Start by combining the milk, cream cheese, butter, sugar, and egg in a bowl. Add in the yeast, salt, and flour. Mix everything together until it forms a shaggy dough.

If it’s a little sticky, don’t worry—just add a small amount of extra flour.

Knead the dough until it’s soft and smooth (about 4 minutes if you’re using a stand mixer with a dough hook).

Once the dough reaches a nice, soft texture, place it in a bowl and cover it. Let it rise in a warm place for about an hour or until it looks puffy and airy.

I like to put it in my oven with just the light on for a protected proofing spot.

While the dough rises, you can prepare the filling and streusel.

For the filling, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice (or nutmeg) in a small bowl. Mix well to break up any lumps.

Next, make the streusel topping by mixing together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and sugar. Then, pour in the melted butter and mix until it forms a crumbly mixture.

After the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface. Roll it out into a rectangle, approximately 14 inches by 12 inches. You don’t have to get your tape measure out—just aim for a long rectangular shape.

Next, brush the dough with milk. This helps the filling stick to the dough and keeps it nice and moist. Sprinkle the prepared filling evenly across the dough, then cut the dough into four strips.

Roll up each strip, pinching the edges to seal in the filling, just like you would with cinnamon rolls.

Top each coffee cake with the buttery streusel topping. For the best result, try to break up the butter into nice, crumbly pieces as you sprinkle it on top.

Now, let the coffee cakes rise for another 30 minutes in a warm spot.

If you’re making them ahead of time, you can skip this step, wrap them up, and freeze them for baking on Christmas morning.

If baking right away, after the second rise, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant.