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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 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.
Hello! If I am making this recipe ahead and freezing it- I see that you say to freeze it after step 4. Should I let the rolls rise for 20-30 min at room temp first before freezing or freeze before the rise? Also- do you think your chai frosting would pair well with these eggnog rolls, or go for the basic frosting? Thank you!!!
Hey Danielle,
You can allow cover and pop in the freezer and then allow them to rise during the thaw. Sure, you could totally do the chai frosting. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi! First, we love all of your recipes. Seriously, many are on repeat and HBH is now a term in our house and we all know what it means. 🙂
Question about the recipe for your Easiest Overnight Eggnog Brioche Cinnamon Rolls. We made them last Christmas and followed the recipe to the letter. This year I saw that there are vegan option for egg nog in our grocery stores (e.g., Chobani Oat Nog with oat milk, Blue Diamond Almond Nog with almond milk). Could an alternative like these be used as a swap for the traditional egg nog?
Thanks, Tieghan!
Hey Kelsey,
Thank you so very much for your kind message! Sure, I bet that would work just fine for you! Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Hi there, I’m seeing conflicting advice in the comments below regarding how long these can be made in advance before baking. I was hoping to make the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and bake them Friday morning. Do I need to freeze them? At what point would I do that? Thanks in advance.
Hey there! 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! xTieghan
Thank you for your response. At what point do I freeze them? After they rise but before baking? If yes, do I thaw completely and then bake? Thanks in advance for your guidance.
Hey there,
You will freeze after step 4 and then completely thaw before baking. I hope you love the recipe. xTieghan
Thanks much for the reply. I definitely would not have done it right. Fingers crossed ?
Completely delicious. I upped the filling and skipped the icing. Thawed on the counter overnight and baked this morning. Worked out perfectly. Thanks so much!
Hey there,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
Fluffy, sweet and so yum?
I used active dry yeast by mistake but didn’t make any difference! Definitely my now first cinnamon scroll recipe choice! Can’t wait to make your raspberry/ricotta icing rolls too!?
Hey Kayla,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
A personal favourite and loved by my work colleagues!
Hey Amelia,
Happy Friday! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Perfect!!!
Thanks so much JJ!
My frosting was grainy, should I have whipped it longer? Otherwise super yummy!
Hey Nicole,
So sorry about the frosting, was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know how I can help! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This is a good recipe. It needs some further tweaks in my opinion but it’s a good recipe.
1) After I warmed the eggnog I added the butter. Stirred till melted. Putting on and off the heat. Then I added the honey and yeast. Stirred till honey dissolved.
Added all the warm Liquid to 3/12 cups of flour and salt. Added eggs and kneaded till smooth. 4 cups of flour would be way too much.
2) Filling. Cream the sugar and cinnamon together with the butter. . Loose way too much filling in the roll up otherwise. You can push as hard as you want into the butter you still loose too much filling in the roll up.
3) Icing. Mix all the wet ingredients. Then add the icing sugar 1/2 c at a time. If you add 2/12 cups of icing you loose the cream cheese taste. It is way too sweet and the cream cheese becomes just a binder instead of a flavour. I also added cinnamon to the icing. I would agree with you can never have too much cinnamon in a cinnamon bun as long as there is the right balance of sugar.
I am Looking forward to trying your other cinnamon bun recipes. A cinnamon bun is my absolute favourite treat. My favourite to date is one make with croissant dough. I do not have a sheeter and wanted an easy recipe. Which your is but if you are not a baker the directions lack a bit. I am an avid baker amd had no issues but every time I make these I think of a beginner making them.
Like your blog. Thank you.
Hey Krista,
Thank you so very much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Happy New Year! xTieghan
These were fantastic! I’ve never made homemade cinnamon rolls before, fearing the lengthy time to make, process and bake. It was very easy and I’ll never feel intimidated about making them from homemade again. Thanks for a great and simple recipe that results in excellence.
Hey Kristin,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Such a rich yummy dough to work with. These cinnamon rolls are so delicious. I used cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/2 & half instead of the eggnog. The browned butter in the frosting took these to a new level. They are my go-to cinnamon rolls now. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hey Collette,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This recipe has potential, but mine went off the rails. I overproofed the dough, but this was exacerbated by a shortage of flour vs. the amount of butter in the recipe — the texture ended up a bit greasy and spongy. The recipe definitely require at least 4 cups (not 3.5) for sure. Though I only let the first rise go for an hour, as instructed, the texture was not great as it got rolled out for the cinnamon mixture.
The cream cheese frosting is great, with one adjustment: it needed a hit of acid to offset the sweetness and richness. This got solved with a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, and then it was perfect.
I’m going to try this again, because I have some really good quality eggnog to use up. Thanks!
Hey Hanna,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These are AMAZING! I’ve always been unsatisfied with cinnamon rolls I’ve made in the past – they’ve usually been a little dry and biscuity. This dough is so rich and soft and fluffy and delicious. I added dried cranberries soaked in cognac to the filling, and that was a fantastic little bit of boozy tartness in each bite. Thank you so much for our Christmas morning breakfast!
Hey Colleen,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These were incredible! And SO easy! Thank you for another perfect recipe, Tieghan!
Hey Meridith,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Never made cinnamon rolls before. They were easy and turned out perfectly. It’s our Christmas breakfast. Happy holidays!
Hey Liz,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Oh my gosh, this recipe is PERFECTION! I had given up on baking my husband’s favorite treat after too much work and disappointing results. These were SO simple and he said it was the best cinnamon roll he’s ever had. Thank you!
Hey Holly,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan