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!

overhead photo of Easiest Overnight Eggnog Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

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!

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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.

Easiest Overnight Eggnog Brioche Cinnamon Rolls after baking close up photo of Easiest Overnight Eggnog Brioche Cinnamon Rolls after baking

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).

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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!

side angle photo of Easiest Overnight Eggnog Brioche Cinnamon Roll out of pan Easiest Overnight Eggnog Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

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!

Easiest Overnight Eggnog Brioche Cinnamon Rolls | halfbakedharvest.com #cinnamonrolls #Christmas #easyrecipes #eggnog
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4.67 from 114 votes
The Recipe

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. These rolls are a great make ahead breakfast, and perfect for your Christmas celebrations!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 0 12
Calories 353 kcal

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. 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 9x13 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.