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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!}
“…let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or up to a few hours at room temperature…”??
Am I able to bake these in EZ foil cake pans or will it dry out the cinnamon rolls? I’m trying to bake these for both sides of my family and bring them for Christmas! I’m debating between baking them in a ceramic cake pan or foil pan but I’m worried about them drying out.
HI! I am sure the foil cake pan will work just great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had a Merry Christmas! xTieghan
Hi! I made them and they are delicious. I didn’t do the frosting; my daughter was like “Skip the frosting, they are sweet enough, I can’t wait…” so I skipped that part but they are amazing!
I’m going to make the frosting tomorrow for the rest of them. We didn’t want to eat them all at once.
Excellent recipe!
Thank you so much. Your ideas are great.
Have a Merry Christmas.
I am so glad these turned out so well for you Chris! Thank you so much for trying these! xTieghan
For the brioche, can I use golden syrup instead of honey?
Just made these. Super simple to put together and turned out beautifully. I’m really faithful to a cinnamon roll recipe by Paula Deen but these were just as good and had such a fun twist. They are super fluffy and the ginger and molasses adds such spunk! Oh, and the browned butter frosting is INSANE.
I am so glad these turned out so well for you Katherine! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Hello, these look lovely! I have kind of a silly question, would it work to use bread flour in the recipe instead of AP flour? Thank you
HI! I am sure using bread flour will work great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and Merry Christmas! xTieghan
I watched your segment on Rachel Ray. You did a wonderful job for as fast paced as she goes. Both recipes looked delicious!
Thank you so much Michelle!! xTieghan
“…let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or up to a few hours at room temperature.” Please clarify.
Hi Deana! Just let it sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to a few hours! I hope you love this! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These look amazing. What altitude do you normally bake at? I live at 9,000 ft and wondering if I would need to adjust this recipe
Hi Sara! I am at about the same, so should work great for you! I hope you love this! xTieghan
These rolls look amazing! I need to try them this year!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Thank you Paige!! I hope you do try these! xTieghan
Hey Tieghan,
Ah! Haha I LOVE these sticky gingerbread cinnamon rolls. But now I need help! What’s your absolute FAVORITE cinnamon roll recipe for the holidays? I’m torn between these, your overnight eggnog brioche, and your overnight cinnamon roll bread! ?? haha help!
Anyways, I love ALL of your cinnamon roll recipes. I am worried about letting them rise in the fridge overnight (our fridge runs cold and this rarely seems to work for me). Would it be alright to leave them on the counter overnight? Thoughts?
I hope you’re SO excited for family to get into town tomorrow and be able to cook for everyone! Any baking projects or movie nights planned?
Sending positive thoughts your way!❤️
Hi Tieghan – it’s been a family tradition for us as well to have homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. I love that you added the ginger spice to the sugar filling. And the cinnamon brown butter frosting – YUUUUM! What an added treat Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you Linger! I am so glad you like this and I hope you try it!! xTieghan
Mort from Oregon – If you read the recipe instructions it says to cut into 12-15 smaller rolls or 8 larger rolls. So It sounds like you get the choose how many this recipe makes for you. ?
YES! Thank you Maryann! xTieghan
I am sure these are delicious. I have been thinking of making pumpkin cinnamon rolls but just haven’t yet.
Just curious how many recipes do you have to make to feed all your crowd?HA!!
Haha I definitely make many, but I usually double them!! I hope you try these Charlotte! xTieghan
Your photo shows 8 rolls in the pan. the recipe indicates serves 12. In my world it would be 1 roll per serving.
Could you clarify, please? Hubby loves Gingerbread..so this will be on my list this weekend.
Thanks. And happy Friday. 🙂
HI! You can cut into 12-15 smaller rolls or 8 larger rolls. So you get the choose how many this recipe makes for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and Merry Christmas! xTieghan