Home » Recipe Index » Recipe

Festive Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls

This post has affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you.

Spicy and festive these Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls are going to be a new family favorite! It’s everything you love in gingerbread and a cinnamon roll all swirled up in one fantastic roll.

And then topped with cream cheese frosting!

Fresh gingerbread rolls are a perfect Christmas breakfast


HELLO DELICIOUS Gingerbread Cinnamon RollS!

YES, your favorite flavors from gingersnaps or gingerbread, the earthy spicy taste of the holidays. And the best part of any holiday breakfast is that warm gooey cinnamon roll slathered in perfect cream cheese. Melded into a dreamy gingerbread roll.

Try my other AMAZING Gingery spiced baked goods like REAL gingerbread! OR if you LOVE the air fryer try these Air Fryer Gingerbread Cookies, aren’t they BEAUTIFUL!??!

A white pan full of fresh gingerbread rolls.

Do I need an electric mixer to make bread or cinnamon rolls?

NO! I will admit the job is EASIER with a mixer you CAN make these by hand. Just use a wooden spoon to stir up the ingredients. Add the remaining cups of flour one at a time, stirring in as much as you can. After that dump out the mixture on the counter and knead.

If your dough feels sticky add a little more flour but remember you don’t want to add too much!

How to knead bread dough:

  • fold the dough in half
  • press with the heel of your hand away from you
  • turn a little
  • repeat

Hand-knead the dough for 7-8 minutes. Don’t know if your dough is ready? First poke it, if it bounces back it’s ready. Still not sure? Give it the windowpane test.

What’s the windowpane test??

The windowpane test is a way to tell if your dough has developed enough gluten. Pinch off a small piece of dough. Stretch it out, if the dough has been worked enough it will stretch and thin out enough to see through it. If it hasn’t hit that stage keep kneading and try again!



Can I make Overnight cinnamon rolls?

YES! You can make overnight cinnamon rolls or in this case Gingerbread rolls. They’re so easy to do too. Simply make them through until you set them to rise. Cover tightly with buttered or lightly sprayed plastic wrap or foil. Then place in the refrigerator overnight.

Ingredients for Gingerbread Rolls.

The rolls will slowly rise overnight and be almost ready to bake in the morning. Before baking simply allow them to warm up and continue rising on the counter. Carefully remove the covering after an hour or 2 and slide it into the preheated oven. Bake as directed.

Gingerbread bread roll for one.

A WORD OF CAUTION!

NEVER EVER put a cold pyrex pan in a hot oven. ALWAYS allow it to warm up on the counter or you might shatter it. And ruin your rolls. THE HORROR!

Love Cinnamon Rolls?

If you’re like us and YOU LOVE CINNAMON ROLLS try these Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls. They are light, fluffy, deeply Red Velvet, and of course, smothered in cream cheese frosting. You will not be disappointed in them. Or try these Sticky Buns from Pass the Sushi or Quick Cinnamon Hawaiian Rolls from Call Me PMC!

OR try our Waffled Cinnamon Rolls. Frozen Cinnamon Rolls thawed and then WAFFELED. Drizzle with the included icing OR make cream cheese frosting and slather them up. Either way, you’ll fall in LOVE with your waffle maker all over again.

Yield: 12

Festive Gingerbread Rolls

Fresh gingerbread rolls are a perfect Christmas breakfast

Bake up some festive Gingerbread Rolls! These tender flaky rolls are filled with the flavor of the holidays.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

Rolls

  • 4 1/2 -5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 packets Rapid Rise Yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 6 TBSP unsalted butter
  • 1 egg

Gingerbread Filling

  • 5 TBSP unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 TBSP molasses
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 3 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 TBSP heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. mix 2 cups of flour with the dry ingredients for the rolls together in the bowl of a stand mixer and set aside
  2. warm the water and melt the butter together in a saucepan just until the butter melts
  3. let the water butter mix cool to JUST warm
  4. set up your stand mixer with a dough hook
  5. then stir the water and butter together with the eggs
  6. stir it into the flour mix with the dough hook on low speed
  7. add one cup of flour and blend on low again
  8. add the fourth cup of flour and stir until incorporated
  9. knead the dough in the machine on low adding as much of the remaining flour as needed to form a soft pliable but not sticky dough
  10. knead for 3-4 minutes until the dough is finished, check it by stretching a small piece of dough thin enough to see through, if you can't stretch it that thin knead it again for 1-2 minutes and try it again
  11. cover the dough and let it rest 10 minutes
  12. make the filling while the dough rests
  13. melt the butter together with the molasses in a small saucepan
  14. then add the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg and stir together
  15. remove from the heat and let it cool
  16. roll the dough out into a 10x15 inch rectangle
  17. if it's too stretchy and won't roll ut let it rest a little longer
  18. when it's rolled flat spread the filling over the dough leaving a one-inch strip of dough on one of the long sides without filling
  19. roll the dough beginning on the long end of the dough with filling, pinch the area without filling to seal the seam on the long roll of dough
  20. use a sharp knife to slice 12 rolls, you can also use cotton string, thread, or unflavored dental floss to slice rolls
  21. lightly butter a 9x13 inch pan and place the rolls in the pan
  22. cover tightly and let them rise for 45-60 minutes until the rolls are doubled in size
  23. preheat the oven to 350˚ about 30 minutes into the rising period
  24. bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes, turn the pan halfway through baking to evenly bake if needed
  25. cool on a baking rack for 20 minutes before frosting
  26. make the frosting
  27. mix all the frosting ingredients together and beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer until well combined
  28. frost the gingerbread rolls with the frosting while they're still warm but not piping hot

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Would you pin this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

laura sampson

About Laura

Laura is on a mission to teach modern family oriented women how to make old-fashioned foods new again. A wife and mom of 3 boys, Laura understands the struggles of trying to serve a home-cooked meal each night. She provides recipes and cooking hacks for busy moms to create dishes they may think take more time or skill than they have to make. Read more...

Leave a Comment

Skip to Recipe