I LOVE these cinnamon rolls!

Originally Published 12/21/2021

I love all cinnamon rolls but these Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting are the best thing ever!

I like gingerbread anything. But these soft, fluffy melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon rolls filled with a gingerbread filling and topped with cream cheese frosting… they’re my new favorite way to eat gingerbread! Best of all, this is an easy recipe! These cinnamon rolls are a variation on my Brioche Cinnamon Rolls. They don’t take very long to make and they never fail to turn out delicious! So, if you’re hosting guests Christmas morning, or just want a special treat to offer your family after opening presents, this recipe for Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls is for you!

Part of what makes these Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls so good is that they are made with an enriched dough.

In other words, they are filled with eggs and butter.

Don’t get me wrong, I like frosting, but this cinnamon roll itself is so good, that it hardly even needs to be frosted!

So to get started on the dough, combine the warm whole milk, sugar, and yeast in your mixer. 

Let that sit for a couple of minutes. If you’re like me, you probably forgot to set out the butter, so use these few extra minutes to soften that up in the microwave.

Next,

add the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Turn the mixer on and give it a little swirl, it won’t mix well yet. Finish up by adding the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Let the dough hook and knead all the ingredients together until you’ve got a nice smooth, thoroughly combined dough.

This dough shouldn’t be super sticky. If it seems too wet add in up to 1/4 cup more flour. You don’t want it to be too dry or the cinnamon rolls will be tough, but too wet and you will struggle to roll the dough out and then roll it up with the filling in it. It’s almost like a playdough texture when it’s correct. Place the Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and give it about 45-60 minutes to rise.  It helps if you find it a nice little warm spot. 

While the dough is rising,

use this time to mix up the filling and set out the cream cheese frosting ingredients so they can also start warming up to room temperature. 

Grab a small bowl and stir together the 8 tbsp of room temp salted butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 2 tbsp of molasses, 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, and 1 tsp of cloves. Molasses is the key ingredient in these Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls.  It’s a strong flavor by itself, but mixed with the sugar and spices it’s perfection!

Once your dough has finished the first rise, dump it out on the counter and start rolling it out into a 10″x16″ rectangle. I’ve never had trouble with this dough sticking to my granite countertop. If you’re worried about it sticking though, feel free to sprinkle some flour before rolling it out!  Once you’ve got your rectangle, evenly spread the gingerbread filling over the top of the dough. Leave a 1/2″ border along one of the longer edges of the dough free of the filling. This seam will help seal the cinnamon roll log once it’s rolled up! Once the filling is on, roll it into a log and use a serrated knife to cut 12 equal cinnamon rolls.

Place these Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls in the parchment-lined 9″x13″ baking dish, cover them with plastic wrap, and let them rise for another 25 minutes!

While the Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls are rising for the last time,

preheat the oven to 350°. When they’re done rising, the rolls will double in size and all be touching each other in the pan. Place them in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 25 minutes.

While they’re in the oven, grab a bowl and whip together the 4oz of room-temperature cream cheese, 3 tbsp of butter, and tsp of vanilla. Once they’re combined, add in the 1 1/4 cups of powdered sugar and mix until the frosting comes together!

Take a peak at your rolls! If they’re a lovely shade of golden brown, then it’s time to get them out! Let them cool in the pan on a cooling rack for a bit before frosting.

This last part is really up to you.

Do you prefer melty, dripping icing? Or do you like mounds of fluffier cake-like icing?

If you answered melty, put the frosting on while the cinnamon rolls are still warm (I said warm, not hot lol).

If you answered fluffy, wait until the Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls are cool and then frost!

Obviously, most importantly, finally…grab a cup of coffee and a fork and dig in!

Let me know what you think!? Are you a fan like I am? 🎄🎄🎄❤️

Print Recipe

Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls

These Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls are a Christmas twist on an amazing classic! They’re packed with flavor & topped with cream cheese frosting!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Rise Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack

Servings: 12 cinnamon rolls

Equipment

• Kitchenaid Mixer with Dough Hook Attachment
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Small Mixing Bowl
• Medium Mixing Bowl
• Whisk
• Rubber Spatula
• Serrated Bread Knife
• 9″x13″ Baking Dish
• Parchment Paper

Ingredients

Cinnamon Roll Dough

• 3/4 Cup Warm Whole Milk
• 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp Yeast
• 6 tbsp Salted Butter room temperature
• 2 Eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3 3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour

Gingerbread Filling

• 8 tbsp Salted Butter room temperature
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 tbsp Molasses
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 oz Cream Cheese room temperature
• 3 tbsp Salted Butter room temperature
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar

Instructions

Cinnamon Roll Dough

• In the mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add in the sugar, warm whole milk, and then sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes to activate.
• Next, add the room temperature butter and eggs as well as the vanilla extract, mix briefly with the dough hook. It won’t come together much and will look lumpy.
• Lastly, add in the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix for 5 minutes or until everything comes together to form a fairly smooth dough. The dough should not be super sticky, if it is add 31 grams (or 1/4 cup) more flour.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 45-60 minutes.

Gingerbread Filling

• In a small mixing bowl, combine the room temperature salted butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Mix until well combined.

Assemble and Bake

• Line a 9″x13″ baking dish with a sheet of parchment paper, or lightly spray it with oil if you don’t have parchment paper.
• Once the dough has finished rising, lightly flour the countertop and roll the dough out into a 10″x16″ rectangle. Scoop the gingerbread filling into the center of the rectangle and evenly spread it all over the top of the dough. Leave a 1/2″ seam bare of the filling on the long side of the dough furthest from you.
• Start rolling the dough on the long side closest to you (the side on which you took the cinnamon filling all the way to the edge) and roll it all the way up to the edge you left bare.
• Use a serrated bread knife to cut a little bit off each end of the cinnamon roll log to make it even. Then cut 12 equal pieces, each piece should be about 1″ wide. Place each cinnamon roll in the parchment-lined baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 25 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350° while the rolls are rising.
• Bake on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes or until they are a nice golden brown color.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• In a medium-size bowl, combine room temperature butter and cream cheese, as well as the vanilla extract. Stir together.
• Next, add in the powdered sugar. Mix into the cream cheese and butter before whipping to avoid the powdered sugar flying out everywhere. Whisk or stir together until combined! If you’d like the frosting fluffier, use your KitchenAid with the whisk attachment to whip it.
• Once the cinnamon rolls are finished baking, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes. They can be frosted while they are still warm, the cream cheese frosting will melt and turn into more of a glaze. Or, they can be frosted when they are almost cool, or completely cool and the frosting will remain light and fluffy, more like Cinnabon. Bakers preference!
• Serve immediately and enjoy immensely!

Notes

If you would like to make these the night before…

Follow the recipe as is, but after you’ve cut out the 12 rolls and placed them in the pan, cover them and put them immediately in the fridge.

You can make the cream cheese frosting as well and also put it in the fridge.

The next morning, remove the cinnamon rolls from the fridge and let them warm up for 60 minutes before baking them at 350° for 25 minutes. Also, remove the frosting and allow it to warm up too. 

 

Share on Facebook

Post on X

Follow us

Save