Christmas morning at my house means a big pan of ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls fresh out the oven. We're talking tall, buttery, pull-apart rolls with molasses and ginger baked right into the dough and brown butter gingerbread filling in every single layer.
And there are a lot of layers, because I laminated the dough. Don't let that scare you off! It's the same easy 3-fold technique I use for my flaky buttermilk biscuits, and it gives you crispy, caramelized bits of filling between every layer and these gorgeous rolls. It's a little bit of work for a big reward.
I shape these and make the pecan gingersnap crumble on Christmas Eve afternoon, then tuck the pan in the fridge, so they can take their slow rise while we're celebrating. Then on Christmas morning, they go right into the oven while we open presents, so they're warm and ready to be part of Christmas breakfast with plenty of that vanilla bean mascarpone frosting.
You'll also find these rolls in Kinspire's December 2026 Holiday Issue as my Christmas Morning Rolls!
Jump to:
- Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll Ingredients and Swaps
- What You'll Need to Bake These
- Shaping and Baking Christmas Morning Rolls
- What to Know Before You Bake
- How to Tell the Dough Is Fully Kneaded
- Storing and Reheating Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
- For the Rest of the Breakfast Table
- Overnight Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll Ingredients and Swaps
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Molasses: Mixing it right into the dough means the gingerbread flavor runs all the way through the bread. Skip the blackstrap molasses, it can taste really bitter.
- Active dry yeast: I reach for active dry yeast for the overnight rises and save instant for same-day cinnamon rolls. Just make sure your jar or packet was bought recently.
- Brown butter: Browning the butter gives the filling a nutty depth you can't get from plain softened butter.
- Cream cheese and mascarpone: Cream cheese gives you that tangy, classic cinnamon roll flavor and mascarpone makes it so silky and lightens up the cream cheese. Just add the mascarpone cold and at the very end, because it can go grainy if it gets overbeaten.
- Vanilla bean: I use a real vanilla bean in the frosting because you get so much more vanilla flavor than you do from extract, enough to hold its own next to all that molasses and spice, and I love seeing those little black specks all through it. Vanilla bean paste (it's my homemade recipe!) works if you don't have a whole pod.
- Gingersnaps and pecans: Toasting them in butter with a little brown sugar makes them cluster, so the crumble stays crunchy on top of the frosting. My homemade gingersnaps are perfect here, but a good store-bought gingersnap works perfectly, too.
- Heavy cream: I warm it with a spoonful of molasses and a little ginger and cinnamon, then pour it over the rolls right before they bake, which keeps the bottoms soft and gooey and adds one more layer of gingerbread flavor.
What You'll Need to Bake These
Now, I used this quiche dish that's a little over 2 inches tall but it runs out of stock very fast. You can use a 9x13 or 9x11 baking dish for this, just make sure it's deep. I linked the 9x13 I tested with in the recipe card.
Shaping and Baking Christmas Morning Rolls
Step 1
Bloom your yeast.
Stir the yeast into the warm milk with a little sugar and give it a few minutes. You're looking for a creamy, bubbly layer of foam across the top, a lot like the foam on a latte. If it just sits there flat with no bubbles, your yeast isn't active, so toss it and start over with a fresh packet before you waste the rest of your ingredients.
Step 2
Make the gingerbread dough.
Let the dough hook do the work until the dough is smooth, a little shiny, and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. It should feel a touch tacky but shouldn't stick to your fingers, and if you're not sure it's there, check the kneading tips below. Then cover it and let it rise somewhere warm until it's doubled.
Step 3
Brown the butter.
Swirl the pan of melted butter over medium heat until the bits on the bottom turn deep golden and it smells nutty and toasty, then pop it in the fridge or leave it on the counter top until it firms back up to soft, spreadable butter. If it's still melty, the filling will run right out of your layers (you can see it a bit in Steps 7 + 8, I was impatient!).
Step 4
Make the filling.
Once the brown butter is at room temperature, stir in the brown sugar and spices for a thick paste and split it in half, one half for the fold and one for the roll.
Step 5
Roll out the dough.
Roll the dough into a rectangle, spread half the filling all over it. (Mine got a little cold and stiff, but that's alright.)
Step 6
Fold + chill.
Fold the dough in thirds like a letter for an envelope, then wrap it up and put it in the fridge. A quick chill relaxes the dough so it rolls back out without fighting you.
Step 7
Roll it out + roll it up.
Roll the folded dough back into a rectangle (you can see the filling inside the dough!), spread on the rest of the filling, and roll it up into a log, keeping it a little loose and leaving the seam unpinched so the spirals have room to open up.
Step 8
Slice thin + stack high.
Cut the log into thin slices and stack two for each roll, setting the top one a little off-center and using those little end pieces as tops wherever you need one.
Then gently pull the middle of each top slice up and out of the stack so the swirl lifts up. These rise and bake exactly where you put them, so this is your chance to shape that pretty, spiraled look before they go in the fridge!
Step 9
Let them rise overnight (or for about 45 minutes).
Cover the dish and tuck it in the fridge overnight, so the rolls take a slow rise while you sleep (or party). In the morning, let them sit out until they're puffy and pressing against each other. If you want them the same day, just let them rise in a warm spot instead for just under an hour.
Step 10
Pour on the cream.
Right before the dish goes in the oven, pour the warm molasses cream over the rolls. It soaks into the bottom of the rolls and mixes with the melting filling into a gooey, gingerbread-flavored sauce that keeps every roll soft and delicious.
(the rolls pictured here are a same-day rise batch, with their middles pulled out to create the twisted, spiral, finished rolls in Step 11)
Step 11
Bake!
Set the dish on a sheet pan to catch anything that bubbles over, tent with foil if the tops brown too fast, and pull them as soon as the center rolls are done.
Step 12
Toast the gingersnap pecan crumble.
Toast the pecans in butter until they smell nutty, then stir in the gingersnaps and brown sugar for another minute or two. Spread it out on a plate and let it cool completely so it crisps up.
Step 13
Whip the cream cheese for the frosting.
Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. It's going to look like hardly anything in the bowl right now, but don't worry, it grows a lot once everything else goes in!
Step 14
Finish the frosting.
Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla bean until fluffy. Then turn the mixer down to low and add the cold mascarpone with a splash of heavy cream, mixing just until it's smooth and soft enough to spread, and now you've got a big, fluffy bowl of frosting.
Step 15
Frost + serve!
Let the rolls cool for a few minutes, then smear the frosting all over the top and sprinkle the gingersnap pecan crumble over everything. Serve warm!
What to Know Before You Bake
- Baking them the same day: Skip the fridge and let the stacks rise in a warm spot until puffy, then bake.
- Soft brown butter: If the brown butter paste is too firm, it tears the dough when you spread it. It should spread like softened butter.
- Go easy on the mascarpone: It turns grainy if it's overbeaten, so add it cold and mix only until smooth.
- No deep round dish? This works in a 9x13 baking dish as well. Bake for 25-30 minutes!
How to Tell the Dough Is Fully Kneaded
This dough has molasses, eggs, and butter in it, so it'll always feel softer than a plain bread dough. Don't keep adding flour chasing a dry feel! Instead, look for these:
- The windowpane test: Gently stretch a small piece of dough, and if it gets thin enough to see light through before it tears, it's ready. With all the butter and molasses in this one, it won't look perfectly clear, and that's okay.
- Clean bowl: It pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Smooth and shiny: No more shaggy, lumpy bits.
- Springs back: Poke it and the dent slowly fills back in.
- Tacky, not sticky: It might cling to your finger for a second, but it lets go without leaving dough behind.
Storing and Reheating Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
- Fridge: Because of the cream cheese and mascarpone frosting, store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze baked rolls before frosting for up to 3 months, then thaw and frost. Frosting tends to weep when frozen and thawed.
- Reheat: Warm individual rolls briefly in the microwave, or covered in a low oven. Keep extra crumble separate so it stays crunchy.
For the Rest of the Breakfast Table
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Overnight Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale I always recommend one for accurate baking
- Stand Mixer with the dough hook attachment
- serrated knife or unflavored dental floss, to slice the rolls
- 11 inch deep tart dish this is what I used
- 9x13 deep baking dish this works perfectly for this recipe instead of the tart dish
- instant read thermometer optional, to check the temperature of the rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed to 105 to 110°F, no more than 125ºF
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap, I use Grandma's Original brand
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4½ cups all-purpose flour, plus up to ½ cup (63 grams) more as needed
- 1½ tablespoons ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal
Brown Butter Filling
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1½ cups dark brown sugar, packed
- 1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1½ tablespoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal
Molasses Cream
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses, I use Grandma's Original brand
Toasted Gingersnap Pecan Crumble
- 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
- ½ cup crushed gingersnaps, about 8 cookies
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed
- Pinch flaky salt
Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped for seeds, or 1 teaspoon (6 grams) vanilla bean paste
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 4 ounces mascarpone, cold
- 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Dough
- Stir the warm milk, granulated sugar, and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer and let it sit until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. If it isn't getting big and foamy, the yeast is no good and you'll need new yeast.1 cup whole milk, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- Add the molasses, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract, and stir with a fork to break up the eggs a bit.¼ cup unsulphured molasses, 2 large eggs, ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt together in a separate bowl, then add it to the mixer.4½ cups all-purpose flour, 1½ tablespoons ground ginger, 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- Knead with the dough hook on low (Level 1 or Stir for kitchenaid mixers) for 10 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and feels slightly tacky without sticking to your fingers. Add more flour 2 tablespoons at a time if it's too sticky (I've added up to ½ cup of extra flour on a humid day).
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 to 1½ hours.
Brown Butter Filling
- As soon as the dough goes to rise, melt the butter for the filling in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling often, until the milk solids turn deep golden brown and it smells nutty, 12 to 15 minutes.1 cup unsalted butter
- Pour it into a bowl with all the browned bits and let it cool at room temperature while the dough rises, stirring every now and then, until it's soft and spreadable like room-temperature butter.
- Stir the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, and salt into the brown butter until it forms a thick paste. Divide it in half.1½ cups dark brown sugar, 1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1½ tablespoons ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Shape and Rise
- Grease an 11-inch deep round baking dish (or 9x13 baking dish) with a little butter.
- Roll the risen dough into a 16x12-inch rectangle on a clean counter (this dough is soft and buttery, so you shouldn't need flour), with a long side facing you. Spread half the filling evenly over it, all the way to the edges.
- Fold the dough in thirds like a letter, press the edges lightly to seal them, then wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Roll the folded dough back out into a 16x12-inch rectangle, with a long side facing you. Spread the remaining filling over it, taking it all the way to both short ends and leaving a ½-inch border only along the far long edge.
- Roll the dough up from the near long side into a 16-inch log, keeping it a little loose rather than tight, and leave the outer seam unpinched so the tail can curl out.
- Trim off the ends of the log where there's no filling, about 1 inch from each end. Cut the rest into slices about ½ inch thick with a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss. You'll need about 22-24 slices to fill the dish.
- Stack 2 slices for each roll, setting the top slice off-center and at a slight angle, and use the small end pieces as tops wherever you need them. Gently pull the middle of each top slice up and out of the stack so the swirl lifts up to create the pictured rolls. Set the stacks into the dish leaning against each other in different directions, without pressing them down, and tuck any extra slices on top of the stacks. They rise and bake exactly where you put them.
- Cover the dish tightly and refrigerate overnight, 8 to 12 hours. In the morning, set the dish on the counter for 1 hour, until the rolls are puffy and pressing against each other. To bake them the same day instead, let the covered rolls rise in a warm spot until puffy, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Molasses Cream and Baking
- Heat the oven to 350°F (180ºC/Gas Mark 4) with a rack in the center.
- Warm the heavy cream and molasses in a small saucepan over low heat just until the molasses dissolves, then let it cool until lukewarm. Pour it evenly over the risen rolls right before baking.½ cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses
- Set the dish on a rimmed sheet pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until deep golden and the center rolls reach 185 to 190°F (85 to 90ºC) on an instant-read thermometer. Pull them as soon as they get there so they stay soft. Check at 25 minutes and tent loosely with foil if the tops are browning too fast.
Gingersnap Pecan Crumble
- Melt the butter for the crumble in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and toast, stirring often, for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant.1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup pecans
- Add the gingersnaps and brown sugar and toast 1 to 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.½ cup crushed gingersnaps, 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- Stir in the flaky salt and spread on a plate to cool completely.Pinch flaky salt
Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese and butter in your stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth.4 ounces cream cheese, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and a pinch of kosher salt, and beat until fluffy.1½ cups powdered sugar, 1 vanilla bean, Pinch of kosher salt
- Turn the mixer to low and add the cold mascarpone and 1 tablespoon of the heavy cream, and mix just until smooth, 15 to 20 seconds. If it's still too thick to spread over the rolls, mix in the rest of the heavy cream on low. Don't overmix or the mascarpone might turn grainy.4 ounces mascarpone, 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
To Finish
- Cool the rolls in the dish for 10 to 15 minutes, then spread the frosting all over the top and sprinkle with the crumble before serving warm.
Recipe Notes
- Molasses: I use Grandma's Original unsulphured molasses. Skip blackstrap, which is too bitter here.
- Dough: This is a soft, rich dough, so you shouldn't need flour to roll it out. Go by how the dough looks during the first rise, not the clock, so it doesn't overproof.
- Pan: These are written for an 11-inch round baking dish or a 9x13 baking dish that's at least 2¼ inches deep.
- Gingersnaps: My homemade gingersnaps are perfect for the crumble, but store-bought cookies are great, too.
- Leftovers: Store the frosted rolls covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or unfrosted rolls on the counter for 3 days. Warm an individual serving in the microwave for 15-20 seconds or until warmed through.
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