Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

Quite simply, these eggnog cinnamon rolls are delicious! They are spiced with both nutmeg and cinnamon, and have real eggnog in both the rolls and the cream cheese icing.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 20

Rising Time 1 30

Total Time 2 50

Servings rolls

Calories 398

Author Annalise Sandberg

Ingredients

For the cinnamon roll dough:

¼ cup unsalted butter (56 grams)
1 cup eggnog (227 grams)
1 large egg
2 ¼ teaspoon active-dry or instant yeast (1 envelope)
3 ½ cup all-purpose flour , divided (455 grams)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25 grams)
1 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

¼ cup unsalted butter , melted (56 grams)
6 tablespoons granulated sugar (75 grams)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the cream cheese frosting:

4 ounces cream cheese (half a brick, 113 grams)
¼ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (56 grams)
2 cups powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar, 227 grams)
1-2 tablespoons eggnog
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

To make the eggnog cinnamon rolls:

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Once butter is melted, add the eggnog and heat for 1 minute more (mixture should be between 120-130°F).
Pour mixture into bowl of electric mixer and whisk in egg and yeast. Add 2 ½ cups (325 grams) flour, sugar, and salt. Use dough whisk or wire whisk to combine to make a wet shaggy dough.
Fit mixer with dough attachment and knead dough on low speed, adding remaining flour ¼ cup (35 grams) at a time while kneading, waiting until flour is incorporated before each addition. Add just enough flour so the dough clears the sides of the bowl, and still feels soft and tacky to the touch, but doesn’t stick and come off on your fingers (you may need slightly more or less than 3 ½ cups flour). Continue to knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes total kneading time.
Bring dough into a ball, then cover and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour (or 30 minutes if using instant yeast).
Gently punch down the risen dough and knead it with your hands a few times. Shape back into a ball and let it rest for a few minutes while you prepare the cinnamon roll filling. Melt butter, and combine 6 Tbsp. granulated sugar with cinnamon and nutmeg in a separate bowl.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into an approximate 12x17-inch rectangle, adding flour as needed to keep it from sticking. (If dough springs back and doesn’t roll out easily, cover with a towel and let it sit for 15 minutes before trying again.) Brush dough with melted butter to the edges and sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Starting with a long edge, gently roll up the dough into a long log, careful not to push filling out as you go. Using a sharp knife or unscented floss, trim ends of the log so you have flat edges on each side. Slice dough into 2 equal halves, and then divide each of those pieces in half again, and finally divide those into 3 rolls each about 1 ½ inches wide. You should have 12 rolls.
Place sliced rolls evenly-spaced into a greased 9x13-inch pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rolls rise until puffed and almost doubled in size, about 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake rolls until the tops just begin to turn golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. (Do not over-bake rolls or you’ll lose the soft gooey centers.)

To make the cream cheese icing:

Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese icing. Add cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, eggnog, vanilla and salt to mixer bowl and beat on low until combined, then increase speed to medium and beat for 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy, pausing once to scrape down the bowl.
Let the cinnamon rolls cool briefly in the pan for 5-15 minutes, or as desired, before spreading the cream cheese icing on top. The warmer the rolls are when you add the icing, the more the icing will melt over the cinnamon rolls. If you don’t want the icing to melt much, wait at least 20 minutes before frosting the cinnamon rolls.
Eggnog cinnamon rolls are best enjoyed the day they are baked, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or more.

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