Eggnog Is The Secret To Give Store-Bought Cinnamon Rolls A Festive Upgrade

One of the easiest treats to serve on Christmas morning is store-bought cinnamon rolls. The spiced flavor and sweet icing already give off holiday vibes, but you can make these treats even more festive with one secret ingredient: eggnog. The Instagram fan account Trader Joe's Treasure Hunt shared a video showing how pouring eggnog over your cinnamon rolls before baking not only gives them a subtle eggnog flavor with hints of nutmeg but also makes them incredibly fluffy and rich. This hack is incredibly easy and only requires your favorite premade cinnamon roll dough and your favorite eggnog (you can even use homemade eggnog).

Prep your cinnamon roll dough like normal, but when you go to place the rolls in the greased baking dish, spread them out evenly without leaving too much space between each roll. You'll then pour the eggnog over the rolls, allowing the excess to pool on the bottom of the dish. Be sure to thoroughly soak each roll in the eggnog so it can be properly absorbed. You're most likely going to use the whole carton of eggnog doing this, so make sure it's not your last carton. You'll then top each roll with about a tablespoon of butter and a heaping dusting of cinnamon and bake the rolls as normal. You can tell your rolls are done when they grow in size and are lightly golden brown on top, you can also use a knife to ensure the inside is cooked.

The egg nog trend is similar to another cinnamon roll hack that involves adding heavy cream to the rolls before baking. Both tricks lead to fluffier cinnamon rolls, but eggnog has a stronger effect on taste. Eggnog brings in a rich custard and vanilla flavor that is both lightly sweet and spicy from festive ingredients such as nutmeg and cloves. While the cinnamon rolls bake, the eggnog is absorbed into the dough, creating perfectly moist and fluffy rolls with a texture similar to Japanese milk bread.

Dairy products like heavy cream, which is present in eggnog, are key ingredients in caramel sauces, so as your cinnamon rolls bake, the sugar and dairy create a lightly caramelized texture on the bottom of the pan, giving you a different type of sweetness and changing up the texture. One of the biggest bonuses is that your rolls will become bigger. While the size boost is a good thing, it's important to space out your rolls evenly before baking so they have room to expand and so you get a nice, uniform shape.