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Easy Fluffy Brown Butter Iced Mocha Cinnamon Rolls…the holiday breakfast we’re all looking for. Buttery, soft, and fluffy dough swirled with cinnamon sugar and sweet chocolate. Each roll is frosted generously with a warming brown butter and espresso icing that melts into every nook and cranny. There’s nothing not to love, every bite is melt in your mouth delicious. You just can’t beat a cinnamon roll on Christmas morning.
I’m not sure how this is possible, but one week from today is Christmas Eve. Honestly, Christmas has never snuck up on me faster. I still have so much do, and oh my gosh, so many recipes I want to share!
When I looked at the calendar this week and realized I hadn’t yet shared these cinnamon rolls, I kind of panicked. This is the first “Christmas” recipe I had on my list months and months ago. The combination of cinnamon, chocolate, and coffee is one of my 2021 favorites. I’ve been very into the flavor profile and had these saved on my list for Christmas!
And trust me, these rolls are some of the best. It’s the chocolate with the cinnamon and coffee glaze. Everything just melts together and it’s heavenly.
I’ve said this before, but cinnamon rolls are a Christmas tradition. We have them every Christmas morning, and every year I LOVE to share a new recipe.
Onto the details
The dough is the simplest to make. Simply mix the yeast with warm milk and a small touch of brown sugar. It’s important to let that mix sit for a few minutes to allow the yeast to “activate”.
Next, add the butter, eggs, flour, and salt. Mix until smooth and let the dough rest until doubled in size. Then it’s time to shape the rolls…love a simple dough.
While the dough rests, mix the filling
For the cinni-sugar mix, I love to use brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon for the best flavor. The brown sugar adds a nice depth and richness. And I go heavy on the cinnamon for sweet cinnamon swirls throughout.
The special additions – espresso powder and chopped chocolate, which is where the mocha flavors start to come in.
Assemble and bake
Spread the dough with butter, then sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar, and chocolate. Roll the dough up into a log, slice, and bake.
The smells coming from the oven will be magical. Like sweet cinnamon with hints of chocolate and vanilla. ‘Tis perfection and I’m not sure there’s a better smell.
Simple. Easy. And just 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 2021!
Looking for other holiday cinnamon roll recipes recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Maple Icing
Easy Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Wreath
Lastly, if you make these Brown Butter Iced Mocha 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 tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Brown Butter Iced Mocha Cinnamon Rolls
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 572 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm milk
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 3 1/2 -4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Filling
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate
Glaze
- 4 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature
- 6 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 shot espresso or 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the milk, yeast, and brown sugar. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly on top. Add the butter, eggs, 3 1/2 cups flour, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough is still sticky, add the additional 1/2 cup flour, adding more as needed until the dough is smooth to touch.2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.3. Meanwhile, mix the filling. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and espresso powder. Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.4. Punch the dough down and roll out onto a lightly floured surface, creating a large rectangle about 12 x 18 inches. Spread the butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle on the chocolate and cinnamon sugar. Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a log, keeping it 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 into the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 15-20 minutes.5. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.6. Meanwhile, make the icing. Add the butter to a pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and maple syrup. Whisk in the butter, espresso, then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Spread the icing over the warm rolls. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
To Make Ahead: prepare the rolls through step 4. Do not let the rolls rise at room temp. Cover the rolls and place them in the fridge (up to overnight). When ready to bake, remove the rolls from the fridge 30 minutes prior to baking, then bake as directed.
To Prepare and Freeze: assemble the rolls through step 4. Then cover the pan and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the rolls overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours. Once thawed, bake as directed.
To Bake and Freeze: bake the rolls as directed and let cool completely. Cover well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and warm, then frost before serving.
Do you think these would work with a gluten free All Purpose flour?
Never mind saw this answered below
Hey Mary,
Yes, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
My husband and I follow you on Instagram and love seeing your creations. When I saw these, I knew I had to try them. I altered the recipe a tad to fit my current pregnancy cravings, but THEY ARE SO GOOD. I am also not a big cream cheese frosting fan, but the maple syrup and browned butter made the perfect ratio. Thank you!
Hey Elizabeth,
Love it!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:) Happy Monday!🎄
These are easy rolls to make and the browned butter frosting is so good! The dough was pillowy soft. I will definitely be making them again! I had a lot of extra frosting so will either cut it in half, or make a double batch of rolls to share!
Hey Susan,
Happy Monday!! 🍁 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Is it possible to make this without egg / with an egg substitute?
Hey Anna,
So sorry, I have never tried this without the egg, but you can certainly give it a try with an egg substitute! I hope you love the recipe!! xx
I made these with flax eggs and a combination of soy and oat milk (to use them up) and they are perfect 🙂
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Amber! xx
We made these last night and were very pleased!! We will definitely be incorporating these into our Christmas treat boxes! Thanks for such a great recipe! 🙂
Hey Kelly,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx
These were good, but really really sweet. I should have went may with 2 cups of the powdered sugar for the glaze. Just a lot of flavors packed into these. Loved how fluffy and high these rolls turned out. Also , my son , who is a cook, told me to get the milk between 100-110 degrees to have the yeast do really well and it worked like a charm.
Hey Sandy,
Happy Labor Day! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:)
Oh, my God! Here it is 11:15 p.m. and I’m reading this cinnamon roll recipe thinking, “Um, hello! I have nothing to do tomorrow except rest since I’ve not been feeling well. So, why not make these for myself and maybe they’ll make me feel better!” I cannot wait to try these!! I’d best get to sleep to get up early enough so as not to get them started too late. I can’t believe I never saw this recipe! Will let you know how they turn out and hopefully be able to post a photo.
Hi Laura,
LOL well I hope you love these, they are a family fave over here:) Let me know how they turn out! xTieghan
Have you ever tried this with a gluten free flour ? Also where do you buy espresso powder? Or is it just instant espresso?
Hey Bonnie,
This recipe should work with an equal amount of gluten free flour. Here is the link for the espresso powder:
https://shopstyle.it/l/bptgb
Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Can I make these if I only have a hand mixer?
Hey Nikki,
I would just mix with a wooden spoon and then knead by hand until you have a smooth ball. I hope this helps! Let me know if you give the recipe a try:) xTieghan
Looks so yummy, but my father in law doesn’t like the taste of coffee… can it be made without the espresso and chocolate to be like normal cinnamon rolls? 🙂
Hey Natalie,
Totally, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give the recipe a try or have any other questions! xx
Oh yeah, these are deliciously yummy. And fun to make! The icing is so tasty I couldn’t keep my fingers out it!!
Hi Patti,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I am so glad it was enjoyed. Have a great week! ?xxT
Made this for Christmas with my mom and everyone went gaga for them! Remaking them this weekend, but I’m out of maple syrup…could I sub honey for the syrup or should I pop out to the store for syrup? Thanks!
Hey Sheila,
Sure, you could do honey or brown sugar in place of the maple syrup. Please let me know how the recipe turns out! xT
This was actually one of my first attempts at making anything with dough from scratch. At first I was concerned that I mixed it too much because the dough didn’t rise much, but it all seemed to work out! I made them the night before and then popped them in the oven in the morning and took them over to my friend for a morning birthday surprise (I saw her drooling over the recipe a few days prior). They were a big hit! I kept the wonky ones for myself and they tasted great. The best part was getting the icing all over my hands somehow when I was making it and then I had to lick it all off. The entire recipe was great, but that icing….wow!
Hey Amy,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend!☀️ xx
If you use a glass baking dish, will that change the cook time? Would it work with soy milk? If not, what’s your suggested type of milk. I’ve made the eggnog ones in the past and just can’t recall how I changed the cook time, if at all, for using glass. Thank you!
Hi Alysia,
Yes, you can use another milk that you enjoy! The glass baking dish is just fine to use, but you may need to add more time:) I hope this helps! xx
Can these be refrigerated at step 4 for two nights before baking?
Hi Katie,
Sure, that will be just fine for you to do. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I was interested in this recipe because it is much lower calorie than my go-to cinnamon roll recipe. However, it didn’t quite work for me. I followed the instructions and baked some of the rolls immediately and saved the others in the freezer. The ones I baked immediately stuck to the (greased) glass dish and were a bit hard and dry rather than fluffy. A few days later I took the ones out of the freezer and thawed them in the fridge for about a day. Then I left them come to room temp and rise again on the counter for an hour before baking. They never rose again and the dough was under-proved and tacky after the bake. I’m not quite sure what went wrong here. The flavors were good but both bakes were off. I wonder if the method of making the rolls and then freezing would be better.
Hi Ashley,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear this. My only guess is the yeast, was it fresh? What kind did you use? Let me know how I can help!! xTieghan
I made these today with my grandma’s special sweetbread dough and used your filling recipe and these might be the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever eaten. And my grandma’s were pretty special. Seriously though. After eating one of these mocha cinnamon rolls I can’t stop dreaming about them. They are so good they should be illegal. Thank goodness they aren’t illegal!
Hi Tamara,
Happy Friday!! I am so glad to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for giving it a go:) xTieghan
Hi, would you be able to use rapid rise yeast instead?
Hey Karla,
Totally, just add that right in with the flour:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan