Description

These supremely tender Brown Butter Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls are legit the best treat you’ll ever have! Brown butter and eggnog-infused yeasted dough with dark brown sugar and heaps of cinnamon in the filling, and slathered with an eggnog cream cheese icing (whew!)…these rolls scream holiday season! They’re so light and fluffy, flavorful, and the perfect breakfast/brunch bite for the holidays and beyond!

Ingredients

Yeast Dough:

½ cup unsalted butter, browned and slightly cooled
½ cup good-quality eggnog, warmed to about 110°F- (we use Southern Comfort!)
½ cup whole milk, warmed to about 110°F
½ cup granulated sugar, divided
2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active-dry yeast, see notes
2 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups + 2 tablespoons bread flour, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Filling:

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Eggnog Cream Cheese Icing:

¼ cup butter, softened to room temperature
4 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup good-quality eggnog- (we use Southern Comfort!)
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

Instructions

Make the brown butter. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Allow butter to melt through completely and brown; the entire process takes about 5-8 minutes. You will hear butter bubbling as it cooks. Then butter will turn golden brown and have a nutty aroma with brown bits at the bottom. Once achieved, remove it from heat and set it aside to cool down.
Make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl (if you plan to mix by hand), combine the warm eggnog + milk and about half of the sugar. Then sprinkle the yeast on top and mix well. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes or until foamy.
Once the mixture is foamy, add in the remaining sugar, eggs, browned butter, flour, and salt.
Secure the dough hook attachment to the mixer and mix on low speed until the dough begins to come together, about 1-2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading the dough until smooth, elastic, and supple, about 5-6 minutes. Alternatively, if you are not using a stand mixer, knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. The dough should be slightly sticky but not overwhelmingly so. If you feel like your dough is overly sticky, add in 1 tablespoon of flour to adjust, only as needed.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it into a lightly greased large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise/proof in a warm environment until it doubles in size, about 1 ½ hours or longer depending on the temperature of your environment. *If using rapid rise/instant yeast, no need for this 1st proof, proceed with the step below.
Roll, fill, & cut rolls. After the first proof, punch down the dough knocking out the air and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to about 15×10 inches, now let’s prepare the filling. Spread the softened butter over the dough, leaving a slight margin around the edges. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the butter and use your hands to rub it in, leaving a slight margin around the edges. Lastly, evenly sprinkle the cinnamon and salt over the top and gently pat it into the mixture.
Roll up the dough into a tight log starting from the longest side with the seam side down. Pinch the seam to seal in the edges as much as you can. I like to cut off a bit of the ends of the dough because they are not as full in size as the other sections. Use a large sharp knife or unscented dental floss to cut the log crosswise into 9 pieces.
Line a 9×9-inch baking pan (or similarly large oven-safe vessel) with a piece of parchment paper (this helps just in case any of the filling leaks out). Add the rolls into the baking pan, leaving a bit of space between each one for expansion. Cover the pan with plastic wrap/clean kitchen towel. Let the rolls proof in a warm environment until puffy, about 1 – 1 ½ hours or longer depending on the temperature of your environment. Towards the end of proofing time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Baking the rolls: Remove the plastic wrap/kitchen towel. Bake the cinnamon rolls at 350°F until lightly golden brown, about 30 minutes. While the rolls bake, prepare the icing.
To make the eggnog cream cheese icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together until creamy. Then add in the powdered sugar and continue beating until fully incorporated. Add the eggnog and vanilla bean paste (or extract) and continue mixing until the icing is well combined, silky smooth, and free of any lumps. Set aside until the rolls are done baking.
Ice the rolls & serve. When the rolls are done, spread the eggnog cream cheese icing over the rolls, slathering every nook and cranny. These brown butter eggnog cinnamon rolls are best served right away. Mmm, enjoy!

Notes

If you want to use instant/rapid-rise yeast: simply bring the yeast dough together with all ingredients, no need to wait for activation and only 1 proof is needed (as directed in step #8).
For overnight rolls: After step #8 (rolling out, filling, and cutting rolls), place the baking pan with the assembled rolls, covered, into the refrigerator to rest overnight, about 8-10 hours max (to bake cinnamon rolls the next day). Before baking: let the rolls sit out at room temperature until puffy and proceed with step #9 to bake.
Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.