Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Hello there, everyone! I’m Michael from Inspired by Charm. I am delighted to join the girls of Eighteen25 again for Spooktacular September! As in years past, this fall is turning out to be fabulous. I am more excited than ever about the season!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. I especially love being in the kitchen, exploring every conceivable way to incorporate pumpkin into my creations. Last week I made a batch of cinnamon rolls. So this week I decided to give them a fall-inspired twist and sneak some pumpkin and spices into the dough.

I started off with Paula Deen’s Cinnamon Roll recipe. (With a few tweaks, it's the best, bar none.) I then searched other Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll recipes to come up with my own fabulous recipe. Let me tell you – they are pretty amazing! Just another reason to love pumpkin. I topped them off with a maple cream cheese icing that is the perfect complement!

Let’s check out the recipe for these little rolls of pure joy!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

Here’s what you will need:

Dough:
¼ ounce package yeast
½ cup warm water
½ cup scalded milk
¼ cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground clove
1 egg
4 - 5 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
½ cup softened butter, plus more for pan
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Maple Cream Cheese Icing:
4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
¼ cup of unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon Mapleine (maple extract)
¼ teaspoon salt

Let's get baking:
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a stand mixer bowl, combine milk, sugar, melted butter, pumpkin puree, spices, salt, and egg with a spoon. Attach the bowl to the mixer with the dough hook attached. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead with dough hook for about 5 minutes. (If not using a stand mixer, knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes.) Place in well-greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread softened butter all over dough. In a small bowl, mix together sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Then sprinkle over buttered dough. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Meanwhile, mix cream cheese, butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt, Mapleine, and vanilla until smooth. For a thicker icing, add more powdered sugar. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

That’s it!

Now, I know that making dough at home is slightly intimidating, but I promise you it’s a lot easier than it looks. Plus, once you taste these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, you realize it was all worth it.