These gingerbread cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy, and absolutely delicious. They’re made with a homemade ginger spice dough and filled with cinnamon butter to give each bite that famous irresistible cinnamon flavor. This recipe puts classic cinnamon rolls to shame.
Cinnamon Rolls: Perfect Anytime
Cinnamon rolls have always been that perfect anytime snack that is enjoyed by kids and adults alike. If you’ve always gone for the store bought kind, it may surprise you just how easy it is to whip up your own batch of cinnamon rolls. And with this recipe, you’ll take your baking skills up a notch by making gingerbread cinnamon rolls!
What makes them so special?
For starters, these soft and tender cinnamon rolls are packed with a rich, warm flavor that screams all things gingerbread cookie. And if gingerbread cookies make you think of the holiday season – even better! These rolls will add the perfect touch to your Christmas morning, or anytime.
Ingredients to Make Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
For the dough:
- Flour
- Rapid Yeast
- Ground Ginger
- Maple Syrup
- Large Egg
- Whole Milk
- Unsalted Butter (softened)
The filling is a combination of:
- Sugar
- Butter
- Spices (cinnamon, ground ginger, and nutmeg)
Making the icing is just as easy and takes just four ingredients:
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla Extract
How to Make the dough:
- Begin by making the dough with the simple recipe in the recipe card below. Be careful not to overwork the dough, it should be shiny and elastic. If it’s too sticky add the remaining flour 2 tablespoons at a time.
- After the dough has rested and is ready to roll, flour your working surface with a little flour and with the help of a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle.
- Evenly and carefully spread the delicious, yummy cinnamony filling on to the dough going all the way to the edges.
- Tightly roll the gingerbread cinnamon roll dough starting on the long end of the rectangle and place it seam side down.
- With the help of a sharp knife cut out 6 rolls. To get even cinnamon rolls, cut the dough in half, then cut each half in half again. You may need to trim the very edges so they are straight and the cinnamon reaches to the edges.
- As the cinnamon rolls are baking and making your house smell amazing, make the frosting in a small bowl.
- When the rolls come out of the oven, slather the cream cheese frosting evenly over the rolls and serve.
Looking for other Christmas morning breakfast ideas? Try these!
- If you’re looking for a make ahead breakfast, this baked apple oatmeal will help with that. Just make it the day before, refrigerate and it will be the easiest Christmas morning breakfast!
- Another great make ahead breakfast are muffins or banana bread.
- Have any pumpkin leftover from Thanksgiving? Then this pumpkin french toast recipe is a must!
Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 rolls 1x
Description
What better way to wake up on Christmas morning to these homemade Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls – they can even be made the day before!
Ingredients
- 1 Âľ – 2 Cups FlourÂ
- 1 teaspoon Rapid Yeast
- 1 teaspoon ground Ginger
- 1 ½ Tbsp. Maple Syrup
- 1 Large Egg
- Â ÂĽ Cup + 2 Tbsp. Whole Milk
- 4 Tbsp. Butter, softened
 For the filling:
- â…“ Cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
-  ½ teaspoon Ground ginger
- ÂĽ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 4 Tbsp. Butter, room temperature
 For the frosting:
- Â 4 oz. Cream Cheese, room temperature (I use the tub because it’s easier to spread)Â
- ½ Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon CinnamonÂ
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the hook attachment whisk together the flour, yeast, and ginger.
- Add the maple syrup, egg, milk and butter and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. The dough should be shiny and elastic. If it’s too sticky add the remaining flour 2 Tbsp. at a time.
- Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel – allow the dough to rise somewhere warm for 30 minutes.
- While the dough is rising prepare the filling by beating the butter, sugar and spices together in a bowl using a hand mixer. Set aside.
- Flour your working surface and with the help of a rolling pin roll the dough into a rectangle.
- Spread the spiced butter mixture on top and tightly roll. With the help of a sharp knife cut out 6 rolls. Transfer to a baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. Let them rest for 30 more minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap and transfer the rolls to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and done.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool down slightly before frosting.
- While the rolls are cooling down, beat the ingredients for the frosting in a small bowl, again with a hand mixer. If the frosting is too thick, add a Tablespoon of milk to thin it out.
- Spread evenly over the rolls and serve.
- Prep Time: 20 min (+ rising time)
- Cook Time: 25 min
WOW !!! that’s all I can say. totally worth the time to make these. I can’t say enough about them, my family inhaled them.
Turned out amazing. Brought them to work and they were a hit. Everyone loved them. Will definitely make them again!
Came out great! Recipe was perfect measurements. Only thing I did different was make a glaze without the cream cheese cause I’m not a fan of cream cheese. Delicious!!
made these last week and they were AMAZING!
This is the best cinnamon roll recipe. I made it in the morning and by that night they were all gone. Going to make this again. And very soon
Making these were definitely a labor of love…The dough was really sticky after the first rise; I had to add spoonfuls of flour to it so it didn’t stick to everything. I don’t know if it’s just too humid where I am, but certainly have the flour handy
For anyone wondering if you can make these ahead – YOU CAN! I did everything up to baking them. I rolled and cut them, put them in a greased baking dish and covered with wrap and refrigerated the night before. I wanted to do a dry run for Christmas morning, as we all know how chaotic it can be. They came out amazing. I think even better than if they are made all at once. You simply must make these.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I’m thrilled to hear the rolls turned out amazing with the overnight prep—what a time-saver for Christmas morning chaos! I love that you did a “dry run” (so smart!) and even found them better this way. Your comment will definitely help others feel confident about making these ahead. ❤️ Merry Christmas baking! ✨
Made this and my mom said it’s THE BEST she’s ever had!
These turned out amazing ! Everyone in my family loved them! I premade them and left them in the fridge overnight, let rise again for about 40 minutes, baked, and they made the perfect breakfast !
HOLY SMOKES were these amazing!!! I am experimenting with recipes for Christmas and this one is ABSOLUTELY going to be on our breakfast menu. I don’t think I can wait until December to make them again though.
wow! Thanks Samantha. I hope Google gets this recipe out there for more people to see it because they will make your house smell amazing on Christmas morning for sure.