ve always wanted to make cinnamon rolls at Christmas, but convinced myself they were too hard to make. Because I trust you because I’ve loved all of the recipes of yours I’ve tried, I decided to go for making this recipe. They were amazing! I had to change a few ingredients to make them anti-inflammatory for me (used white spelt instead of white flour, xylitol (1/2 the amount) for sugar, and coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. They were a HUGE hit with my family. And I’ve decided to make them a Christmas tradition. Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe!
P.S. I made my own egg nog…came out wonderful!
Thank you so much Jeannine! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
I made these for my family Christmas morning and they were a huge hit!! So easy and SO delicious. Will be trying all of your other recipes now. 🙂 Thank you!
Thank you Ali!
Made these The night before Christmas. My husband is like a cinnamon roll connoisseur… he LOVED LOVED LOVED them – all of us did!! Super easy recipe to follow and they were amazing tasting! That brown butter frosting can’t be beat!! Thanks Tieghan! I don’t usually comment but had to thank you for this recipe – and for all of your recipes. They consistently turn out – I put your blog above Bob Appetit and NYTimes Cooking. Hey hanks for all you do!!! Happy holidays!!!
That is so sweet! I am so glad you love my recipes, Elizabeth! Thank you so much!
I made these for Christmas morning and they were a hit! So so delicious!!! This was the first time I have ever baked anything from scratch in my life and it was easy!! Thank you!
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Thank you so much! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
These were delicious! My entire family loved them.
Thank you Amanda!
First time making cinnamon rolls….surprisingly easy and oh so tasty! I’ve already had two this Christmas morning. ??
I love that! I am so glad you enjoyed these Vanessa! Thank you!