We’re in the home stretch. Literally – I’m currently stretching my way across the country to go home to Los Angeles for a few days. With hope that you’re home and cozy, I bring you a Christmas morning breakfast recipe hybrid: tender buttery biscuits in the style of cinnamon rolls. If you’ve got butter in the fridge and cinnamon in the pantry, you’re halfway there!
I’ve also written this recipe so you can prep and roll the little rolls tonight, let them chill in the fridge, and bake them fresh tomorrow morning! Nothing is more thoughtful than warm cinnamon swirls on a holiday morning – I’m sure of it.
Happy Holiday! Here’s what you’ll need:
• Butter, flour, a touch of sugar, baking powder and baking soda, salt and buttermilk to make fluffy biscuits. We’ve done it before! See: Layered Buttermilk Biscuits!
• Softened butter, cinnamon and nutmeg for the filling. Pecans are a excellent addition.
• Softened cream, powdered sugar, and heavy cream for a simple and satisfying glaze.
For this Christmas morning breakfast recipe:
Start by working the cold butter into the biscuit’s dry ingredients.
Break the butter up into pieces the size of peas and oat flakes. Keeping the butter chunky will create wonderfully tender and fluffy biscuits.
Add the buttermilk and egg mixture to the buttered dry ingredients and gather together into a shaggy disk. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes, allowing the moisture to absorb and redistribute.
After some quality time in the refrigerator, roll the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Mix the cinnamon and spice into the butter, coarsely chop the pecans and LET’S ROLL (into roughly the shape of a rectangle, jagged edges are A-Ok) .
Slice the log of cinnamon rolls at about 3/4-inch thickness, into 16 or 18 pieces. Arrange, extra-cozy in an 8-inch square dish, nestled so that they’re touching.
From here, cover the rolls with waxed paper of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
OR! You can totally bake these biscuits without first refrigerating them. Get the oven going!
Before baking after refrigeration, let the rolls come closer to room temperature while the oven pre-heats. Bake until bubbling and deeply golden brown
Overnight Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- For the Biscuits:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup cold buttermilk
- For the Filling:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)
- For the Glaze:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 – 3 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Using your fingers, quickly work the butter into the dry ingredients until some bits of butter are the size of oat flakes, some the size of small peas. Chunks of cold butter is what we want in our dough.
- In a small bowl of liquid measuring cup, whisk together the egg and cold buttermilk.
- Create a well in the center of the buttery dry ingredients and add the eggy buttermilk mixture
- Stir into a shaggy mixture. The dough will be moist, but not overly wet. Gather the dough up into a dish, wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, stir together softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- On a well-floured counter, roll the biscuit dough into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle, about 12-inches long by 8-inches wide. The ends might feel a little shaggy and uneven and that’s ok!
- Spread the spiced butter over the biscuit. Sprinkle with pecans.
- Working from the long side, tightly roll into a biscuit log. Slice into 16 or 18- scant 3/4-inch pieces.
- Place biscuit rolls in a lightly greased 8×8-inch square pan. Nestle the rolls in so they touch one another. Everything will be cozy.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight. Or bake immediately.
- When you’re ready to bake, place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Allow the refrigerated rolls to sit at room temperature while the oven pre-heats.
- Bake for 18 to 24 minutes, until golden and bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. While the rolls cool, whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth. Spread the glaze over the rolls, slice and enjoy warm!
Rebecca
JOY. I just posted a question about egg substitutes… and then AFTER I found your article about favorite egg substitute. Gee whiz sorry about that. I came back to try to delete my question but could not find it again. Just wanted to let you know I found it and so don’t need a response any longer LOL – Baking 101: My Favorite Vegan Egg Substitutes
Rebecca
Joy, I am vegan and I don’t know if you ever have much call for using an egg substitute in baked goods like these biscuits. I know of several different types of egg subs but IF you have used them before do you… or any of your followers have a recommendation for baked goods? Thanks for any tips anyone shares.
Nina Javez
love them
Shellie Andrews
Full disclosure, biscuity cinnamon buns have never been my favourite…UNTIL NOW! I made these twice over the holidays to rave reviews. This is now my go-to recipe for cinnamon buns.
Shyra
These are wonderful!! I made them yesterday and they were such a hit that I made them again today. Thank you for the great recipe!!
LM
For anyone interested in actually making this recipe: I made it yesterday/today and it was easy, but the final product tasted mostly like butter. (There was literally a puddle of butter floating on top, even after I added the icing!). I should have opted for a traditional yeasted sweet roll.
Annie
Were these missing the brown sugar in the filling? I went ahead and added it any way :0) So excited to try them!
Linda
Merry Christmas Joy! ?
Linda
Merry Christmas Joy! ?
Nancy
These look delicious! Thank you for a yeast free recipe! Yeast allergy ?
Florence
They look delicous. Thank you. Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year!
Vaughan
This recipe looks great and kind of reminds me of your Quick Cinnamon Muffins. That recipe is what turned me onto your site. Love it. In fact, could I add a bit of yeast to this recipe and get that same flavor?? Might be messing with it too much, but hey…
Thanks for all your efforts,
Craig
Oh man , we have no buttermilk ?
Danielle
You can always make your own buttermilk by adding either white vinegar or lemon to your milk for 5 minutes. Add 1 TB of acid per 1 cup of milk and you have an easy buttermilk substitute.
Lana
Add a splash of lemon juice or white vinegar to regular milk, let it sit a few minutes, and there ya go
Kathy S
Make your own – really easy
https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-essentials/how-to-make-buttermilk
Giulia Mule
Looks wonderful! Perfect for the holidays!
Tracy
Oh heavens yummy!! Merry Christmas Joy!!