Bourbon Glazed Cinnamon Rolls are such an incredibly delicious dessert for fall. The woody hint of bourbon is the perfect addition to make this a dessert you revisit over and over again.
If you love this cinnamon roll recipe, make sure you check out these irresistible Baked Honeycrisp Apples with Butter Pecan and Brown Sugar Topping recipes. Also, this Southern Peach Pie is another family favorite with Southern roots!
Bourbon Glazed Cinnamon Rolls
A while back I shared that I was making homemade cinnamon rolls for the first time. Well, that one time turned into a couple. I made cinnamon rolls again—from scratch and the baker in me is so happy! I love quick and easy recipes, but there’s something about making something from scratch that makes you beam with pride. I’ve made them a couple of times since I first shared about them, but these homemade cinnamon rolls might be my favorite. With it being the holiday season, I’m so excited about these Bourbon Glazed Cinnamon Rolls!
The Real Deal
Bourbon Glazed Cinnamon Rolls (or cinnys—or whatever you call them) are totally different from the protein-rich version that I made for Mardi Gras a few years ago. That recipe was also a WW-inspired and adapted recipe. They are still good for those sweet tooth cravings, but these definitely require more time and attention—and are simply AMAZING!
It’s so easy to grab a can out of the grocery store and call it a day, and I have no shame to admit it. But I also love to bake and I find myself loving the challenge. Back to THESE Cinnamon Rolls…
I Bake For Those Who Don’t Have Fancy Equipment
Update as of February 2022! I now own a stand-mixer…But, I’m keeping the steps as is. If you have a stand mixer, it’s totally fine to use it to get your dough started.
When it comes to kneading dough, you can absolutely do everything by hand. I think it’s great to master skills without equipment just in case the equipment is not available (for whatever reason). Although kneading by hand is work, it’s fun!
Can I Make These Cinnamon Rolls without the Bourbon?
Yes, you can! The Bourbon is introduced when you are preparing the glaze, so feel free to leave it out. You can add 1/2 to 1 full teaspoon of vanilla extract instead or reduce the amount of bourbon. Follow the same steps for the glaze when adding your milk or heavy cream.
For my Bourbon Lovers
It’s fall-winter and the holiday season so we love the wood and grain taste of bourbon. Bourbon has vanilla, nutty, and even toffee, caramel-ish flavor profiles which are amazing flavor compliments for the holidays. So yes, we are a bourbon-loving household over here! We also love good, quality bourbon, and one of my favorites for this recipe is Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey (minority-owned), if you’re in Alabama and want to support a state brand — check out Sweet Home Spirits, or my other favorite Woodford Reserve: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey or Double Oaked.
If you love bourbon, be sure to check out my Coffee and Bourbon Braised Short Ribs recipe here!
Cinnamon Roll Filling
The filling is simple: butter, sugar, and cinnamon. You can brush your dough with softened butter, then add your sugar and cinnamon mixture—OR mix your softened butter, sugar, and cinnamon together and sprinkle or spread it on top of your dough before rolling your cinnamon roll log. After trying both ways, I prefer to mix them all together and then use a spatula to make sure it’s evenly spread on the dough before rolling.
You can use dark or light brown sugar for this recipe. Dark brown sugar has more molasses. Both work great, but my preference is light brown sugar.
The Yeast
I used Active Dry Yeast for this recipe. It has to be dissolved in liquid which is the reason the warm milk mixture is used. You’ll see bubbles after you’ve added the yeast, then you’ll know it’s activated. This is called “proofing” and it’s the step before you mix your flour, eggs, sugar, and salt with the milk mixture. You can also use Instant Yeast, which I’ve used before. It doesn’t require proofing. Just make sure you follow the serving directions for the Instant Yeast. Well, any yeast for that matter.
Can I use a sugar substitute?
For this recipe I recommend using granulated white sugar; however, I have used Truvia’s Brown Sugar Blend and regular Baking Blend and the recipes have turned out well. You will need to convert the white and brown sugar serving amounts to fit the stevia-sugar blend recommendations.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- White granulated sugar
- Salt
- Eggs
- Butter
- Milk
- Active Dry Yeast
- Water
- Ground Cinnamon
- Brown Sugar
For Bourbon Glaze
- Powdered sugar also called confectioners’ or icing sugar
- Bourbon (Whiskey) – Local Brand (Alabama) – Sweet Home Spirits
- Milk, heavy cream, or evaporated milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Butter – you can make the glaze with or without butter.
Tips to Make These Cinnamon Rolls:
- I highly recommend using a food scale to get accurate measurements for your flour. Different brands may vary. There’s bleached and unbleached as well.
- Some bakers like the Scoop & Sweep Method while others like to use a food scale. It’s totally a preference, but I put my recommendation in the NOTES section. By the way, I’ve done it both ways.
- For the flour, I try to make sure I have enough flour for my work surface, hands, and rolling pin – if needed.
- You can use dental floss or a sharp knife to cut your cinnamon roll dough/log into “rolls”.
- I found using this stainless steel multi-purpose scraper (and chopper) made it easier to roll my dough. It’s also great to use for cleaning up your workspace.
- You can use evaporated milk, heavy cream, or milk for your glaze. I’ve also used oat milk and it turned out great. I also like using heavy cream when I have it on hand.
- Eggs and butter need to be at room temperature. Your milk mixture will need to be warm (105 to 110 degrees) before adding to the dough and ingredients.
- You can add nuts (like pecans) before rolling your cinnamon roll log. Totally optional.
- Another food hack that I’ve seen over and over again—pour about 1/3 cup of room temperature heavy cream (not cold) right on top of your cinnamon rolls before you place them in the oven. The cinnamon rolls will just soak that cream right on up. Tell me what you think if you try this! Update: So I tried this method and they turned out delicious. Just be careful not to over-saturate your cinnys. You do not want your rolls to be soggy. You also don’t need to use this step, however, it’s worth trying if you’re feeling adventurous.
- Cream cheese can be added to the glaze, but it’s totally optional. See notes.
- I’d also like to add, that reheating in the air fryer for a few minutes at 325 or 350 degrees works well. Note: I have a Ninja Foodi Air Fryer.
Storage
You can enjoy fresh, baked cinnamon rolls at room temperature for up to two to three days. Just cover them with foil, or plastic wrap, or place them in an air-tight container. You can also store them in the freezer for up to two to three months. Place them in a Ziploc bag and wrap them in plastic wrap. When ready, take them out of the freezer “to knock the chill out”, make your glaze, and enjoy.
Preparing the day before
After prepping your cinnamon rolls, cut them into pieces, arrange them on a parchment-lined baking pan, then cover TIGHTLY with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator overnight. The next day: when ready to bake, allow cinnamon rolls to sit at room temperature and let them rise for approximately one hour. This is the step before baking if you were not preparing them the night before.
Other Recipes to Enjoy!
Strawberry Butter Golden Dump Cake
Baked Honeycrisp Apples with Brown Sugar & Pecan-Crusted Topping
White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Coffee and Bourbon Braised Short Ribs
These Bourbon-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls turned out absolutely drool-worthy! If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating as well as a comment. Also, tag me (@myprettybrowneats) on social media. You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok as well as using the #myprettybrowneats hashtag on IG and TikTok.
Bourbon Glazed Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Food Scale
- Fine Mesh Strainer to sift flour
- Baking Pan 9 x 13
- Mixing Bowls – different sizes
- Sauce pan
- Silicone spatulas
Ingredients
- 6 ¼ cups All-Purpose Unbleached Flour *I use 1/4 cup of flour for hands and work space. I also use the (Scoop and sweep method)
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- ¾ cup water, lukewarm
For Cinnamon Roll Filling
- 1/2 cup butter (one stick), softened
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1½ cups brown sugar, packed
For Bourbon Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar also called powdered or icing sugar
- 3 to 6 tablespoons Bourbon (Whiskey) to your desired taste
- 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream (milk, or evaporated milk) room temperature (see notes for other options)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons butter optional – vegan butter like Miyoko's Creamery works great too.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extact
- 3 tablespoons softened, cream cheese (totally optional) I've made it with and without, both are delicious.
Instructions
Milk Mixture Prep
- Heat milk on the stove (105 to 110 degrees) then add butter and allow butter to melt. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.
- Once mixture has cooled, add lukewarm water and mix well. Add yeast to milk mixture to activate the dry yeast before adding to other ingredients.
Preparing Cinnamon Rolls
- Make sure you have flour on your work surface and hands before kneading dough to avoid your dough from sticking to your hand. You want tacky dough, but not sticky to the point that it adheres to your hands.
- Start with 3 cups of flour, salt, eggs, sugar, yeast/milk mixture. Knead (mix) well, and slowly add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour at a time; knead; repeat until you've reached 5½ to 6 cups of flour. Remember, these will be placed in a 9 x 13 baking pan.
- Using a rolling pin, form dough into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle.
- Mix softened butter, cinnamon and brown sugar together then sprinkle over dough OR brush dough with softened butter and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture on top to cover the entire rectangle of dough.
- Roll dough into a jelly roll-style log and cut into pieces and place in a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. (12 slices/rolls)
- Cover cinnamon rolls with a towel or foil for 30 minutes to an hour or until they've doubled (two rises). I let these cinnamon rolls rise for ONE hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. I would check them around the 18-20 minute mark. If you find your cinnamon rolls browning too quickly, place foil on top.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool just a little bit before adding glaze. If you can't wait, go right ahead! Glaze will be thinner, but you can add more.
Bourbon Glaze for Cinnamon Rolls
- Combine powdered sugar, bourbon, vanilla extract, butter, and cream (or milk) and whisk until smooth. Add milk one tablespoon at a time to get the consistency you want for your glaze. As for me, sometimes I like it thicker, sometimes I just like a simple glaze that's not overly sweet.
- Pour or brush glaze over cinnamon rolls.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Scoop & Sweep Method
It’s basically where you scoop your flour and sweep (or level the flour) the residuals off the top to make it even/leveled. I used a One-Cup measuring cup.- If you don’t use the Scoop and Sweet Method, I encourage you to use a food scale to get accurate measurements.
Make it Dairy Free
When I want to make it dairy free: I love Miyoko’s – Dairy Free – Vegan Butter as a butter substitute for the rolls and glaze. I also use Violife Cream Cheese if I decide to use cream cheese.For Boozy-Style Bourbon Glazed Cinnamon Rolls
Use 2 cups of powdered sugar, 2 to 5 tablespoons of milk or heavy cream (to your consistency), and 1/4 cup of Bourbon, and whisk until smooth. Pour over cinnamon rolls. If you find that your brand of bourbon thins out your glaze, add 1 tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar and/or milk (or heavy cream) until you get your consistency. Enjoy!
You had me at bourbon. Seriously though, these look amazing!
These cinnamon rolls are some of the best things I’ve tried in a long time!! They are so decadent and delicious and made my kitchen smell amazing. The bourbon glaze just puts them over the top!
Pinned to make for family over the holidays! They look fabulous! :)
These look like the perfect cinnamon rolls. Even better with the bourbon glaze. YUM!
These cinnamon rolls are such a delicious indulgent treat. The addition of the bourbon glaze is the perfect finishing touch!