Looking for a festive addition for a Christmas brunch, make this! It’s doesn’t get much cuter than this Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree and it’s delicious to boot! Take a look!
This has been on my to make list for a really long time now. And by long time, I mean since last year. Procrastination at it’s finest wouldn’t you say? Finally, with just a few short days to Christmas, I have it to share with you all. If it didn’t hit the blog now, it would have had to wait a whole other year. Because lets face it, come midnight on the 25th, the tinsel stops shining on Christmas.
The thing about cinnamon rolls, they are time consuming.
There is no way around it, they just take time. Mind you, it’s not the hands on time, it’s the waiting around time for the dough to rise not once but twice. And this can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours for each rise. So, don’t think you are going to get these in a jiffy. If you are used to making yeast doughs, you will get me. Right..haha!
But they are worth it and we love them. By we, I mean the kids and myself. Mike, my husband, doesn’t care too much for things like this. Well, his loss.
- In the picture below you can see how I laid mine out on a cookie sheet. I meant to get a picture after they had risen but I just clear forgot. In any case you can see it in the finished product.
- In the picture below you can see them a little closer before the rise. I didn’t place them too far apart on the cookie sheet, I would say just about 2 cm. And it seemed to work out just fine.
- Here it is straight out of the oven and you can get a better idea of how much they have risen. And can I just say, these were so light and fluffy. We managed to not eat them all, not sure how, but we resisted. I am thinking of making this again through Christmas because it was so festive.
And here’s a little look at it all dressed up for Christmas
- I just decorated it quite basic. You can use whatever artistic talent to make yours shine with your personality. My artistic talent is lacking, and this was pretty much the limit of my skill and patience level!
- I put the glaze in a piping bag with the smallest fitting I had. Then just did a cross cross pattern. If I can succeed at this, anyone can! Then I cut the maraschino cherries in half and put one in the middle of each cinnamon roll. Pretty!
Like I said, the hands on time isn’t too bad, it Just the waiting for the dough to rise. I made this yesterday and my kitchen was freezing. So after 45 minutes and seeing no difference in my dough, I carefully placed it next to a heater and it worked like magic. I usually put my dough next to the wood burner in the winter, but it wasn’t lit when I was making these. So, and electric heater it was.
So if you have a little extra time over the next few days, it’s worth giving it a try. I am sure everyone reading this is laughing at that statement. Time in December? I know, I get it how busy everything gets and fitting in a Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree just might not be on top of you list of “Must dos”!
And if you’re looking for something simple and festive, check out my Cranberry Scones. A quick an easy holiday treat that would be great at a Christmas brunch.
Notes about the cinnamon rolls
I’m pretty sure I’ve already gotten through most of it in the post but lets see what I forgot.
- Oh, really important, you can reheat these. If you have a microwave, just do that for a few seconds. I don’t have one, so old school it is for me. Just tightly wrap them in foil and put them in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes. They will come out fresh as a daisy.
- They are best the day they are made but will keep for a few days in an airtight container. And yes you can freeze them as well.
I might not be back till after Christmas, we’ll see. So, if I’m not, I hope everyone reading has a wonderful Christmas whatever you decide to do, A turkey or a hamburger, it’s all good!
Merry Christmas friends! xx
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Get the recipe!
Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree
Ingredients
For the buns:
- 1/4 Cup whole milk
- 1/4 Cup sugar
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons butter melted
- 1/4 Cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons dry yeast
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 Cups flour
For the filling:
- 3 Tablespoons butter melted
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 Cup brown sugar
For the Glaze:
- 1 Cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla
- Maraschino cherries to decorate
Instructions
- In a saucepan set over high heat, bring the milk to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the sugar, salt and melted butter. Stir and remove from heat. Leave it until it is lukewarm.
- In a large bowl, add the yeast to the warm water. Stir and leave it for just a few minutes. When the milk has cooled enough, pour it into the yeast mixture along with 1/2 of the flour and the beaten egg. Stir to combine until you have a smooth batter. Mix in the rest of the flour. You should have a slightly sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and start to knead it. Do this until the dough becomes quite elastic and bounces back when pressed. Probably about 8 minutes or so. Put the dough back in the large bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Put the dough in a warm place to rise. It will be ready in about one or 1 1/2 hours.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out into a large rectangle. Mine was probably about 10 x 16 inches. Drizzle over the brown sugar mixture and spread it out over the dough. Roll it up and cut it into 12 slices.
- Grease and line with parchment paper a large baking tray. Arrange your rolls in the shape of a Christmas tree. Starting at the top with one in the middle, then two underneath, then three, then four and finally two on the bottom in a vertical line for the trunk. You will see this in an image below. Cover them again and return them to a warm space to rise. About another hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the buns for about 15 – 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 10 minutes.
- Mix together the powered sugar, milk and vanilla. Drizzle all over the rolls. Top each roll with half of a maraschino cherry.
- Best served warm.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Thanks For Stopping By & Hope To See You Soon!
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