Soft And Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls 

Ooey, gooey, and absolutely eggnog laden cinnamon rolls perfect for the holidays! Topped with a rum cream cheese frosting. And with overnight instructions!

The Best Cinnamon Roll Recipe You’ll Ever Make

These are not your average cinnamon rolls, they’re eggnog infused at every step to create the ultimate soft and fluffy eggnog cinnamon rolls! I’ve looked over and tested recipes that “claimed” to be eggnog flavored, and they did not match up. Just because you add eggnog instead of milk, does not an eggnog cinnamon roll make. 

But this is not one to rest on, because getting it right is important! When you want eggnog it better be EGGNOGGY! 

The are three levels of eggnog infused flavor in here, from the dough itself, to the filling with not just cinnamon but nutmeg, and the rum and nutmeg flavored cream cheese frosting. 

There is also a trick in here to keep these extra fluffy, and inhibit gluten production leaving these utterly light and flavorful, while still maintaining their structure when rolling and working out the dough. 

And because the holidays can be stressful, I’m adding in the overnight instructions into the notes so that you can make these Christmas Eve and bake them in the morning for perfectly warm, ooey, gooey rolls for unwrapping your gifts! 

Ingredients in Eggnog Cinnamon rolls

The ingredients are really quite simple, with nothing being out of this world insane. We don’t need more insanity during the holidays. And this is a great recipe for an enriched dough, that even beginning bread bakers can get behind. 

An enriched dough is a dough that has egg and softened butter worked into the dough to keep it rich and scrumptious. 

The secret ingredient in this recipe for intense eggnog flavor is two fold! It’s ground nutmeg and rum extract. Yes, you can use real rum, but rum extract is more intense and doesn’t mess with the moisture levels here. Keep the real rum for special occasions and your coffee on Christmas morning.

For the rolls 

• Bread Flour
• Sugar
• Corn Starch
• Instant Rise Yeast
• Salt
• Eggnog, warmed
• Eggs
• Butter, softened
• Vanilla Extract
• Rum Extract

The cinnamon nutmeg filling

• Butter
• Brown Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Ground Nutmeg

For the Rum Cream Cheese Icing

• Eggnog
• Rum Extract
• Powdered Sugar
• Salt
• Nutmeg

Rum Cream Cheese Frosting

The rum cream cheese frosting adds in all that eggnog flavor and amplifies it as the sweet finish to the cinnamon rolls! Yes, you can use real rum but I chose to use rum extract since it is more intense in flavor. Place everything in a mini food processor, blitze it until smooth, adding in a little extra eggnog until it reaches your desired consistency.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know to use Active Dry Yeast or Instant Rise Yeast?

For recipes like this, an instant yeast is easy to use and activates much more quickly for faster rising doughs like cinnamon rolls. Active dry yeast is slower to activate and works well with more robust and longer rising doughs. 

How do you know if your yeast is working? 

Because, when the yeast is working it releases carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, creating bubbles in the top of your milk and yeast mixture. Yeast feeds off the lactose, or sugar, in milk (or this case – the sugar and lactose in the eggnog.) I recommend Red Star Platinum instant rise yeast. It’s been my favorite and worth ordering specially.

Can I use all purpose flour for this recipe? 

For instance, while I use bread flour in this recipe, you can absolutely use all purpose flour. It may change the texture some, but they will still turn out lovely. I’m a big proponent of using what you have on hand. 

Can I use salted butter in this recipe?

I’m not going to be a stickler about salted butter here. Again, use what you have on hand. A little salt in the ingredients will amplify the flavors, balancing the sweetness of all the sugar. If you can, don’t use more than half salted butter in this recipe to ensure it stays balanced. 

Tools You’ll Need To Make Cinnamon Rolls

Here are my go to tools for making cinnamon rolls, or in this case eggnog cinnamon rolls

• Stand Mixer
• Pastry Mat
• Rolling Pin
• Mixing Bowls
• Sharp Knife
• Liquid Measuring Cups
• Measuring Cups
• Digital Scale

Tools To Have On Hand

Stand Mixer

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Measuring Cups

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Digital Scale

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Wood Rolling Pin

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Carving Knife

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Pastry Brush

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Cuisnart Cordless Mini Food Processor

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Instructions for Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

If you’re new to bread baking, this is actually a really great recipe to make and it will make your feel like a total badass for saying you can make an enriched dough. Yes, it’s like a brioche! 

For the Eggnog Dough

1. Into a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, add in the egg nog and heat until it reaches 100-110 degrees. We are using warmed eggnog in lieu of warm milk or warm water in this recipe to keep it tender. 
2. Pour in the instant rise yeast, and gently mix to combine and hydrate the yeast. Allow it to sit aside for about 5 minutes. It will start to bubble and activate. 
3. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, salt, and cornstarch. I recommend a digital scale to measure your dry ingredients. Attach the bowl to your stand mixer, and use a dough hook attachment. 
4. Turn the mixer onto low speed. Crack the eggs, vanilla, and rum extract into the yeast mixture and gently mix to break apart the eggs. Slowly pour the whole liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and allow it to combine and create a shaggy dough.
5. Next, add in the softened butter a couple tablespoons at a time waiting 45 seconds to 1 minutes between additions. Next,mix until the dough combines and becomes smooth, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. It will still look “attached” at the bottom. If the dough is too wet, add a couple of tablespoons of flour to the mixture until it pulls away. 
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it into a warm place to allow the dough to do its first rise (or proof), about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. The dough ball should nearly double in size.

For the filling 

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and brown sugar. Set aside. In a small bowl, melt the butter. Set aside. 

Making the rolls

1. To fill the cinnamon rolls, roll out the dough on a large pastry mat or floured work surface with your rolling pin. If the dough springs back, allow it a couple of minutes to relax. Roll it into a rectangle, about 20-22 inches wide, and 15 inches tall. 
2. Brush the top of the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1″ strip free at the bottom to secure the ends when rolled. 
3. Starting at the top, and working back towards you, gently roll the dough into a cylinder. When you reach the last 1″, pinch the end of the dough to the roll to secure. Then lift the dough and place the seam at the bottom to keep it held in place.
4. Using a sharp knife, or the dental floss trick (see video here), cut the rolls into even sizes, making 12 rolls.
5. Place them swirled side up in a 9×13 baking dish, or my favorite lasagna pan. Cover with plastic wrap and rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size. While they are rising, allow the oven to preheat at 350 degrees. 
6. Bake the rolls for 30-40 minutes, testing every 5 minutes until the rolls reach 200 degrees on an instant read thermometer and the rolls are golden brown.  Allow them to cool on a wire rack. 

Make the Rum Cream Cheese Icing

1. In a food processor, add in the cream cheese, rum extract, eggnog, vanilla, powdered sugar, salt. Process until smooth. Adjust the thickness if needed by adding in a teaspoon of eggnog at a time until it reaches the right consistency. 
2. Spread or drizzle over warmed eggnog cinnamon rolls. 

Storage Tips

Storing these in an airtight container is best. But you can also cover your baking dish with aluminum foil tightly to keep the air away from them. 

If you notice them getting a little stale, you can microwave your eggnog cinnamon rolls for about 20 seconds to warm them up and soften the dough again. They will be delicious. 

How To Make Overnight Homemade Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

I love making these overnight, so that it takes the pressure off of my morning. To make these for overnight, follow the recipe as directed, forming and cutting the eggnog cinnamon rolls and slicing them. Place them into the baking dish or my favorite lasagna pan, and cover them tightly with plastic wrap, placing them into the fridge to rest overnight. 

The cold of the fridge will suppress the yeast from working (also called retarding the dough). The rise will be significantly slower, and allow the dough to ferment slightly. 

To bake them the next morning, I place the dough onto the top of my stove as the oven preheats, and allow the dough to do it’s second rise before baking. 

Then bake as instructed. The dough should measure about 200 degrees, and you know your rolls are done. Allow them to cool slightly and then frost. 

You can also make the rum cream cheese frosting the night before. Just soften to room temperature before frosting the eggnog cinnamon rolls.  

How To Freeze Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

You can follow the same process when it comes to freezing your eggnog cinnamon rolls! I recommend using a disposible aluminum pan, sprayed with cooking spray. Place the cut cinnamon rolls into the pan, cover with a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of heavy duty aluminum foil tightly. Place them in the freezer to freeze through until ready to bake. 

When you’re ready to bake, place them into the fridge the night before and allow them to thaw. Then finish their second rise on the counter until doubled in size, much like you did with your overnight instructions. 

Remove the aluminum foil before thawing, and after they have risen, remove the plastic wrap before baking. 

Follow the other instructions. 

Check out the video tutorial below

More Inspired Homemade Home Recipes To Try

Yummy Eggnog Custard Pie

Easy Eggnog No Bake Cheesecake

Eggnog Gooey Butter Cookies

Easy Eggnog Bundt Cake

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