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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.
Just made these for my family for Christmas Eve breakfast and they absolutely loved them!! Everyone agreed that these are the best cinnamon rolls they’ve ever had and couldn’t stop raving about them. Thank you so much Tieghan!!
Hey Kelsey,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Thanks for sharing this! It looks delicious!! Is it possible to make this with regular yeast and could you share how?? Thanks for giving us so many wonderful recipes!!
Hey Jennifer,
Yes, you will just need to dissolve in the warm eggnog and honey and let it bubble then continue with the recipe. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hey there, how far in advance can I make these? My cousin introduced me to your site because i COULD NOT BACK at altitude to save my life….enter, YOU and your recipes! huzzah! So, i’d like to make these a few days ahead of time, but will they be ruined if they rise TOO much? thanks in advance, T!
Hey Amy,
I would not allow these to sit in the fridge for longer than 24 hours, otherwise I would freeze them. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi! I’m thinking about making this recipe for Christmas morning and I was wondering how long you can leave the unbaked dough in the fridge before baking. If I make the dough more than 24 hours before baking it, will it still be good? Thank you!
Hey Amanda,
I would make the dough no more than 24 hours in advance. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made these tonight intending to take them to work tomorrow. The flavor was lovely and the icing was perfect. My rolls however were dry, too dry to share tomorrow. Do you have any suggestions for what I may have done or why they were dry? Thanks very much.
Hey Ann,
So sorry the rolls were dry. Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
My mom and I made these tonight as a test run for Christmas morning and OMG they were AMAZING! We used whole milk instead of egg nog (as it’s October and no egg nog yet) and they were delish. Browning the butter in the icing makes such a difference too! It was hard to just eat one! I would recommend this recipe to anyone! We did the expedited recipe and it turned out great! Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes! Everything I’ve made from your site has been delicious!
Amazing!! I am so happy these turned out so well for you, Raychel! Thank you so much for trying these! xTieghan
I have made these rolls a number of times and they are always a huge hit. Just so delicious. As suggested in the comments, I do pour 1/2 cup of half-and-half over the rolls before baking just to make sure they are moist. The browned- butter icing is a delicious finishing touch!
Amazing! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
So I am apparently on a Half Baked Harvest kick. I made these this morning and they are delicious! I did half with pecans and half without. I have one of your cookbooks and made your Dads Friday night pasta on Friday night without even meaning to. My angel hair kind of gunked up together. Any tips to avoid that in the future?
Hey Lety,
Thanks so much for giving the recipes a try! You can always toss the pasta in a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can I let these sit for 2 days before cooking?
Hey Sarah,
Yes, just keep them covered in the refrigerator. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this last weekend. It was soooo good!! Loved the fluffy soft texture. The eggnog really makes it so rich. The family loved it. Making it again next weekend to eat on a road trip.
Thank you so much Aru! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I am going to make these for the third time this weekend… definitely a crowd pleaser! Making them for the first time without eggnog. They are so good, everyone is still thinking about them! I had never “browned butter” before so for anyone who is doing that for the first time… wait it out until it actually turns brown! It’s not burning 🙂 I did not actually brown it the first time I made it and it made a difference.
I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Mariah!! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Hi! How can you tell if your instant yeast is still good? I’ve seen articles for testing active dry yeast but not sure if that also applies to instant yeast. Thanks!
Hi Elle,
I would go by the expiration date! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious. I made these yesterday and baked them for breakfast this morning ? I don’t have a mixer so I made them by hand. Everyone of the Half Baked Harvest recipes that I have tried have been a hit!
That is so great to hear! I am so glad you loved this and other recipes, Lynda! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hi,
I have been following for some months now, and honestly, you are the only one I stick to, why? Because you and your recipes are simply fabulous and amazingly delicious!
I made them tonight, literally as I write this post, my last batch is ready in the oven… The house smells wonderfully, like butter, cinammon, sugar, cinammon rolls!!!! I had a bite of them as soon as the first batch popped out of the oven, and oh lalaaaa, I was in heaven, they are so soft, and so delicious!
Thank you for all the recipes you bless us with, we are lucky folks! Hope you have a happy new year <3
Awh this is so sweet to hear! I am so glad you have been loving my recipes and I hope you continue to! Thank you so much Daniela! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Made these for our family Christmas Brunch this weekend. This was my first attempt to make from scratch cinnamon rolls. So impressed at how easy these were to make. They turned out fantastic! I did not put in the fridge overnight for the second rise, but made them early in the morning instead and just let them sit on my warm stove top for a few hours before baking them right before guests arrived for our brunch. They rose quite a bit by then. I poured just a little extra eggnog on top of them before baking as well as added a little more cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar on top. I agree that the browned butter icing is so yummy and adds that slight depth of flavor that is unmatched. Thank you so much for this deliciuos recipe. It will become one of our many family traditional favorites.
Thank you for trying this Connie! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan