Cinnamon Rolls With A Festive Twist

A touch of eggnog infuses this classic with holiday flavors.

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With the holiday season upon us, it’s all about entertaining with delicious, impressive dishes. We’ve partnered with Sarah Forte of Sprouted Kitchen to bring you recipes, ideas, and tips inspired by the season.

The beautiful thing about cinnamon rolls is, while they aren’t completely foolproof, the dough is not complicated. The yeast does most of the work, and your stand mixer takes care of the kneading (if you don’t have a stand mixer, simply knead the dough by hand for five minutes instead). There are only two rises, one of which takes place in the fridge overnight.

The eggnog here replaces whole milk or buttermilk in more classic recipes. You can taste it, but not too strongly. Eggnog is made with a mix of spices and egg yolks, and this recipe is enriched with these flavors elsewhere. Spelt flour is also used to add some wholesomeness. The whole grain flour absorbs more liquid than white flour, so it’ll firm up as it rises.

To get ahead, both the filling and frosting may be made a few days in advance. Yeast-based dough is best made fresh, so instead of tinkering with making the rolls ahead or freezing—just start them the afternoon before the morning you’d like to enjoy them. The dough can be a little sticky, so the tricky part is rolling them out and getting them to cut nicely.

These make for a wonderful fall or winter brunch item, with a cup of coffee or tea and a fire. Since it’s the season for guests and company and holidays, the recipe makes a dozen. 

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BAKED TO PERFECTION

Thanks to Perfect Taste™ Dual Convection, cinnamon rolls come out of the oven golden and fluffy.

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Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

Servings: 12

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Ingredients

Dough:

3 egg yolks

1 whole egg

3/4 cup eggnog

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan

1/4 cup natural cane sugar

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 1/4 teaspoon rapid rise or instant yeast (from one standard packet)

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

1 cup spelt flour

1 tsp. sea salt

 

Filling:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup muscavado or light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

1 cup toasted pecan pieces

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Icing:

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 Tbsp. egg nog

Instructions

In a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix together egg yolks, egg, eggnog, butter, sugar and pie spice. Add the yeast and all-purpose flour and turn the mixer on to incorporate, about one minute, stopping occasionally to scrape down the bowl. Add spelt flour and sea salt. Knead with the dough hook on a low speed until all the flour is absorbed, and continue to knead for another 5 minutes. It will be sticky, but should begin to pull away from the sides and form a ball. If you aren’t getting a ball, add a sprinkle of flour until you do.

Oil a large mixing bowl and transfer dough to the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for two hours, or until doubled in volume.

In the meantime, make the filling. Combine the butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, pecans and vanilla, and mash together with your fingers.

Butter a 9” x13” oven-proof dish (or dish of similar size). Lightly flour a work surface. Punch down the dough and transfer to surface, then roll it into a roughly 18-inch rectangle. Sprinkle filling across the dough rectangle, leaving a one-inch border. Roll dough lengthwise into a tight, 18-inch long spiral. Cut off the droopy ends and then cut the dough into 12 one-and-a-half-inch rolls. Place in the prepared dish with space between each for the final rise. Cover dish with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight (10 to 16 hours max).

Pull the buns out at least 30 minutes prior to baking to warm up slightly. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes until just golden on the top but still tender.

While buns bake, make icing. With a stand or hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and eggnog together.

Remove buns from oven and, once they are starting to cool down, drizzle icing on the top. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

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