Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls

5 from 8 votes

Get ready to indulge in the ultimate holiday treat! These ultra-soft + fluffy Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls are a festive twist on a classic favorite. Swirled with a heavenly blend of warming spices—they're a comforting delight! But here's the real star: The decadent Eggnog Cream Cheese frosting that crowns each roll, adding a rich and creamy touch that perfectly complements the spiced goodness within. And, beginner bakers, have no fear, because this holiday recipe is easy, easy, easy! Gluten-Free + Overnight Option.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Rise Time:1

Total Time2

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Keyword: baked, breakfast, brioche, brunch, christmas, cinnamon rolls, classic, cream cheese, dessert, easy, fall recipe, fluffy, gingerbread, healthy, holiday, holidays, homemade, indulge, maple, recipe, soft, sweet, traditional, vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 386kcal

Author: Shanika

Ingredients

DOUGH:

3 cups organic All-purpose flour
2 cups Artisan Bread flour
1 packet Rapid Rise Yeast (That's 2 ¼ tsps!)
½ cup organic brown sugar + 1 Tbsp
2 tsps ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 ¼ cup Almond milk, room temp. (You can use your fave plant-based or whole milk!)
2 large organic eggs, room temp.
1 tablespoon molasses
¼ cup WARM water
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted + cooled to WARM

MOLASSES MIXTURE:

4 Tbsps molasses (See Notes)
½ cup WARM Almond milk (You can use your fave plant-based or whole milk!)

FILLING:

½ cup unsalted butter, softened at room temp.
½ cup organic brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

EGGNOG CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:

4-5 cups organic powdered sugar, sifted
8 oz. organic cream cheese, softened at room temp.
2-3 Tbsps high-quality eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of ground cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

FOR THE DOUGH:

Combine yeast and 1 tablespoon brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and slowly pour in warm water while stirring frequently. Allow 10 minutes for the mixture to sit and for the yeast to activate.
Add in the room temperature milk and warm butter to the yeast mixture and whisk until well combined. Add in the vanilla and molasses, whisking to incorporate.
In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and sea salt and add them to the wet ingredients and mix on low-speed until well combined and everything begins to form into a dough-like consistency, about 2-3 minutes.
Change “Mixer head” to kneading accessory and knead dough for 5-10 minutes on high speed until dough ball becomes smooth and elastic and dough springs back when lightly pressed together with 2 fingers. NOTE: If dough is still too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until texture is achieved!
Lightly grease a large bowl with a small amount of olive oil and place the dough ball in the bowl, tossing it around until coated. Cover with plastic wrap (or a towel) and let sit for 1 hour, allowing the dough to rise and double in size.

FOR THE MOLASSES MIXTURE:

In a bowl, add together the warm milk and molasses, whisking until combined and smooth.
In the meantime, you can work on the filling!

FOR THE FILLING:

Add the softened butter in a small bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the spices and brown sugar, mixing them together.
Once the dough has risen fully, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper, allowing excess to hang from the sides.
Add a bit of flour to a surface and place the dough onto it, lightly adding a bit of flour to the top. Using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape (approximately 9″x14 and ½-inch thick), trimming the edges if needed. NOTE: Try not to make the dough too thin or else rolling it up will be hard to do!
Then, generously smear the softened butter evenly atop dough, followed by the brown sugar-spice mixture, ensuring that the top is coated evenly.
Tightly roll dough (long-ways) and using a pastry cutter, cut dough into 1.5" rolls, placing each roll (cut side down) into a large baking dish (lined with parchment paper!).
Then place plastic wrap over the baking dish with rolls and let them rise again (for another 20 minutes).

BAKE TIME:

Once the rolls have doubled in size (once again!) or have gotten significantly larger, evenly pour the molasses mixture atop all rolls and then bake them for approximately 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven or until the centers come out "clean" when tested.
While all the baking magic is happening, make the Eggnog Cream Cheese Glaze.

FOR THE EGGNOG CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:

In a large bowl, beat (using a hand-mixer) the softened cream cheese until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and eggnog, beating everything together until the glaze becomes smooth and velvety. NOTE: Add additional eggnog (1 tablespoon at a time) if the glaze is too thick or powdered sugar (1 tablespoon at a time) if too thin.
Remove the rolls from oven and wait 25-30 minutes or until it completely cools, before spreading the frosting/glaze atop the rolls using a rubber spatula evenly until fully covered. NOTE: To add additional moisture and for an ultra velvety experience, add half of the glaze atop WARM cinnamon rolls so that it "seeps" through. and then add remaining after a few minutes.
To serve, cut out each roll desired and enjoy.
Bon Appetit!

Notes

TO STORE: Cinnamon Rolls can be kept fresh at room temperature when tightly wrapped or sealed for up to 3 days. Fresh for up to 1 week in the Refrigerator. Baked rolls can be frozen up to 2 months.
OVERNIGHT OPTION: If you don’t want to make your Cinnamon Rolls on the same day, you can simply follow all steps (including the initial 1+ hour rise) and after cutting rolls and placing them into your baking pan, just cover them tightly (using foil paper of plastic wrap) and refrigerate them overnight or for 8-12 hours instead. The following day, remove from refrigerator and keeping them covered, let cinnamon rolls rise at room temp 1 to 1 ½ hours.
RAPID (INSTANT) RISE YEAST VS. ACTIVE DRY YEAST: If you’re not using the Rapid Rise Yeast for this recipe, please know that the rise time will be twice as long (about 3 hours) since regular Active Yeast doesn’t work as quickly.
FLOUR: If you don’t have bread flour, you can always just use all-purpose flour entirely instead.
MOLASSES: If using regular molasses, you can use the recommended amount as listed in the recipe. If using Blackstrap Molasses, simply use 1 less tablespoon than the amount listed to ensure that the batter isn’t too bitter.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: To make fluffy Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls gluten-free, substitute both the all-purpose and bread flour with Bob's RedMill 1:1 baking flour. Reduce the amount by 1 cup and add more if necessary if the dough is too sticky.

Nutrition