brown butter cinnamon rolls

last updated on October 30, 2026

For day 8 of my 12 Days of Christmas Recipes we are making the best brown butter cinnamon rolls! If you need rocking cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, these are your best bet. The brown butter adds so much flavor to the filling and icing, and the rolls themselves are soft and perfect.

If you know me, you know I love brown butter. It is simple to make but adds so much flavor to anything it is in! So I am adding it to every element of these cinnamon rolls that I can. For good reason. It takes these cinnamon rolls up a level to be the best cinnamon rolls you’ll ever have!

ingredients needed for brown butter cinnamon rolls

what is brown butter

Brown butter is a magical thing. It is when you take butter and cook it over medium heat until the milk solids toast and become brown. The resulting butter is brown in color and has an amazing, nutty smell. It makes a great addition to lots of sweet and savory dishes, and works especially well in these cinnamon rolls!

how to make these brown butter cinnamon rolls overnight

The recipe below has instructions for how to make these cinnamon rolls all in one day. The dough is made, then rises, then is rolled out and filled, then rises again, then bakes! But I get that sometimes it isn’t convenient to make these all in one day. Especially if you’re trying to have these for an early breakfast! Luckily, there are a couple ways to break up the process into two days.

The first option is to make the dough the day before, then transfer it straight to the fridge. It will sit in the fridge overnight, then the next morning you’ll roll out the dough, add the fillings and cut into rolls, let the dough rise, then bake. So with this method, on the day of you avoid mixing up the dough and the first rise.

If you want even less to do on the day of, this second method will be even better. The day before, make the dough and let it rise. Roll out the dough, fill it, and cut it into rolls. Transfer the rolls to a baking dish, then transfer them to the fridge. They will stay in the fridge overnight, then the next morning take them out of the fridge, leave them on the counter for 30-60 minutes to warm up, then bake! This is definitely the best option if you want an easy, quick breakfast the day of! So choose whatever works best for you.

other recipes you will love

• apple cinnamon roll cookies
• the best fluffy hotcake
• gingerbread banana pudding
• apple cake with cinnamon whipped cream
• stuffed pumpkin french toast

brown butter cinnamon rolls

5 from 3 votes

[category] Breakfast, Dessert

[published] December 17, 2022

[PREP] 30 minutes mins

[COOK] 30 minutes mins

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Ingredients

dough

• 1 cup warm milk between 105-110 degrees F
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp butter melted
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt

brown butter filling

• 6 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp cinnamon

brown butter frosting

• 1/4 cup butter
• 8 oz cream cheese at room temp
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Add warm milk, sugar (1 tbsp), and instant yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer. Gently stir then let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until the yeast begins to grow.
2. Add eggs, sugar, and melted butter to the bowl. Mix until everything is combined. Add flour and salt and mix again. Let the dough mix for 2 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, add 1 tbsp additions of flour until it is no longer really sticky. The dough should be very soft, but not very sticky.
3. Let the dough mix for another 2-3 minutes, about 5 minutes total. Cover the bowl and put it in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size. **if you want to split up this process overnight, see my paragraph above the recipe for overnight instructions.
4. While the dough rises, prep the brown butter. Add 10 tbsp of butter (enough for the filling and icing) to a pan over medium heat. Continuously stir while the butter melts. After a couple minutes the butter will begin to bubble. Keep stirring. After a couple more minutes, the butter will foam up. When the foaming subsides, you'll be left with brown, nutty smelling butter! Take the pan off the heat and pour the brown butter into a bowl. We need the butter to cool down, so put cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for 30 min or freezer for 15 min.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. The dough should be soft and easy to work with. Shape it into a rectangle, then use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 12"x18" rectangle. The brown butter should be cooled, but spreadable. Add 6 tbsp of the brown butter to a bowl. Add brown sugar and cinnamon and mix until combined. Spread the mixture evenly across the dough, nearly to the edges.
6. Using a ruler or measuring tape, make small notches in the dough, every 1.5 inches apart. Use a pizza roller (or sharp knife) to cut the dough into strips. Roll up each strip of dough, one at a time.
7. Thoroughly grease a 9×13 inch pan. Transfer the cinnamon rolls to the pan, cover, and let rise for 30-60 minutes.
8. When the rolls are almost done rising, preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown.
9. While the rolls are baking, make the icing. Add the cream cheese and the remaining brown butter (4 tbsp) to a large bowl or stand mixer. Mix for 2 minutes, until completely combined and fluffier. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and mix another 2 minutes. The icing should be smooth and creamy.
10. Once the rolls have cooled for 5-10 minutes, spread the icing on the warm rolls. Enjoy!