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Quick and Easy Gingerbread Brioche Cinnamon Rolls…with Cinnamon Browned Butter Frosting. Just the holiday breakfast you’re looking for. Buttery, eggy brioche dough made with ginger for a seasonal twist, swirled with molasses and sprinkled with spiced ginger 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 are a great make-ahead breakfast roll, perfect for your holiday celebrations!
This post is sponsored by Fleischmann’s®.
Happy Friday before Christmas. I have to say, I am so excited for the next few days. Most of my family arrives tomorrow and after this weekend the bulk of my work will be done for the remainder of the year. It’s been crazy busy leading up to Christmas, but I’m feeling grateful and excited for everything we’ve been able to accomplish this last year.
The next few days are all about chilling with my family, cooking our favorite holiday recipes, and probably mixing up a lot of cocktails too. So really, the cooking never stops, but I do it because I love it.
When it comes to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, my family has a few traditions, but the one we never break? Cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. I’ve been making cinnamon rolls for as long as I can remember and nothing beats homemade. Last year I made these Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls, but this year I’m switching it up again and baking these easy spiced gingerbread cinnamon rolls.
To make the dough.
First, these are not your typical cinnamon roll. I wanted them to be extra cinnamony, but also perfectly spiced with ginger and hinted with molasses too. Just like your favorite gingerbread cookies.
For the dough, simply mix flour with Fleischmann’s® Rapid Rise Yeast, a touch of ginger, and a pinch of salt. Add warm milk, a touch of honey, eggs, and salted butter. Then mix until smooth, let the dough rest for ten to fifteen minutes, and then it’s time to shape the rolls. And that’s the beauty of Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® yeast! We get to skip an entire hour-long rise.
For me, skipping the rising step is everything. It means I can start making these rolls at the last minute and not be stressed about getting them prepped and ready before things get crazy in the kitchen.
For the filling, I mixed the butter with blackstrap molasses for a true gingerbread swirl throughout. Then sprinkled on a simple mix of brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
I like to use brown sugar for a nice depth of flavor. And I go heavy on the cinnamon and ginger for sweet, cinnamon, gingery swirls throughout.
Shaping the rolls.
Roll the dough, cut into rolls, and place them into a baking dish. Simple, but always so pretty.
If you enjoy warm rolls fresh out of the oven, you can do a quick rise and bake right away. Then simply frost, eat, and enjoy! Cinnamon rolls in under two hours. Perfect for baking up super last minute.
For the frosting, I did something a little more special, but still simple. Browned butter + cream cheese + vanilla + cinnamon. Simple, but incredibly delicious when spread over these gingery rolls.
Can you make these ahead of time?
Yes, you can! I love the fact that I can make these from start to finish in under two hours. But I’m also fully aware that none of you want to be prepping breakfast on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. So, I made sure these rolls could be made ahead of time, for any of you looking to get a jump start.
Here is what I do. I make these a day or two ahead and let them rise in the fridge, skipping the counter rise completely. That way, on Christmas Eve morning, all I have to do is bake and frost them. This gives me plenty of time to one, sleep in, and two, relax instead of spending the morning in the kitchen.
I cannot think of a better holiday breakfast to enjoy with your family. Of course, these are great for Christmas, but they can truly be enjoyed all winter long. I’ve yet to share these with my family, so I can’t wait to recreate them next week. Fingers crossed that they love these rolls as much as I do!
And with that, I hope to see you tomorrow for the very last Christmas Cocktail Saturday of 2019!
If you make these easy gingerbread brioche 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!
Easy Gingerbread Brioche Cinnamon Rolls with Cinnamon Browned Butter Frosting
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 423 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
- 1 packet Fleischmann’s® Rapid Rise Yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup warm whole milk
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
Gingerbread Sugar Filling
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
- 3 tablespoons molasses
Cinnamon Browned Butter Frosting
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1¼ cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. To make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 3 1/2 cups flour, the yeast, ginger, and salt. Add the warm milk, honey, eggs, and butter. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or up to a few hours at room temperature.2. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate small bowl, mix together the butter and molasses. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment. 3. 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 molasses butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the ginger 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 smaller rolls or 8 large rolls. Place the rolls into the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 20-30 minutes.4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. For larger rolls, bake an additional 10 minutes. 5. 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.6. In a medium bowl, beat together the cooled browned butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth. If the frosting is too thick for your liking, add a tablespoon of milk.7. Spread the frosting over the warm rolls. Serve warm and enjoy.
Notes
To Make Ahead: prepare the rolls through step 3. Do not let the rolls rise at room temp. Cover the rolls and place in the fridge (up to overnight). When ready to bake, remove the rolls from the fridge 45 minutes prior to baking, then bake as directed.
To Prepare and Freeze: assemble the rolls through step 3, 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 before serving.
{This post is sponsored by Fleischmann’s®. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!}
I veganized these and they came out beautifully!!! Fluffy, flavorful, and not too sweet, plus not at all difficult if you follow the (very well written) instructions. If you don’t have a stand mixer, just be warned that it’s more than 4 minutes of kneading by hand! But it’s well worth it—I’m dying to try a pfeffernussen version with anise and white pepper added to the filling since the extra kick would work really well.
My alterations were 6 tablespoons of Just Egg for the eggs, Earth Balance sticks for the butter, almond milk with a bit of oat creamer for the milk, and a teaspoon of almond butter in the melted Earth Balance to create the Maillard reaction and properly brown it. Everything worked just right and the rolls came out looking identical to the mouthwatering recipe photos.
Hi! Awesome! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe! So glad you were able to make it according to your needs! xT
About to test these.. but as a trained baker who prefers metric.. your metric conversation of flour is off.. it’s pretty much double what it should be.. not saying it’s your fault.. but thought it should be pointed out.
Other than that.. super excited to test this out for a special event I’m doing.
These are by far our favorite cinnamon rolls! It is one of the first hbh recipes that we tried and we quickly became hooked!
We are visiting our parents in Silverthorne this week and I was wondering if this recipe is one that I can make a a higher altitude (9k feet)? My mother in law said all bread recipes do not work the same way up here. I would hate to waste the ingredients by it not working out but I would really like to make a batch for them. Do you think it is doable to do this recipe at higher elevation?
Hey Angela,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! You bet, you can still follow the recipe as written! xT
I made these last year and they were amazing! This year I’m traveling and wont have my stand mixer – would you recommend attempting the dough by hand or with a hand mixer?
Hey Michelle,
You can go ahead and mix the dough with a wooden spoon and then knead by hand until you have a smooth dough ball. I hope this helps! xT
Tried this recipe and it is amazing! Thank you for sharing! Just a question about storage, if I were to bake then freeze can I freeze it with the frosting as well? Or I can only freeze the buns and need to apply the frosting separately again after thawing? Thank you!
Hey Winnie,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! I would freeze before baking and then make the frosting fresh. Have the best week:) xT
How do you keep the filling from leaking out?? These are my favorite and I’ve made them the last few years for the holidays and they’re always a big hit. I just can’t seem to do anything to keep them from leaking out and caramelizing on the bottom. Thanks!
Hey Brandi,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! Sounds like your filling might be too liquidy? Make sure the butter is just at room temp and not melted. xTieghan
Made these for Christmas morning! I chose to make 16 rolls and split them into two separate pans of 8. After cutting them, I put them in the pans and in fridge overnight. Cooked one pan as directed and then gifted the other pan to my brother and my mom to take home and freeze or cook the next morning.
Everyone loved them! The browned butter frosting is so yum and the spice and molasses flavor is just enough – not too overwhelming
Hey Candace,
Fantastic! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. xTieghan
Just made these for Christmas EVE Morning, the best ever my family loved them, they were easy to make the dough came out perfect!
Hi Anita,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!?? xTieghan
I haven’t tasted these yet as I am taking to a work party tomorrow, but I don’t seem to have much luck with recipes using rapid rise yeast. They feel and appear dense/heavy. The frosting tastes delicious! I think I’ll stick to the standard method in the future.
Hi Jenny,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I hope they are delicious! xTieghan