Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
These are a Thanksgiving morning tradition in our house. Occasionally we repeat on Christmas morning; they’re that good. I no longer remember where I got this recipe, but have tweaked it over the years.
ingredients
Dough:
2/3 cup milk
¼ cup salted butter
1 cup pumpkin, cooked and mashed
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp yeast
4 cup bread flour
Spice Filling:
6 tbsp salted butter, melted
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Cinnamon Sauce:
1/2 salted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp half & half or milk
½ tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
directions
Make cinnamon roll dough. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter until butter is almost melted, then remove from heat and set aside to cool to about 110°. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, and milk mixture. Beat well using the paddle until combined. Add beaten eggs, yeast and ½ cup flour. Beat on low for 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook, add remaining flour, and knead the dough for 5 minutes. (Or use your hands.) Dough will be soft. Place into a greased bowl. Cover with damp towel, or oil coated saran wrap, and let rise for 1-2 hours until double in size. Punch dough down and roll out into a rectangle on a floured surface.
Spice filling. While the dough is rising, combine the brown sugar and spices together and set aside. Once your dough has risen and has been rolled out, melt the 6 tbsp of butter, and brush evenly on your rolled out dough leaving about a 1/2 inch border. Then sprinkle the spice filling on the melted butter, spreading it lightly with your hands/finger tips so that it’s evenly distributed. Roll up from the long side and cut into 1” pieces.
Make the cinnamon sauce. Melt the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small, heavy bottomed sauce pan. Bring to a boil and let it boil for a minute or two, but don’t burn. Pour the hot sauce directly into a 9 X 13 pan or split between two 8” or 9” cake pans, quickly tipping the pan so that the sauce coats the entire bottom evenly. (The sauce will cool rapidly.) Place the cut rolls directly onto the cinnamon sauce, cover with a damp town or oil-coated saran warp and let rise for 40-60 minutes until double in size.
Bake the cinnamon rolls. Preheat oven to 350°F and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before frosting.
Make the cream cheese frosting. While the cinnamon rolls are rising or baking, make the frosting. Using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, half and half, vanilla, and salt. Beat together and spread on cooled rolls. Let rolls cool 30 minutes before eating. On the off chance you have any leftover rolls, cover with saran wrap or a towel. No need to refrigerate. We find the rolls are best lightly reheated in the microwave for 20-25 seconds with a pat of butter on top (or 10 minutes in a preheated 350° oven).
yield
One dozen.
