The house is still dark. Snow taps the window like it’s trying to get in on the secret. And there it is—that first ribbon of cinnamon sugar perfume sneaking under the bedroom door. You don’t need an alarm clock when the smell of these rolls is already pulling you out of bed in your slippers, half-dreaming about icing.
These aren’t just any cinnamon rolls. These are the Christmas-morning ones your family will talk about for the next eleven months. Soft as a pillow, stretchy with tangzhong magic, dripping with brown-butter cream-cheese frosting, and loaded with so much cinnamon filling they leave tiger-stripe swirls when you unroll them. Make them once and you’re the hero forever.
Ingredients & Substitutions
I’ve made these hundreds of times—tweaked, tasted, cried happy tears—so trust me when I say this list is dialed in.
| Ingredient | Amount (Imperial) | Amount (Metric) | Notes & Best Substitutions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole milk | 1 cup + 2 Tbsp | 265g | 2% works, skim gets tough. Oat milk (barista blend) for dairy-free—tastes shockingly close |
| Bread flour | 4½ cups | 570g | Higher protein = taller, chewier rolls. All-purpose is fine but they’ll be softer, less pull |
| Instant yeast | 2¼ tsp | 7g | Rapid-rise or regular instant both work. Don’t use active dry unless you proof it first |
| Granulated sugar | ⅓ cup | 65g | Keeps the dough tender |
| Large eggs | 2 (room temp) | Flax eggs work okay for vegan, texture suffers a little | |
| Unsalted butter (softened) | 6 Tbsp | 85g | Salted is fine, just cut added salt. Vegan butter (Miyoko’s) is my fave swap |
| Fine sea salt | 1½ tsp | 9g | Don’t skip—salt makes cinnamon pop |
| For the tangzhong | 3 Tbsp flour + ½ cup milk | 23g flour + 120g milk | This is the softness secret. Don’t skip it |
| Filling: | |||
| Dark brown sugar | 1 cup packed | 200g | Light brown works, flavor is gentler |
| Cinnamon (Vietnamese/Saigon) | 3 Tbsp | 18g | Trust me, get the good stuff. Costco’s is legit |
| Unsalted butter (very soft) | 6 Tbsp | 85g | Melted works but spreads too thin |
| Heavy cream (for pouring) | ½ cup | 120g | Canned coconut milk for dairy-free. Don’t skip—makes them gooey |
| Frosting: | |||
| Cream cheese (softened) | 8 oz | 225g | Violife or Kite Hill for vegan |
| Unsalted butter (browned) | 6 Tbsp | 85g | Regular softened butter if you’re lazy |
| Powdered sugar | 1½ cups | 180g | |
| Vanilla bean paste or extract | 2 tsp | Paste has those pretty flecks | |
| Salt | pinch | Balances the sweet |
Step-by-Step Instructions
Let’s roll—pun absolutely intended.
First, make the tangzhong. Whisk 3 Tbsp flour with ½ cup milk in a small saucepan. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, till it turns into a thick paste—like vanilla pudding that’s ready for a nap. Takes about 2 minutes once it starts bubbling. Scrape it into your mixing bowl and let it cool a bit.
Warm the remaining milk to about 100°F—baby-bottle warm. Too hot and you’ll murder the yeast. Add yeast, sugar, eggs, softened butter, salt, tangzhong, and all the bread flour. Mix with the dough hook on low until it looks shaggy, then knead on medium for 8–10 minutes. The dough should be silky, slightly tacky, but clear the sides of the bowl. If it’s crazy sticky after 8 minutes, add flour 1 Tbsp at a time. Don’t go crazy or they’ll be dry.
Plop it into a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let it rise till doubled—about 90 minutes in a warm spot. Cold kitchen? Turn the oven light on and stick it in there.
While it rises, brown the butter for the frosting. Medium saucepan, swirl till the milk solids go nutty and golden. Pour into a bowl so it doesn’t burn. Thank me later.
Punch the dough down—pure therapy. Roll it on a lightly floured counter into a 16×20-inch rectangle. Don’t measure with a ruler like a psycho, just eyeball it. Spread the very soft butter almost to the edges. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon, then scatter it evenly. Press it lightly so it sticks.
Roll from the long side, nice and tight but not crazy tight. Pinch the seam. Cut into 12 fat rolls—I use floss, dental floss truthers rise up. Nestle them swirl-side up in a buttered 9×13 pan. Cover and let them puff again, 45–60 minutes. Or park them in the fridge overnight—that slow rise makes flavor insane.
Christmas morning game plan: Preheat oven to 350°F. Warm that ½ cup heavy cream (or coconut milk) just a touch and pour it gently over the risen rolls. It seeps down and makes them ridiculously gooey. Bake 25–30 minutes. You want pale golden edges and 190°F internal temp if you’re fancy with a thermometer.
While they bake, beat the browned butter with cream cheese till fluffy. Add powdered sugar slowly, then vanilla and salt. Taste it. Groan. Try not to eat it with a spoon.
When the rolls come out, let them cool 10 minutes—any less and the frosting melts into nothing, any more and you’re a monster. Spread half the frosting while they’re warm so it melts into every crevice, then dollop the rest on later for that thick cap.
First bite? Close your eyes. The outside has this delicate crisp from the cream pour, then pure pull-apart softness, cinnamon that hits the back of your throat, and that nutty browned-butter tang in the frosting. Christmas achieved.
Cooking Techniques & Science
Tangzhong is Japanese milk-bread wizardry. Cooking a little flour-milk roux gelatinizes the starch so it can absorb way more liquid than normal dough. Result? Rolls stay moist for days. Science, baby.
The overnight fridge rise does slow fermentation—think sourdough vibes without the hassle. More flavor, better texture, and you wake up to almost-ready rolls. Win-win.
Pouring warm cream over before baking is a Cinnabon copycat move, but better. The fat tenderizes the crumb and the sugar caramelizes the bottoms. You’ll thank me when you flip one over and see that sticky golden base.
Storage, Reheating & Make-Ahead Magic
These keep 3 days at room temp in a covered container—still soft thanks to tangzhong. Fridge dries them out faster, but if you must, 5 days max.
Reheat individual rolls wrapped in foil at 300°F for 10 minutes with a tiny pat of butter on top. Microwave works in a pinch—15 seconds, flip, 10 more—but you lose the contrast.
Make-ahead? Do the second rise in the fridge overnight. Next morning pull them out while the oven preheats, pour the cream, bake. You’ll look like a wizard who slept in.
You can freeze baked rolls (frosting separate) up to 2 months. Thaw overnight, then warm as above. Still better than 99% of bakery rolls.
Variations & Substitutions
Cardamom-Cinnamon: Swap 1 Tbsp cinnamon for ground cardamom. Tastes like Swedish Christmas.
Orange-Cinnamon: Add zest of one orange to the filling and swap half the milk in frosting for fresh OJ. Morning sunshine in roll form.
Apple-Cinnamon: Dice 2 apples super small, toss with the sugar-cinnamon, roll up. Little apple pie pockets.
Pumpkin Spice: Add 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice to the filling and swirl in ¼ cup pumpkin puree with the butter. Fall’s not ready for this level of cozy.
Gluten-Free: Cup4cup or King Arthur GF bread flour works shockingly well 1:1. Texture is a hair denser but still soft.
Vegan: Oat milk, flax eggs, vegan butter, coconut milk pour, vegan cream cheese. I’ve served these to dairy lovers and nobody blinked.
Serving & Pairing Suggestions
Pile them on a big wooden board still in the pan—rustic is the vibe. Extra frosting in a bowl on the side for the psychos who want more (me).
Coffee is non-negotiable—something medium roast with chocolate notes. Hot chocolate for the kids (or me at 9 a.m., no judgment). Mimosas if it’s that kind of Christmas morning.
Bacon on the side. Always. The salt cuts the sweet. Or make a simple fruit salad—orange segments, pomegranate seeds, mint—so there’s something bright.
Best Time to Serve These Beauties
Christmas morning, obviously. But also New Year’s Day, Easter brunch, your birthday, your dog’s birthday, Tuesdays—any morning that deserves to feel special. They’re too good to save for once a year.
Cold winter mornings when the house smells like cinnamon for hours? Perfection. But I’ve made them in July because I woke up craving them and zero regrets.
Conclusion
These sweet Christmas morning cinnamon rolls aren’t hard—they just take time and love. Give them both and they give back a thousand percent. The dough is forgiving, the techniques are simple once you’ve done it once, and the payoff is pure holiday magic.
Make them this year. Watch your people lose their minds when they walk downstairs. Take that first gooey bite together, frosting on your chin, coffee getting cold because nobody wants to put the roll down.
That’s the stuff memories are made of.
FAQs
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
Yes, absolutely. They’ll be softer and a little less chewy, more cake-like. Still delicious, just different personality.
My dough didn’t rise—what happened?
Probably cold kitchen or dead yeast. Test yeast in warm milk with a pinch of sugar—if it doesn’t get foamy in 10 minutes, start over with fresh yeast.
Can I make smaller rolls?
Totally. Cut into 15–18 pieces for mini rolls. Bake 18–22 minutes. Perfect for a crowd.
The filling leaked out and burned on the pan!
Normal for the bottom edges—those crispy burnt bits are gold, fight over them. Line the pan with parchment next time if you hate cleanup.
Can I prep these two days ahead?
Bake them fully, cool, wrap tight, refrigerate. Christmas morning warm them at 300°F for 15–20 minutes, frost fresh. Still incredible.
