Of all the wonderful things about Christmas morning at our house— the sentimental holiday tunes that will be streaming out of our Bose speaker, the excitement of presenting way too many over-the-top gifts to our spoiled fur babies, the joy of spending time with the love of my life with no obligations to be anywhere else— there’s one thing in particular I’m extra excited about. It’s these soft, fluffy iced cinnamon rolls! I’ve literally had them on my mind since last New Year’s Eve, when my husband and I fought over the final crumbs of the batch I made last Christmas.

We’ve had homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning before, but the tweaks I made to my recipe last year made these extra special. They are soft and tender, they hold their shape without being dry, and the almond-scented cream cheese icing is just irresistible.

The “secret” ingredient that I used last year to make these rolls so soft and airy is mashed potatoes. Honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. The starch in potatoes makes bread softer, and it does wonders for the Moravian sugar cake that is traditional around these parts at Christmas, too.

There’s also whole milk, sugar and butter, which add richness and softness to these swirled rolls. And eggs ensure the dough holds its shape after it’s wrapped up around the cinnamon-sugar filling. Oh, wait, did I remember to mention how addictive the filling is? 

You know that I can’t stop at traditional, so there’s more than just cinnamon and brown sugar going on here. I wanted an intoxicating aroma, and I got it with addition of cardamom and a bit of “Yuletide Cheer” spice from my pals at King Arthur Baking. It’s a blend of several spices, including coriander and allspice, and the real magic comes from dried citrus peel. Unfortunately, I discovered today that the blend is sold out for the season on the KA site, but I’m betting you could replicate the effect by adding a spoonful of orange zest to your dough. The citrus makes it smell like Christmas. A pinch of salt is essential, as it emphasizes the flavors of everything else. Don’t skip it.

The thing about these rolls that is almost as good as eating them is the fact that I can make them the day before and pop them into the fridge overnight. Bring them back to room temp when I wake up Christmas morning, and bake them while the fur babies enjoy their new toys. The icing is cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and a splash of almond extract. 

If you don’t already have a special holiday breakfast tradition, I guarantee you these rolls will become one for you!

The Best Cinnamon Rolls I've Ever Made!

• Servings: 12 big, fluffy rolls
• Prep Time: 2 hours, plus overnight in the fridge
• Cook Time: 25 to 30 minutes
• Difficulty: Average
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After much trial and error, I've found mashed potatoes to be the best ingredient for soft, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon rolls. This recipe is easy to make a day ahead for baking on Christmas morning.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour (see notes)
• 2 tsp. instant dry yeast
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• A shake or two of ground cardamom
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup mashed potato (russet is ideal)
• 5 Tbsp. butter
• 1/3 cup cane sugar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 beaten egg, mixed with a tablespoon of water (to adhere filling)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1 tsp. “Yuletide Cheer” spice (or pie spice + zest of a small orange)
• Pinch of kosher salt

Note: White whole wheat flour is less “earthy” than standard whole wheat, and mine comes from King Arthur Baking Company. They have recently rebranded this product as “golden wheat,” so look for either name in the flour section of your supermarket. If you cannot find it, simply use a total of 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour.

Directions

1. Combine flours and a few shakes of ground cardamom in a medium bowl. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of this into the bowl of a stand mixer, and set the remainder aside for now. Add yeast to the mixing bowl.
2. Combine milk, butter and sugar in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir until butter is melted and sugar begins to dissolve. Stir in salt and mashed potatoes and remove from heat; cool until lukewarm.
3. Pour milk mixture into the mixing bowl with the yeasted flour mixture and blend with the beater blade until the mixture is smooth. Add eggs and increase speed to beat for two to three minutes.
4. Reduce mixer speed and add remaining flour, a large spoonful at a time. After a few spoonfuls, you may need to switch to the kneading hook as the dough becomes more heavy. Knead again for a few minutes; dough will be soft and tacky.
5. Shape the dough into a round and rest covered on the counter for about one hour, or until the dough has doubled in size and doesn’t bounce back when pressed with fingers.
6. Transfer dough to a floured board or counter. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle approximately 12 inches wide and 18 inches long. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, pinch of salt and Yuletide Cheer spice in a small bowl.
7. Brush entire dough rectangle generously with egg wash, and then distribute the cinnamon-spice mixture evenly over the dough, sparing about one inch at one short end. Roll up dough, beginning at the other short end, keeping the dough evenly compacted.
8. Pinch the seam to seal the roll. Use a serrated knife or a piece of unflavored dental floss to cut the roll into 12 equal slices. Place slices in a 9×13″ cake pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 18 hours.
9. Remove pan from fridge and pre-heat oven to 375° F, with oven rack in center position. Allow cinnamon rolls to come to near-room temperature. They should be very puffy with no space between rolls.
10. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until rolls are golden brown all over. Remove from oven and cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before serving with icing.

Ingredients

• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbsp. salted butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted if necessary to remove lumps
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• A few tablespoons heavy cream to blend into soft, spreadable icing

Directions

1. Use a hand mixer or the whisk attachment of a stand mixer to beat cream cheese and butter until soft and lump-free.
2. Beat in half of the confectioner’s sugar until smooth. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts, and then stir in as much additional sugar as needed to achieve a spreadable consistency.