Soft, fluffy and warm Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls recipe with Cinnamon Molasses Cream Cheese Frosting is the easiest and the best Christmas morning breakfast dessert recipe. 🎄🎄🎄
Christmas is right around the corner and its the best time of the year. 🎄
Christmas time calls for some fancy and comforting breakfast since everybody is at home around the holidays!
And whats better for breakfast than a comforting, soft and fluffy gingerbread cinnamon roll! You couldn't ask for anything better than this! Its seriously the best Christmas Breakfast EVER!!!❤️❤️
Besides serving these Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast, it can also be served as a Christmas Brunch recipe to feed the crowd.
And these are not your average Cinnamon rolls. Infused with everyone's favorite gingerbread flavors, this is seriously so so so delicious! ❤️
Love Gingerbread? Also try these❤️
- Gingerbread Crumb Cake
- Best Gingerbread cookies Recipe
- Moist Homemade Gingerbread Loaf
- Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
- Quick Gingerbread Truffles (just 3-ingredients)
- No-Bake Gingerbread Cheesecake
- Southern Ginger Molasses Cookies
Jump to:
- Love Gingerbread? Also try these❤️
- Ingredients needed to make Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
- How to make Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
- More Cinnamon Rolls Recipes
- Storage
- How to Make Ahead Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls?
- Top Tips to Bake the Best Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
- More Christmas Breakfast recipes
- Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
- STORAGE
Ingredients needed to make Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
- Flour: I like to use both whole wheat flour as well as all purpose flour. This is because whole wheat flour makes cinnamon rolls soft while all purpose flour gives shape to the cinnamon rolls. (you can also use same quantity of whole wheat flour)
- Ginger: I love to use freshly grated ginger for this recipe for that authentic ginger taste. You can replace with ginger powder as well.
- Molasses: This lends in that authentic gingerbread cookies flavor to these gingerbread cinnamon rolls.
- Spices : I simply use ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg. This gives in a warm and delicious taste to these gingerbread cinnamon rolls.
- Eggs, Milk and Brown Sugar - the simple ingredients to make any cinnamon rolls.
- Vanilla: a bit of pure vanilla makes every cinnamon rolls taste extraordinary!
- Cream cheese + Powdered sugar: for the frosting
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
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Warm butter and milk in a pyrex jar. As the milk warms through, add the instant yeast and set aside.
Combine whole wheat flour with all other ingredients (except all purpose flour) and beat until combined in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.
Gradually add the milk and yeast mixture and beat until combined. Add the all purpose flour and mix until a dough is formed and it starts to pull away from the sides.
Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for an hour.
Meanwhile combine the filling ingredients
Roll the dough into a big rectangle. Brush over with melted butter, sprinkle the filling.
Roll the dough and cut into 12 slices.
Let the dough rise in a pan. Bake for 25-30 min @350F until it gets golden.
Make the cream cheese frosting and drizzle over the gingerbread cinnamon rolls.
More Cinnamon Rolls Recipes
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls
- Apple Cider Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Roll Cake
- Banana Cinnamon Rolls (Without Yeast)
- Orange Cardamom Rolls
Storage
Refrigerate: Leftover gingerbread cinnamon rolls can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Freeze: Gingerbread cinnamon rolls can be frozen for up to 3 months. The best thing would be to wrap un-frosted cinnamon rolls, wrapping individual slices in plastic wrap.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Reheat: Reheat cinnamon rolls in a 350F oven until heated through. You can even warm individual cinnamon rolls in the microwave until heated through.
How to Make Ahead Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls?
These gingerbread cinnamon rolls are a fantastic make ahead recipe as it gives time for the rolls to rise and puff up.
You can arrange rolled cinnamon rolls in a pan. Cover with a plastic wrap on top and allow them to rise overnight for best results.
Remember to set the pan out at room temp for at least 20-30 min before you bake them @350F for 25-30 min.
Top Tips to Bake the Best Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
- You can knead the gingerbread cinnamon roll dough by hand until it gets soft and elastic.
- Use only warm 7 NOT HOT MILK to activate the yeast. The milk temp should be about 110F.
- Check the yeasts expiry date before use
- Add a pinch of sugar for the yeast to activate quickly.
- Allow the gingerbread cinnamon rolls to rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
- Adding both all purpose flour and whole wheat flour makes the rolls both fluffy and soft.
- I add the molasses only in making the cinnamon cream cheese frosting for a sweet and dark taste to it. For best result use classic Molasses.
- Roll the dough in a lightly floured surface so that it becomes easy to roll.
- Roll it into a tight log and pinch the seam sides to seal it.
- You can use a dental floss to cut the rolls (do not use flavored dental floss for this step)
- You can check of your gingerbread cinnamon rolls are perfectly cooked when they reach an internal temp of 185F
More Christmas Breakfast recipes
- French Toast Casserole
- Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole (SO CHEESY)!
- Gingerbread Crumb Cake
- Christmas Crumb Cake
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Walnut and Brown Sugar Crumble Topping
- Orange Spiced Eggnog Muffins
- Breakfast Egg Muffins
- Egg and Potato Casserole Recipe {3-Methods}
Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE DOUGH
- 3 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 1½ cup White Whole Wheat Flour
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour
- ¾ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 pinch granulated sugar to activate the yeast
- 1 large Egg beaten
- 1 envelope instant yeast 2½ tsp
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
FOR THE FILLING
- ¾ cup Brown Sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 tablespoon Unsalted Butter melted, to brush over the dough
FOR CINNAMON MOLASSES CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 4 oz cream cheese softened to room temp.
- 3 tablespoon molasses
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add the milk and butter in a pyrex jar. Heat it in the microwave on full power for 1 min. (it should be about 110 to 125F). Add the instant yeast along with a pinch of granulated sugar. Lightly stir to combine. Let is sit for 10-15 min until it gets foamy.
- In the stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add whole wheat flour, ground spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, grated or ground ginger, Molasses, beaten egg, Vanilla and Kosher Salt. Add the heated milk & yeast mix to it. Beat on low heat for 3-4 min. You can alternatively mix everything in a large bowl using a silicone or wooden spatula.
- Gradually add the 3 cups of All purpose flour, about ½ cup at a time, and beat until combined for 6-8 min. Scrape down the sides and mix everything slowly until combined through. Mix until a dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It shouldn't be too sticky dough. The dough should be elastic, smooth, and soft. (add a bit of flour, 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough gets too sticky and mix until combined through and the dough gets soft and elastic)
- Lightly grease a large bowl with oil, and add the dough to it. Turn the dough once in the bowl, to coat it with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap OR a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 2 hours in a warm place until doubles.
- Meanwhile, its time to make the filling. So combine all the filling ingredients - Brown Sugar, Ground Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves,& Ginger. Set it aside. Also grease a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350F.
- After the dough has risen, turn it out in a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into 12x20 inches rectangle. Brush 4 tablespoon of melted butter over the rolled dough. Sprinkle the sugar filling over the rolled dough.
- Starting at one end roll the cinnamon roll into a tight log. Pinch and seal the seam side. Gently roll it out to elongate the length to about 18 inches. Use a serrated knife to cut about 1½ inch wide rolls. It should yield 12 even sized cinnamon rolls.
- Discard the sides and arrange the rolls in the prepared baking dish. Cover with a plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel and let rise for 45-50 min. (At this stage, You can even refrigerate them overnight and let rise, allow to stand at room temp for 30 min before baking)
- Place the rack in the center of the preheated oven at 350F. Bake the gingerbread cinnamon rolls for 25-30 min or until the rolls turn golden. (you can even tent the top with foil if the top is browning too quickly)
- Beat Cream Cheese with Molasses, Ground Cinnamon, & Vanilla Extract until it gets smooth and medium. Beat over medium speed for 3 min. Add a splash of milk to adjust the consistency to your desired thickness.
- Frost the Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls and serve warm.
Jhon says
Very delicious gingerbread cinnamon rolls recipe! Loved how soft and fluffy they came out!!
Molly says
Totally making this for Christmas brunch !! Already tried it today and it came out a huge success!! So grateful for the recipe