Not going to lie, I impressed myself this time. Being completely upfront and honest, though -- this recipe took a few hours, a lot of patience, and isn't friendly on the waistline. It's worth it though! I think this might be what heaven tastes like. Seriously. SO GO FOR IT!
I figured, if my kitchen is already messy, I should experiment a little. So, I made a few variations on this recipe. I made two types of cinnamon rolls (pumpkin and regular), and three types of toppings (vanilla icing glaze, cream cheese frosting, and pumpkin frosting).
My favorite combo was the plain and simple regular cinnamon roll with icing glaze. My boyfriend loved the regular cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting, and my friend went all out with a pumpkin cinnamon roll with pumpkin cream cheese. Ummm, all delicious combinations! I'm sad we ate all of them so quickly. Indulging in a pumpkin roll with cream cheese frosting sounds amazing right now.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
What you'll need for....
the DOUGH:
- 4 tbsp salted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup white sugar, plus 1 tbsp white sugar (for yeast)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups canned (unsweetened) pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water (105 – 110 degrees F)
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 3 3/4 cups flour, plus extra- as needed cooking spray
the FILLING:
- 4 tbsp butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground clove
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
How you make...
the PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS:
Start by spraying a non-reactive bowl with nonstick spray, and setting it aside. Next, line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Then, in a small bowl, whisk together warm water, yeast and the 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is frothy and active.
In a stand mixer, whisk together the butter, remaining sugar, pumpkin, and egg until well combined. Change the attachment, and now use a dough hook. Add in the flour and yeast mixture. Stir until the ingredients have incorporated into a dough. After the dough has formed, continue to knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. The desired consistency of the dough should be soft and just slightly sticky. You can add more flour as necessary throughout the kneading process until you have the right consistency.
Next, form the dough into a ball and transfer it to an oiled bowl. Toss dough around in the bowl to coat all sides lightly with the oil, cover with oiled plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, place in a warm, draft-free spot, and let the dough rise until nearly doubled (about 1.5 hours).
After it has nearly doubled, roll the dough into a 16x10-inch rectangle on a large, lightly floured piece of parchment or waxed paper (I just used a clean counter). While rolling out the dough, make sure it’s not sticking to the surface. You can lift the dough and sprinkle flour underneath it, if needed.
Then, spread a thin layer of butter over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. In a small bowl, whisk together the filling ingredients. Sprinkle this filling evenly over the butter. I am a fan of lots of filling, so I sprinkled extra spices and sugar over the top at the end.
Now, roll the dough into a tight spiral by rolling from the long edge (you will have a longer, but less thick spiral in the end). Next, slice the dough roll into 12 even pieces and arrange in the prepared baking dish cut-side up. Cover the pan with oiled plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes in a warm, draft-free area. They’ll get puffy and smash into each other as they rise. It's BEAUTIFUL! Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove the towel and plastic wrap. Bake until tops and edges are golden and rolls are cooked through (about 30 to 35 minutes). Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool. If you put cream cheese frosting on now, it will just melt.
Cinnamon Rolls
What you'll need for...
the DOUGH:
- 1/2 oz package yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup hot milk (I didn't have any regular milk, so I used chocolate milk)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 egg
- 3 1/2 cups flour
the FILLING:
- 1/2 melted butter, plus more for pan
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 cup raisins or nuts or chocolate chips (optional)
How you make the...
the CINNAMON ROLLS
First, butter a baking pan. Set aside. Then, start by dissolving the yeast, tablespoon of sugar, and warm water in a small bowl. Set aside. Using a stand mixer, mix the milk, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Mix well and then add in the egg. Add in 2 cups of flour, mix well, and then change the attachment to a dough hook. Mis in the rest of the flour until the dough holds together. Continue to knead the dough for 5-10 minutes on medium. Place into a well-greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1.5 hrs.
When the dough has doubled, roll it out on a floured surface into a 15x9in rectangle. Spread melted butter over the dough, sprinkle the filling ingredients, and roll up the dough (roll starting on the longer edge -- you're roll will be longer, rather than thicker). Cut into 12 even slices, and place in the prepared baking pan. Cover the pan and let the rolls rise (about 1 hours). Then bake for 30 mins at 350 degrees.
When done, let the cinnamon rolls slightly cool and then spread on the topping. I liked to add the icing glaze (recipe below) while the rolls were still hot so that the sticky goodness would seep into the rolls...and then I added cream cheese frosting on top. OH MY GOODNESS.
Toppings
What you'll need for...
the ICING GLAZE:
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp hot water
the CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 6oz regular cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
the PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- Cream Cheese Frosting (see above)
- 2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice mix
- 4 oz pumpkin cream cheese (or 1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling)
How you make it...
the ICING GLAZE:Mix the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add the hot water one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
the CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
Mix all of the ingredients together.
the PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
Make the CREAM CHEESE FROSTING and then add in the extra ingredients. Mix together.
First, butter a baking pan. Set aside. Then, start by dissolving the yeast, tablespoon of sugar, and warm water in a small bowl. Set aside. Using a stand mixer, mix the milk, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Mix well and then add in the egg. Add in 2 cups of flour, mix well, and then change the attachment to a dough hook. Mis in the rest of the flour until the dough holds together. Continue to knead the dough for 5-10 minutes on medium. Place into a well-greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1.5 hrs.
When the dough has doubled, roll it out on a floured surface into a 15x9in rectangle. Spread melted butter over the dough, sprinkle the filling ingredients, and roll up the dough (roll starting on the longer edge -- you're roll will be longer, rather than thicker). Cut into 12 even slices, and place in the prepared baking pan. Cover the pan and let the rolls rise (about 1 hours). Then bake for 30 mins at 350 degrees.
When done, let the cinnamon rolls slightly cool and then spread on the topping. I liked to add the icing glaze (recipe below) while the rolls were still hot so that the sticky goodness would seep into the rolls...and then I added cream cheese frosting on top. OH MY GOODNESS.
Toppings
What you'll need for...
the ICING GLAZE:
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp hot water
the CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 6oz regular cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
the PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- Cream Cheese Frosting (see above)
- 2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice mix
- 4 oz pumpkin cream cheese (or 1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling)
How you make it...
the ICING GLAZE:Mix the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add the hot water one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
the CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
Mix all of the ingredients together.
the PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
Make the CREAM CHEESE FROSTING and then add in the extra ingredients. Mix together.
