Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
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Soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls meet bold and gooey molasses in this wintry twist on a classic. Molasses and a blend of warm spices flavor grace every layer all the way from the soft dough and the sticky filling to the flavorful cream cheese frosting slathered on top.
THE PERFECT CAP TO A YEAR OF CINNAMON ROLLS
Phew– what a year! This cinnamon roll series has easily been one of my favorite monthly recipe themes, right up there with the cheesecakes from 2024, brownies from 2020, and cakes from 2017.
Usually, December calls for something pepperminty and chocolatey (see peppermint bark cheesecake, peppermint bark cookies, and peppermint brownies), but this year, cozy gingerbread was calling my name, and it felt like the perfect fit for a seasonal twist on cozy cinnamon rolls.
I’ve loved bringing you a new cinnamon roll recipe every month, and hearing from so many of you that this series has boosted your confidence with yeast baking has been the best part. Plus, it’s been so fun to show just how many flavor variations are possible in the world of cinnamon rolls!
Through every recipe, I’m reminded that my go-to small batch cinnamon roll recipe is a total winner. Every batch comes out soft, fluffy, and perfectly filled with whatever flavor we’re celebrating that month– plus, a creative take on cream cheese frosting on top. After this year, I think it’s safe to say we can all call ourselves Cinnamon Roll Professionals. What an accomplishment!
STICKY, GOOEY, BOLD, AND SPICY
It’s honestly hard to pick a favorite part of these gingerbread cinnamon rolls– there’s just so much to love. I made sure molasses shows up everywhere: folded right into the yeasted dough, mixed with butter for a gooey, spiced filling, and even a little touch in the cream cheese frosting. That frosting hits the perfect balance of tangy, sweet, and spicy, without losing the classic cream cheese flavor we all know and love.
Another reason to love these rolls? They will make your kitchen smell like the holidays in the best way possible and deliver a seasonal punch without going full “over-the-top” (looking at you, s’mores cinnamon rolls). Cozy, festive, and perfectly cinnamon-rolly– just the way we like them.
INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED
Here is a visual of the ingredients you will need, which are pretty standard when it comes to classic cinnamon rolls. Be sure you’re scrolling down to the recipe card for exact measurements and how to prepare each ingredient.
Notable ingredients are the spices you’ll need to round out the flavor are ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and unsulphered molasses.
INGREDIENT NOTES
You’ll want all of your ingredients to be at room temperature unless otherwise noted. Allow your ingredients to sit out for at least 45-60 minutes before beginning your recipe to ensure a cohesive dough and to create an environment where your yeast dough will thrive.
DO NOT USE BLACK STRAP MOLASSES
You’ll want unsulphered molasses for these rolls, which you can find in the baking aisle of your grocery store near honey and corn syrup. Black strap molasses is not sweet and it will absolutely ruin your gingerbread bakes. I use Grandma’s brand molasses, but any unsulphered will do.
OVERVIEW: HOW TO MAKE GINGERBREAD CINNAMON ROLLS
Start by activating the yeast: activate the yeast with the warm water and granulated sugar. This will take about 5-10 minutes, and you’ll know it’s ready when it’s bubbly and foamy.
Make the dough: next, add the milk, egg, salt, and spices. To this, you’ll add half of the flour and all of the softened butter before the remaining flour. The same way that biscuits and pie dough get nice and flaky thanks to the incorporation of butter, adding the butter pieces one at a time to the flour for cinnamon rolls helps the chunks of fat that melt in the oven and leave behind pockets of air which means layers and flakes for your molasses rolls, too.
Allow dough to rest: my cinnamon roll dough does not require two rises, but it will need to rest a bit before it will take to shaping. This rest period allows the gluten to relax so that you can stretch and roll it into a rectangle more easily.
Roll into a rectangle: roll the dough into a 9″ x 12″ rectangle, or 12″ x 18″ for a double batch.
Prepare and add the filling: the filling for these rolls is the same cinnamon-sugar filling you find in my traditional cinnamon rolls but all spiced up with elements of gingerbread as well as some molasses in there with the butter.
Roll, slice, and allow rolls to rise: once you’ve filled your dough, roll it into a log starting with one of the long sides then slice it into 6 evenly sized rolls. Place the sliced rolls in a dish, cover them with a towel, and allow them to rise.
Bake the rolls: these rolls are light brown in color so you won’t be able to tell once they start browning very easily. Keep an eye on them and look for the original color just starting to darken a bit.
Allow to cool: give the baked rolls about 10-15 minutes to cool while you prepare the chai cream cheese frosting.
Make cream cheese frosting: this will only take you a few minutes if your ingredients are at room temperature before beginning. I like to spread the frosting onto the slightly-cooled rolls so it gets drippy and gooey. You can dust with some additional cinnamon or even a drizzle of molasses.
Something I unexpectedly loved about these gingerbread cinnamon rolls was just how gooey they were. The molasses in the roll dough gave the already soft and fluffy layers some chew without weighing down the bread. The bold spice in every component of the rolls means that every bite that’s either bready, sweet, cinnamony, or cream cheesy is also laced with that undeniable note that can only come from real molasses.
They are essentially winter in every bite and if you are the type of baker who leans into gingerbread cut-outs, shoofly pie, or molasses iced oatmeal cookies, these gingerbread cinnamon rolls must make their way to your baking list ASAP.
Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
DOUGH
- ¼ cup (60mL) warm water
- 2 and ½ Tablespoons (32g) granulated sugar
- 1 and ⅛ teaspoons (3.5g) dry active yeast or half of one packet
- ¼ cup (60mL) milk any
- 2 Tablespoons (30mL) unsulphered molasses do not use black strap
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- 2 and ¼ to 2 and ½ cups (270-300g) all purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- 3 Tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature and cut into 4-6 pieces
FILLING
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 and ½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 Tablespoon (15mL) unsulphered molasses do not use black strap
MOLASSES CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 2 ounces (57g) full fat block cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ Tablespoon (15mL) unsulphered molasses do not use black strap
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cups (90g) powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
DOUGH
- Spray a baking dish1 with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Place warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and the sugar on top of the water. Whisk with a fork, wooden spoon, or spatula and allow to rest and activate for 5-10 minutes.¼ cup (60mL) warm water, 1 and ⅛ teaspoons (3.5g) dry active yeast, 2 and ½ Tablespoons (32g) granulated sugar
- Once the yeast mixture is active and bubbly, add the milk, molasses, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and egg. Whisk to combine.¼ cup (60mL) milk, 2 Tablespoons (30mL) unsulphered molasses, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 large egg
- Gradually stir in flour. If using a stand mixer, use your dough hook. If mixing by hand, continue to use a wooden spoon. Add 1 cup of flour, allow dough to come together, then add the softened butter and continue to blend. When butter is mostly incorporated, add the remaining 1 and ¼ cups of flour and blend until dough has mostly come together. It may still be shaggy, but it should pull away from the sides of the bowl fairly easily.2 and ¼ to 2 and ½ cups (270-300g) all purpose flour, 3 Tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter
- Turn out dough on a floured surface and knead for about 8-10 minutes, adding flour about 1 Tablespoon at a time if the dough is too sticky, until smooth and elastic. Your dough should resemble the surface texture of PlayDoh when it is done. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.
FILLING
- In a medium size bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Whisk or stir until well-blended. Set aside.¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50g) firmly packed light brown sugar, 1 and ½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle approximately 9" x 12" in size. Dough will be very elastic, so be patient and keep rolling. There is no need to rush this step.
- When you have your rectangle, whisk together the melted butter and molasses in a small bow (it won't become homogenous but try to mix it as best as you can)l, then brush the mixture evenly over the dough, leaving about ½" border around the edges. Sprinkle the spiced cinnamon-sugar evenly over the melted butter.2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, 1 Tablespoon (15mL) unsulphered molasses
ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE DOUGH
- Starting with one of the long sides, roll the dough up into a tight 12" log. Use your fingers or palms on either end of the log to gently squeeze the log to "contain" the uneven ends. Using a sharp serrated knife and taking care to keep the seam side down, cut the log into 6 even slices. Don't worry if filling spills out.
- Place the slices cut side down in the prepared pan, gather any cinnamon-sugar that fell out, sprinkle over the rolls, then press down gently to flatten slightly. Cover loosely with foil or a kitchen towel. Allow rolls to rise for 1 and ½ hours.
- When roll dough has risen, preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Bake the rolls for 28-32 minutes or until rolls just start to brown on top. You can cover the rolls with foil to prevent browning, if desired. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes while you prepare the cream cheese frosting.
MOLASSES CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, cinnamon, and molasses on medium-high speed until smooth.2 ounces (57g) full fat block cream cheese, 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ Tablespoon (15mL) unsulphered molasses
- Turn the mixer speed down to low and add the powdered sugar. Add the salt and continue mixing until smooth.¾ cups (90g) powdered sugar, pinch of salt
- Spread molasses cream cheese frosting onto slightly cooled rolls and serve rolls immediately. Leftover rolls stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for 8-10 seconds before serving. See notes section below for other storage and preparation suggestions.
Video
Notes
- Baking dish: I like to use either an 8″ square baking pan or an 8″ or 9″ round cake pan or pie plate. If using a square dish, arrange them in 2 rows of 3. If using a round pan, place one in the center and the other 5 evenly spaced around it.
- Make ahead: this dough can be made the ahead of time through step 1 of the “assemble and bake dough” instructions. Cover rolls with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the refrigerator overnight or up to 18 hours. In the morning (or when you are ready to bake the rolls), remove them from the refrigerator and allow to rise in a warm environment, about 1 hour. Continue with step 2 in the “assemble and bake dough” instructions.
- To freeze baked rolls: baked rolls freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm before enjoying.
- Two options to freeze unbaked rolls: parbake the rolls for 10 minutes at 350°F (177ºC). Allow to cool completely, cover tightly, then freeze. Remove the rolls from the freezer and allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Finish baking for the remaining 18-22 minutes before frosting and serving OR freeze them after slicing and pull them out the night before you want to bake them and allow them to thaw and rise covered at room temperature and bake when ready.
- Working with yeast: for a comprehensive look at working with yeast in a recipe, see my post about how to bake with yeast.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.