Why have cinnamon rolls when gingerbread rolls are RIGHT THERE?!?!
Okay, so here’s the deal. We’re going to take cinnamon rolls and amp up the flavor by adding ginger, nutmeg, vanilla extract and molasses. Y’all my entire house smelled exactly like Christmas when these were in the oven.
Disclaimer:
Homemade sweet rolls require a bit of patience. The good news is that most of that patience is hands off. The bad news is that gingerbread rolls smell like Christmas and are kind of addictive.
One of my favorite things in the entire world is when people send me pictures of the things that they baked. Recently, one of my co-workers sent me pictures of the most beautiful cinnamon rolls on a weekday. I literally got this text while I was wearing my pajamas in the carpool line dropping my kid off at school. HOW IN THE WORLD ARE YOU MAKING CINNAMON ROLLS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORK WEEK? HOW!?!?! Listen, we work at the same place, so I know she’s not watching youtube during the day. We are busy. The answer is that she’s a super morning person, and she pre-makes her rolls the night before.
So after seeing these cinnamon rolls, I was like, fine. I’m going to try this thing out and just see how it goes. I’m no stranger to cinnamon rolls, {and strawberry rolls and sweet potato cinnamon rolls} But because I am me, I had to change things up a bit even more. While I was making the filling for rolls, I wondered what it would be like to add a little gingerbread goodness to the mix.
Necessary Equipment:
- A stand mixer is really nice but you can do all of this by hand. {holy arm workout!]
- 2 9-inch cake pans
- Refrigerator space if you choose to make overnight gingerbread olls.
How to Make Overnight Gingerbread Rolls
After you’ve filled the dough, rolled it back together and cut the rolls, set the rolls in the 9-inch cake pans and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerating the rolls slows down the proofing process, meaning the rolls will rise slowly – on our time table! When you’re ready to bake, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place them in a really warm spot– at least 75º F for 1 hour.
- Pro Tip: Turn the oven on for 1- 2 minutes and then turn it back off. Now you have a warm spot for your rolls to rise. 20 minutes before you’re ready to bake, remove the rolls from the oven and set on the counter. Now preheat your oven.
From there, just follow the rest of the instructions.
How to Freeze Gingerbread Rolls:
PrintRecipe
Gingerbread Rolls
- Total Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes
- Yield: 14-16 rolls
Description
Sweet rolls filled with gingerbread inspired spices that will warm up the grinchiest of hearts.
Ingredients
Rolls
1 cup milk, warmed to no more than 115 degrees
2 ½ teaspoons instant dry yeast
2 large eggs, room temperature
⅓ cup melted unsalted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoon salt
4 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup heavy cream, reserved until baking
Filling
½ cup unsalted butter, softened but not completely melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon dried ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the Rolls
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Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast into the milk and stir slightly to let the yeast dissolve. After five (5) minutes, the mixture should be bubbling, if it’s not the yeast is probably bad (or the milk was too warm).
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Fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment. On a low speed combine the eggs, butter and sugar.
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Remove the paddle attachment and replace it with the dough hook. Stir in the salt and the flour on low speed. Knead for about 5 minutes until the dough pulls away from the bowl.
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Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and transfer the dough to the oiled bowl. Cover.
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Let the dough rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
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In a medium bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla extract and kosher salt together. Set aside.
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Once the dough has doubled in size, roll it out on a lightly dusted countertop. Roll the dough into a long rectangle, at least 15 x 18 inches.
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Evenly Spread the filling on the dough, leaving a ½ inch border at the edges of the dough.
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Roll the dough to a tight spiral, making sure to close the seam of the dough. Cut into 1 ½ inch slices {about 16 rolls}.
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Place the rolls in 2 9-inch cake pans leaving space between the rolls to rise. For about 1 hour. 20 minutes before the hour is over, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
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Right before baking, slightly warm a ½ cup heavy cream just long enough to remove the chill. Pour the heavy cream evenly across the rolls. Bake for 20 -25 minutes.
Finish the Gingerbread Rolls
Remove the rolls from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Spread half of the icing onto the rolls. Let the rolls cool for another 10 minutes before spreading the rest of the icing. Serve Warm.
Overnight Rolls
If you want to start the rolls and finish them in the morning, after the rolls are filled and shaped, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight– 12 to 16 hours. When you’re ready to bake, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and discard the plastic wrap. Preheat your oven for about 1 minute and turn the oven back off. Slide the rolls in the oven for 45 minutes to rise. Move the rolls to the counter, preheat the oven, and then bake as instructed.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes + 2 1-hour rises
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
My personal preference is to freeze individual rolls that are already baked and iced. It’s a great way to have a homemade gingerbread roll on a Tuesday. Just wrap each roll in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminium foil. Then place all of the individually wrapped rolls in a freezer safe plastic bag. When you’re ready to eat. Remove all of the wrapping, place the frozen roll on a microwave safe plate and microwave for about 1 minute.
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