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Soft and fluffy, these are the classic gooey cinnamon rolls we all love — but with a gingery holiday twist and double the cinnamon swirl. The homemade molasses dough is lightly spiced with ginger, rolled up with two layers of sweet cinnamon sugar, and baked until fluffy and golden. Every roll is finished with the creamiest vanilla cream cheese icing that melts right into all those sweet cinnamon swirls. The perfect Christmas morning cinnamon rolls.
I can’t help myself — I have to make cinnamon rolls a few times every December. Cinnamon rolls are Christmas to me. I have the sweetest memories of warm Pillsbury rolls with my cousins over the holidays. My mom bought the canned rolls every single year. We’d bake them for breakfast, but honestly? What I loved even more were the nights we’d sneak a few into the oven after playing in the snow for hours.
Those warm, gooey rolls eaten by the fire, icing dripping down the sides… pure childhood magic. I’m so grateful for those memories. Just another reason why I adore this season.
I always have so many ideas for holiday recipes — the list is long, and every year I run out of time before I can make them all. But somehow, I always manage to make the cinnamon rolls. This year’s idea: take the gooey rolls I love so much and give them a gingerbread twist.
A soft molasses dough, layers of cinnamon sugar sweetness, and a generous coat of creamy whipped icing. Truly the best kind of holiday treat.
Simple, cozy, and perfectly festive!
These are the details
Ingredients
For the Dough
- warm water
- brown sugar
- active dry yeast
- warm whole milk
- eggs
- molasses
- flour
- ginger
- cinnamon
- salted butter
For the Filling
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- cinnamon
- salted butter
The Icing
- salted butter
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- vanilla salt – optional
Special Tools
For these frosted gingerbread cinnamon rolls, I recommend using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. It’s just easiest with a mixer and a dough hook!
You can use a wooden spoon, but it will require more arm work.
Steps
Step 1: make the dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm water, brown sugar, and yeast. Let the mixture sit until it’s puffy on top. This “proofs” the yeast and gets it working so your rolls turn out extra soft and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Pour over the warm milk, then add the three large eggs and molasses (room-temperature eggs work best).
Using the dough hook, mix until a smooth ball forms. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 1–2 hours.
Step 2: mix the cinnamon sugar
Stir together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Using both sugars gives you the best, most flavorful cinnamon swirl.
Step 3: roll out the dough and cut the rolls
Roll the risen dough into a large rectangle.
Spread the entire surface with softened salted butter. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Fold the sides in like a letter, roll it back out into a rectangle, then spread with butter again and add the remaining cinnamon sugar. This is the secret to the double cinnamon swirl—don’t skip it!
Roll the dough into a log and cut it into 12 rolls. Arrange in a baking pan.
Step 4: bake or refrigerate overnight
You can bake the rolls right away, or refrigerate them overnight.
I always make my rolls on Christmas Eve, so I don’t miss any of the Christmas morning fun. If you’re making these for Christmas, prep the rolls (and icing) the night before.
Step 5: the icing
Whip softened salted butter with cream cheese and a splash of vanilla until smooth and creamy. Classic, simple, and the perfect finishing touch.
Spread the warm rolls with plenty of icing—because it’s Christmas, and that’s exactly how it should be. If enjoyed, sprinkle with flaky vanilla sea salt.
Enjoy every sweet bite!
Looking for Christmas recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Easy Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Wreath
Brown Butter Iced Mocha Cinnamon Rolls
Big Fluffy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Chewy Frosted Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodles
Soft Gingerbread Latte Cookies
Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
Easy Vanilla Bean Christmas Lights Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Frosted Gingerbread 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!
Frosted Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
The Dough
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup warm whole milk
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
Filling
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
Vanilla Icing
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar, use more or less to taste
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- vanilla sea salt, optional for sprinkling
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add 1/4 cup warm water, the brown sugar, and the yeast. Let sit until it is puffed and foamy on top, about 10 minutes. It will smell like bread! 2. To the bowl, add the warm milk, eggs, molasses, flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and very soft butter. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add a 1/4 cup of flour at a time. Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature 1-2 hours, until doubled in size. 3. To make the filling. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, except the butter. 4. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle, about 12x8 inches. Spread 4 tablespoons of butter over the dough. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar. Fold one side of the dough into the center, then the other side on top. Like a letter. Turn the dough horizontally. Roll into a rectangle again. Spread with 2 tablespoons of butter and the remaining cinnamon sugar. 5. Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a log. Pinch along the edge to seal. Cut into 12 rolls. Place into a buttered baking dish. 6. Cover and let sit 10 minutes or transfer to the fridge to rise overnight.7. Remove from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.8. To make the icing. Beat together all ingredients until whipped and fluffy. Spread the icing over the warm rolls. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Mix 1–2 split vanilla beans (seeds scraped out) with ½ cup flaky sea salt. Use your fingers to rub the seeds into the salt until evenly combined. Store in an airtight container for 3–5 days to let the flavor infuse. Store in a cool, dry place. Perfect for sprinkling over warm cinnamon rolls!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Overall they were a hit, but a few things to note
1) Not enough molasses/ginger to make them taste like gingerbread. For my family, this actually worked out because they wanted ‘normal’ cinnamon rolls, so they still loved them because you couldn’t taste the ginger/molasses
2) I’d read enough reviews to know the dough would be sticky. I added more flour to help with this.
3) The dough seemed thin compared to other HBH cinnamon roll recipes. Not sure if this was because of the dough being rolled out twice (2 layers of cinnamon sugar), or if texture/sticky-ness made it somehow come out thinner. I ended up with 24 mini cinnamon rolls instead of 12 big and fluffy ones.
4) Like a few others noted, the recipe does not listed “salt” in the ingredients, but in the directions says to add salt. I ended up comparing to other HBH cinnamon roll recipes to determine how much salt. I did 1/2 tsp in the end. The recipe needs to be edited or people will continue to get confused/frustrated.
Overall, my family loved them and they were a hit. Just not what I was expecting as far as gingerbread flavor, texture, and size goes. Still tasted great.
Hey Liz,
Thanks so much for trying these cinnamon rolls. I appreciate you making them and all of your notes!
Happy Holidays!
We loved these! Great flavor, and nice and fluffy and tall since I let them rise for a couple hours until they completely filled the pan. The frosting was very sweet and too much for us, we ended up scraping some off. I think I’ll make a 1/2 batch for next time. But if you’re a sweet tooth-mall-cinnamon roll-type, you’ll be in heaven haha. I also missed the pinch of salt in the dough (written in the instructions but not on the ingredient list), and the dough is still perfect! And these are not too spicy at all for kids. Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Elizabeth,
Big thanks for making this recipe and sharing back. So glad it hit the spot!
Happy Holidays!
These were delicious!! Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
Hey Alyse,
Big thanks for making this recipe and sharing back. So glad it hit the spot!
Happy Holidays!
I’m just about to make these and you say to put the yeast in with water yet you don’t put it in the ingredients list with how much water??
Hi Jodie,
Step one says 1/4 cup of warm water:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
Merry Christmas!
You don’t specify whether to use a greased or ungreased pan!!!!!!
MAJOR MISTAKE!!!!
Hi Jacson,
So sorry you missed this!
Step 5. Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a log. Pinch along the edge to seal. Cut into 12 rolls. Place into a buttered baking dish.
Please let me know if I can help in any other way! Merry Christmas!🎄🎁
Hi! Can they sit in the fridge for two days before baking? Was hoping to make tonight (12/23) and bake Christmas morning. Thank you!
Hey Allison,
Totally, that will be perfectly okay for you to do! I hope you love this recipe!
Happy Holidays!
These look delicious. Would subbing gluten free flour work?
Thanks so much, Caroline! Yes, that will work nicely for you. I hope you love this recipe! Happy Holidays!
Step 2 says to add salt but it’s not on the list of ingredients for the dough. How much salt?
Hi Shanen,
You can just use a pinch of salt.
I hope you love this recipe! Happy Holidays!
Unfortunately these didn’t turn out for me at all.
Hi Rachel,
Sorry to hear you did not enjoy this recipe. If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know!
Hi Tieghan,
Can I use Rapid Rise instant yeast instead?
Hey Joan,
You bet! Just mix it directly with the flour. I hope you love this recipe!
Happy Holidays!
Should I let them rise before I put them in the fridge overnight or will they rise in the fridge?
Hey Kenzie,
They will rise in the fridge and then you can bring them back to room temp before baking.
I hope you love this recipe! Happy Holidays!
Can you freeze dough for a few days and then bake them? Without messing up the proofs.
Hi Sierra,
You bet, you can freeze after step 6. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
I have to say that the pictures enticed me to make these rolls. I made the dough, rolled them out and stuck them in the fridge to bake yesterday morning to take to the offiice. I was a little sckeptial how everything was going to turn out because the dough was different than my normal roll dough. Even after adding 3/4 to 1 cup extra flour the dough was very sticky. Everyone loved the rolls and commented on how they were so flavorful and delicious! I will definitly add the recipe to my list and make them again!
Hey there,
Yay! Love to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, I appreciate you making it! Happy Holidays!
Just wondering if there is a reason for using warm milk? I see it in your recipes often so I was just curious.
My other question is if you make them the day before will the dough continue to rise because of the yeast?
Thanks!
Hi Danielle,
The warm milk helps to proof the yeast. The dough will not continue to rise while in the fridge if you make them a day in advance.
I hope you love this recipe!
Hi,
For this recipe, do you recommend baking in a metal or glass baking dish??
Cant wait to try it this holiday season!
Hi Jacqueline,
I like to use a ceramic baking dish for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Looking forward to making these! I noticed that in your stories today you hit the dough multiple times after you folded it over, but I don’t see that in the recipe. I just wanna make sure I don’t do the wrong thing when making these! Are we supposed to hit the dough? Thank yoi’n
Hi Janelle,
You don’t need to hit the dough, you can follow the recipe as written:)
I hope you love these cinnamon rolls!