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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 made these for last Christmas and they turned out amazing. I want to make them for Easter this weekend, any suggestions on what to use instead of eggnog?
HI Brittany!! You can just use regular whole milk! That will be great 🙂 Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
My daughter in law made these for us and were delish. But now I am having a hard time with 2nd rise. The 1st rise is happening and then I roll out the dough and put softened butter on dough and then sugar and cinn. Roll it, cut it and put in buttered pan and cover with plastic . They do not rise. Any suggestions? House is 68 degrees.
Hi Sandra! Are you following the recipe exactly? Using all the same ingredients as I? If so, I would recommend finding a warmer spot in your home to allow the rolls ti rise, ideally above 70 degrees. Or place the rolls on the warm stove-top while it is preheating. This will really help them rise. Also, if the rolls do not double after 2 hours, I would bake as directed. They will rise in the oven. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
If I put the rolls in the fridge to rise overnight. Can I bake them cold straight out from the fridge? Or do I have to set aside the rolls on the kitchen counter till room temperature before baking?
HI! I recommend setting the rolls on the counter while the oven preheats to all the roll to become room temp before baking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I stumbled upton this recipe when I decided, at the last minute, that I needed another option at my table for the Christmas brunch I was hosting for my family. I am more of a “cook” and not a “baker” but these cinnamon rolls looked to delish and the recipe seemed doable for a novice baker such as myself. So glad I went w/my instinct on this. I had just enough time to let the rolls rise in the fridge on Christmas Eve night and placed them in the oven mid morning on Christmas Day. My family absolutely loved the rolls. They were the hit of the meal. And when my husband bragged about how I baked them “from scratch” everyone wanted the recipe and requested that these cinnamon rolls be added to our family list of Christmas traditions! Thank you for remember to post this recipe!
I am so glad you all loved these rolls, Donna! Thank you for trying them!
Just wondering why you use melted butter instead of softened, and can you change and add soft butter?
Melted butter mixes best with the dough. I recommend using melted butter. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Brunch winner! Everyone loved them. The only thing I did differently was mix all the filling ingredients before spreading on to the dough. Oh, and I just used regular milk with a generous pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon in it. So yummy, thank you!
I am so glad you loved this Gloria! Thank you!
I have made these rolls twice now. Once with eggnog and once with whole milk. Perfect both times. The overnight rise makes these an easy weekend breakfast treat!
I am so glad you have been loving these Caitlin! Thank you so much!
Hi Tieghan!
Making these this morning and wondering, is it ok that my frosting is a light caramel color? I used bourbon vanilla so perhaps that’s why…just checking in with the expert- you!❤️Can’t wait to enjoy them with a fresh, hot cup of coffee!
Hi Gia! YES! That is totally fine. I hope you love these rolls and with a cup of coffee.. sounds amazing!
Girl!!! You are a legend. These were perfection . You are so talented and have such a refreshing take and spin on food. Listen, instagram is crazy & nobody is perfect … but you know what is – YOUR
RECIPES (&photography). Own that MISS. Can hardly wait to see what you come up with next ?
You are too sweet! Thank you so much for this it is so amazing! I am so glad you have been enjoying my blog and recipes!!
Absolute perfection for New Years’s Brunch. Everyone loved them, they were a huge hit!
Thank you so much Patti!
Amazing. I’ve never made cinnamon rolls before and am not much of a baker and they were perfect. So easy too!
Thank you so much Ryann!
Whipped these up for the boys at the Eisenhower Tunnel — they were a hit! 😉 Unbelievably delicious
That is so nice of you! I am so glad they loved these!
I made these yesterday morning—everyone loved them! The icing was my favorite part! Have you tried freezing the dough? Would that work?
HI! Yes, you can freeze the rolls before baking. That works so well! Just thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake as directed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
I am making these this morning for my dad’s 81st birthday. He loves cinnamon rolls and I didn’t have a chance over Christmas to make them for him. I have great confidence they will be spectacular.
Your blog is my go-to no matter what I’m baking. Your beautiful photography, staging and wonderful recipes are the best out there. You do you and don’t let doubt creep in. Thank you for all you do!
Thank you so much Dawn!
Made these today for New Years day. Admit I did skimp on the butter in the filling by quite a bit, at least half. I also only had 1/2 tbsp yeast left (oops) but just left them to rise 2 hrs before rolling out to double in size.
They were delicious. Forgot to add the half and half tip, next time!
I may up the cinnamon next time in the filling or add a bit to brown butter icing as I really enjoy cinnamon. Pastry turned out beautifully. Good way to use up some eggnog from the season, not very really noticeable in pastry but suspect added to depth of flavor. . I let it sit overnight in fridge but then again at room temp in am for a couple of hours as they hadn’t really risen in fridge. Would leave out before putting in fridge over night next time. Surprisingly easy.
I am so glad these turned out great for you, Tanya! Thank you so much!