Spiced Eggnog Babka Buns
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Indulge in the warmth of the season with these Spiced Eggnog Babka Buns! This light, fluffy, pillowy dough is made with eggnog and filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and topped with an eggnog icing.
If you’re looking for more holiday inspired breakfast recipes, check out some of my other favorites like my Holiday Eggnog Waffles, Peppermint Mocha Coffee Cake, or my Cinnamon Pecan Babka Coffee Cake.
Table of Contents
Your Christmas brunch needs these Spiced Eggnog Babka Buns! Light, fluffy, and perfectly spiced with all kinds of holiday cheer thanks to the addition of eggnog. You can't go wrong with this holiday treat!
This is a one rise dough, making it really easy to make the morning of your Christmas brunch. I use eggnog in the dough as well as in the icing for extra eggnog flavor in this holiday treat! These Spiced Eggnog Babka Buns are a holiday treat that is basically a combination of cinnamon rolls, babka, and eggnog!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Pillowy Buns: These Spiced Eggnog Babka Buns are incredibly light and pillowy! This is a one rise, enriched dough – the best kind! I use butter, eggnog, and eggs inside this dough and it only requires one rise so it’s quick and easy, unlike other sweet rolls or babkas that often require two rises!
Lightly Spiced: These Spiced Eggnog Babka Buns are lightly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for a festive combination that will just make you feel all warm and cozy inside!
Eggnog: Need I say more? It’s the season for eggnog and the Organic Valley Eggnog is one of our faves! I use eggnog inside the dough and in the glaze for a subtly sweet eggnog bun that everyone will love.
Indulgent Breakfast: The holidays are the time for indulgent breakfast! And this recipe for Spiced Eggnog Babka Buns are the perfect holiday treat for your Christmas brunch.
Ingredients
- Yeast: I use organic instant yeast, but you can also use active dry yeast too. If you use active dry yeast, be sure to bloom it and the rise time may be a bit longer. Just be sure to look for visual signs that the dough has doubled in size.
- Cane Sugar: I use organic cane sugar.
- Eggnog: I love Organic Valley, but Alexandre Family Farms makes an organic A2 eggnog that is so insanely good too!
- Butter: I use Organic Valley Salted Butter.
- All Purpose Flour: My favorite is Cairnspring Mills.
- Eggs: I use organic large eggs.
- Spices: I use organic cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for warm and cozy spices that compliment the eggnog perfectly.
- Brown Sugar: I use my homemade organic light brown sugar recipe, but store bought also works.
- Powdered Sugar: You'll need organic powdered sugar for the icing, which is the best part!
Tools Needed
- Scale: Always use a digital food scale for the best results, especially when baking breads.
- Stand Mixer: I use my stand mixer here for ease, but you can also use just your hands in a mixing bowl. It will take longer with more elbow grease, but you can mix this up by hand.
- Muffin Pan: I use a 3 oz. Muffin Pan, which is larger than traditional cupcake or muffin pan.
- Rolling Pin: You'll need a rolling pin to roll out the dough.
- Mixing Bowl: You'll need a mixing bowl to mix up the glaze.
- Whisk: I use a whisk to mix up the glaze.
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Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the yeast, 1/2 teaspoon cane sugar, and warm water. Stir to combine and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes or until bubbly.
In a medium pot over medium heat, add the butter and eggnog. Stir until completely melted, remove from heat.
Add the flour, remaining 57 grams cane sugar, and salt to the mixing bowl in that order. Add the egg and milk mixture and knead on speed 2 to 4 for 5 minutes.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, add cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 to 3 hours or until doubled in size.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 3
To make the filling: In a bowl, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and mix to combine completely. Set aside.
Step 4
Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, you can just eyeball it.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each dough ball to a rectangle that is about 8 x 4-inches. Using a butter knife or spatula spread the butter all over the rolled out dough pieces.
Sprinkle the brown sugar and spice mixture to completely cover the butter on each piece of dough. Starting at the larger side, fold the dough over and start to roll the dough until it is completely rolled into a log. Repeat with each piece of dough.
Place the dough logs seam side down and using a sharp knife, cut them in half down the middle. Twist the two pieces together and then roll them into a spiral.
Place each babka bun in a muffin tin. Or if not using a muffin tin, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Step 5
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the buns are lightly golden brown. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
Step 6
To make the glaze: In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar and eggnog. Whisk together until you have a smooth glaze. Spread the glaze over the warm buns. Serve immediately.
Baker's Tips
- Make sure that your yeast is good. This is why I check for bubbles, even though I’m using instant yeast in this recipe (that doesn’t have to be activated). But, if yeast is bad, then this recipe will fail. So be sure to use fresh yeast. If you have had yeast in your pantry for a long time, check the best by date if it’s a package and make sure it’s bubbly before going on with the recipe.
- I use eggnog inside the dough and for the glaze. But these Spiced Babka Buns would be delicious year round if you just swap out the eggnog for milk!
- I baked these in a large muffin pan, the one I used I linked here. The muffin pan I have is larger than a stand muffin or cupcake pan. So, if you are using a standard size muffin pan, you will want to make smaller buns as mine were already bursting out of this larger pan! If that’s the case, I would recommend getting 8 buns instead of 6.
- You do not have to use a muffin pan for this recipe! You can simply place the babka buns on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake them on the baking sheet. If you do this, they will look like mini round babkas (like mini versions of my Blueberry Babka Coffee Cake)!
FAQ's
You can replace the eggnog in the dough and in the glaze with milk if you don’t have eggnog or if you want to make these Spiced Babka Buns when it’s not Christmas! This recipe is just as delicious with milk as it is with eggnog.
If you don’t have a muffin pan, you can bake these babka buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. They will turn out like cute little round babkas! Also, if you are using a standard size muffin pan, make sure to get 8 buns instead of 6, as I used a larger muffin pan (noted above in the tips).
Yes, you can make these ahead of time! If you want to make for Christmas morning, you can do all the steps except baking. Wrap the muffin tin or baking sheet in plastic wrap so they buns don’t dry out and place in the fridge overnight. Remove the buns from the fridge and preheat the oven, then bake! You may have to bake a few additional minutes if the buns are not completely room temperature when they go into the oven.
Babka buns are very similar to cinnamon rolls. They are light, pillowy, and soft. So, they need to be store in an airtight container. A cake dome works really well for this and that’s always how I store my extras for the next day.
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Spiced Eggnog Babka Buns
Ingredients
Dough
- 7 grams instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon cane sugar
- ¼ cup warm water
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ¾ cup eggnog
- 446 grams all purpose flour
- 57 grams cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg
Filling
- 57 grams salted butter (softened)
- 113 grams light brown sugar (packed)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Glaze
- 212 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 3 tablespoons eggnog
Instructions
- To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the yeast, ½ teaspoon cane sugar, and warm water. Stir to combine and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes or until bubbly.
- In a medium pot over medium heat, add the butter and eggnog. Stir until completely melted, remove from heat.
- Add the flour, remaining 57 grams cane sugar, and salt to the mixing bowl in that order. Add the egg and milk mixture and knead on speed 2 to 4 for 5 minutes.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, add cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 to 3 hours or until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To make the filling: In a bowl, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and mix to combine completely. Set aside.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, you can just eyeball it.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out each dough ball to a rectangle that is about 8 x 4-inches. Using a butter knife or spatula spread the butter all over the rolled out dough pieces.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar and spice mixture to completely cover the butter on each piece of dough. Starting at the larger side, fold the dough over and start to roll the dough until it is completely rolled into a log. Repeat with each piece of dough.
- Place the dough logs seam side down and using a sharp knife, cut them in half down the middle. Twist the two pieces together and then roll them into a spiral.
- Place each babka bun in a muffin tin. Or if not using a muffin tin, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the buns are lightly golden brown.
- To make the glaze: In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar and eggnog. Whisk together until you have a smooth glaze. Spread the glaze over the warm buns. Serve immediately.
- Store extra buns in a cake dome or airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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