I told you there would be more pumpkin recipes! With the pumpkin purée I recently made, I needed to find ways to use it and I could think of no better way than pumpkin cinnamon rolls. After waking up to the remnants of a blizzard, I had a craving for something warm and sweet to go with a cup of coffee and 8 inches of snow. These pumpkin cinnamon rolls did the trick.
While the dough does take some time to rise, it is a relatively easy, and very delicious recipe. I used the time while the dough was rising to go for a walk outside in the snow. It may be freezing out but I really enjoy being able to get out and see the snow first hand. I figure the more I am out in it, the easier it will be for me to handle the coming winter!
If you have never made cinnamon rolls before there is no need to be intimidated, I promise they aren’t as hard as they look! This recipe would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving menu as breakfast or as a part of brunch the weekend after.
I personally am not a fan of putting frosting on my cinnamon rolls (I think it makes them too sweet and distracts from the cinnamon flavor), but if you are a fan of frosting I have provided you with a recipe for cream cheese frosting.
You also have the option to add pecans to the recipe if you want, either in the filling or on top of the frosting, or both! Maybe I’m simple, but again I prefer my cinnamon rolls without extras like nuts.
It’s a big piece of dough to roll out as you can see. Rolling out the dough is the trickiest part of this recipe but if you just remember to roll as tight as you can you shouldn’t have any problems.
This recipe makes a lot of cinnamon rolls so if you don’t plan on eating them all right away you can throw some in the freezer and heat them up you’re ready. You can also make the dough the night before and bake the cinnamon rolls off in the morning. Really these are perfect for anytime!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon all spice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon all spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Frosting (Optional)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 pound powder sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- pinch of salt
- chopped pecans
Instructions
FOR THE DOUGH
- In a saucepan, combine the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar. Heat until hot but not boiling. Remove from stove and place in a large mixing bowl, allow to cool until mixture is warm to the touch but not too hot. Sprinkle in yeast and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in the pumpkin puree until combined.
- Whisk in the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and all spice. Add in 4 cups of flour and stir until mixture just comes together. Cover bowl with a dish towel and let sit in a warm, draft free place for at least 1 hour or until mixture doubles in size.
- After 1 hour, stir in additional 3/4 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until totally combined.
- Generously flour a large surface and turn out dough. Carefully knead dough with enough flour until it is easy to handle and is not overly sticky. Press dough into a rectangular shape and begin to roll out with a floured rolling pin. Roll out until dough is about 10 inches by 30 inches.
FOR THE FILLING
- Combine sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, all spice, and ground ginger in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the surface of the rolled out dough. Sprinkle the sugar mixture on top to cover the melted butter. (If you want to add pecans to the rolls, you could sprinkle about 1/2 chopped ones on now).
- Starting at the top of the dough (section furtherest away from you), begin to roll the dough toward you in a "typewriter" motion. Roll it tightly as you go. When it's all rolled, pinch the seam closed and turn the roll over so the seam is facing down.
- With a serrated knife, slice the dough into 1 inch slices and place them in a greased pan (3 cake pans or baking dishes work great). Sliced rolls should not be touching as they will expand when baking. Cover with dish towel and allow to rise for additional 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake rolls for 18-20 minutes or until nice and golden brown around the edges. Cool
FOR THE FROSTING
- Using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, milk, and salt. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls and sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired.
They look wonderful! You got me! I am going to make them -soon!