This eggnog cinnamon rolls were developed using grocery store bought eggnog. Keep in mind, because most grocery store eggnogs have stabilizers in it, the dough takes a little longer to rise. If you use a homemade eggnog or an eggnog that doesn’t have gums in it, the dough might rise faster, but otherwise the bake time and instructions will be the same. I’ve left some tips on speeding up the rise process in a section above. Just make sure to allow time for both rises.
1tablespoonbourbon or dark rum(or 1 1/2 teaspoon rum extract)
1 /2teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Make the dough by first heating up the eggnog on the stove to about 90 to 100°F. This should only take about 15 to 30 seconds with the heat on high. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm eggnog and stir it in to dissolve it.
Add the eggnog to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl if you are doing this by hand. Make sure to scrape out any thick yeast paste into the bowl. Mix in the sugar, eggs and salt on low speed until the eggs are broken up and the sugar is incorporated.
Cut the butter into 1/2-inch chunks and place in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. The butter won’t be completely melted but that’s ok. Add all the semi-melted butter and mix on low speed until the butter starts to break up a little bit. There will still be little chunks of butter that haven't broken apart. That's OK!
Switch the attachment to the dough hook and add the flour. If you are doing this by hand, use a large wooden spoon. Mix on low speed until a dough forms and all the dry ingredients are incorporated. You might need to stop the mixer and periodically scrape down the sides and bottom for dry flour to help mix it into the dough. Once a dough has formed, increase the speed and knead the dough for 5 minutes. Watch the dough, as it’s fairly tight and will creep up on the dough hook. If you are kneading by hand, dump the dough onto a clean surface, and knead by hand for 7 to 8 minutes. Once the dough has been kneaded, it will still look a little rough, and not as elastic as you might be used to with yeasted dough. That’s normal.
Form a ball with the dough and place it in a greased bowl. Cover tightly with a plastic wrap. Let it rise until double. This will take 1 to 2 hours depending on the environment that you place the dough in. You can also refrigerate the dough overnight at this point if you are running out of time or don’t want to continue. Just take it out the next day and let it rise at room temperature until it is double in size.
While the dough is rising, make the filling. Place the butter in a medium sized mixing bowl. Microwave for 60 seconds. The butter will be mostly melted but not completely. Again, that’s ok. Add the remaining ingredients for the filling to the bowl and stir until uniform in color. Set aside.
Once the dough has risen, dump it on to a clean surface dusted lightly with flour. Roll the dough out into a large 18 x 12 inch rectangle, landscape orientated. The dough will be fairly thin (about 1/4 inch thick).
Spread the filling over the dough using an offset spatula, butter knife or silicon spatula. Make sure to spread the dough all the way to the edges of the dough. Tightly roll the dough up the long way up, so you have a long 18-inch log.
Using a sharp knife, cut 1 1/2-inch thick disks from the cinnamon roll. You can also use unflavored floss thread to cut out the disks but I find this “trick” kind of annoying to do and always have mint flavored floss in the house so I never bother with it.
Lightly spray a 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking pan with cooking oil. Line it with parchment paper.
Place the cinnamon roll dough in it, in a 3 x 4 inch grid. The rolls will not be touching. Cover with plastic wrap. If the plastic wrap doesn’t stick to your pan, use foil over the plastic wrap to help seal it. Let the dough rise until it is double in size and the rolls are barely touching, about 1 to 2 hours. You can also place the dough in the fridge and chill it overnight if you want. Again, just take it out and let it rise at room temperature until the rolls are double in size.
Once the rolls are ready to be baked, preheat the oven to 375°F Bake the rolls for 23 to 25 minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the middle of the rolls reads 185 to 190°F.
While the dough is baking, pull out the cream cheese, cut it into 1/2-inch cubes, and let it come to room temperature on the counter. Cutting it into smaller cubes will help it warm up. Right before the rolls are done baking, sift the powdered sugar over the cream cheese in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the bourbon or rum. Mix until the powdered sugar is absorbed. Stir in the nutmeg.
Once the cinnamon rolls are done baking, pull them out of the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Then spread the cream cheese frosting over the still warm rolls. The warmth will help melt the frosting so it coats the crevices and valleys of the roll. Let cool slightly before serving.