Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

With the holidays coming around, one of my husbands favorite things is pumpkin pie, but rather than just have the same thing over and over I wanted to mix things up a bit. And the first attempt at doing so were the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls that I made this week. It was also my first time making homemade cinnamon rolls, and while that was quite daunting at first it really went well I think. The recipe is fairly easy to whip together (the hardest part is all of the rolling, but that wasn't too bad) and will definitely be something I might try again for company some time :)


Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

(again with the weird photos, I might have to change websites soon)

• 1 cup canned pumpkin or squash
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup lukewarm water*
• 1/4 cup soft butter
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar, light or dark
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons Red Star Quick Rise Yeast or instant yeast

*Adjust the amount of water by the time of year or your climate. For summer, or in a humid environment, use the lesser amount of water. In winter, or in a dry climate, use the greater amount. It's always best to start with the lesser amount; you can always add more. (I used the full 1/4 cup of water in my rolls).

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (I used Grade A)
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted (see recipe notes)
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients (up to the note on water) together — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until you've made a soft, fairly smooth dough, it should be fairly sticky, if it isn't, add a couple more tablespoons of water. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise for about 1 1/2 hours, until it's almost doubled in bulk. Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface. Roll it into a 14" x 22" rectangle; the dough will be pretty thin. Use a pastry brush to brush the melted butter onto the top of the dough. In a medium bowl, mix together the next 4 ingredients and sprinkle them onto the butter creating an even layer, leaving one short edge free of filling (about 1 inch). Starting with the short end that's covered with filling, roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into nine 1 ½"-thick rolls, it's better if you mark out the cuts before fully cutting through to get them pretty even.
Place the rolls into a lightly greased 9" x 9" pan that's at least 2" deep. Set aside, covered, to rise for 1 hour, or until the rolls look puffy. Bake the rolls in a preheated 375°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until they're lightly browned and feel set. Remove them from the oven, and set them on a rack. Turn them out of the pan, and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes. Towards the end of the cooling time, make the glaze. To make the glaze: In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, confectioners' sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Mix on low speed until thoroughly combined and creamy. Feel free to adjust the frosting to meet your needs. If you like a thinner frosting, add in a little milk (start with 1 teaspoon) and slowly increase until you reach the desired consistency. If you want it to be thicker, add in a little more confectioners' sugar.

(another attempt fail)