Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
from https://sugarspunrun.com/

Soft and gooey homemade pumpkin cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting are the coziest fall breakfast! My from-scratch recipe is beginner-friendly but produces bakery-style results. 

FMM; Before you begin, make up 1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice mix for the dough and filling. Using the https://sugarspunrun.com/ recipe, mix:

2 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Makes 5 1/4 tsp. (1 Tbsp. + a little more than 2 tsp.)

FMM Note: The flavor was pretty good and the rolls are very soft and moist. These are not very sweet (and I do not like a lot of sweetness) and are better with the cream cheese frosting. Probably because the frosting adds more sweetness and it brings out the spice flavor better. Beware, due to all the fat in the frosting, it will not harden, but remain soft at room temperature, even after left to harden on cooking racks. This makes it impossible to store in plastic bags. If I make them again I would add more sugar to the dough, 1/4 to 1/3 cup instead of 2 tablespoons, and use a non-cream cheese frosting that hardens a bit. See the recipe for the glaze in Cinnamon Buns recipe.

A tip from AI on how to have the frosting harden a bit: White Chocolate Ganache Hybrid. Melt 4 oz of high-quality white chocolate baking bars, let it cool back down to room temperature (but still fluid), and whip it directly into your finished cream cheese frosting. • Why it works: White chocolate contains cocoa butter, which is solid at room temperature. As the chocolate cools and sets on your baked goods, it naturally hardens the entire structural network of the frosting, preventing it from turning into a gooey mess when touched by plastic wrap.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting from AI

This recipe will crust over on the top so it doesn't stick as easily to plastic bags. AI suggests letting the frosting crust over for 60 - 90 minutes and use parchment paper or waxed paper on top so it doesn't stick to the frosting and pull it off the rolls when the paper is removed.

4 oz (1/2 block) full-fat brick cream cheese, slightly cool
¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 oz high-quality white chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
A tiny pinch of salt

Fast Instructions for Rolls

1. Melt and cool the 2 oz of white chocolate until it's fluid but no longer warm.
2. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
3. Stream in the cooled white chocolate on low speed.
4. Mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until fluffy.

Heat milk in a small saucepan or in the microwave to 110-115F (43-46C).

Pour warmed milk into a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, and add yeast and a teaspoon of your sugar. Allow mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes until yeast is foamy (if yeast doesn’t foam after 10 minutes it is likely dead and you will need to start over).

Note; If using powdered milk, add the yeast to the water (1/2 cup) with the 1 tsp, sugar first and wait for it to activate. Add the milk powder after this. My yeast did not get very active in the powdered milk that I had mixed shortly before. Maybe the water wasn't warm enough, or perhaps the powder in the milk interfered with it becoming active. I started over adding the yeast to the water to begin with and it was fine.

Once yeast is foamy, add remaining 2 Tablespoons sugar, pumpkin, melted butter, egg and egg yolk, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and 2 cups (250g) of bread flour. Stir until well-combined.

Gradually add remaining flour as needed until dough is soft and tacky, but not sticky and begins to cling to itself and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Knead dough with your stand mixer or transfer dough to a clean, lightly floured surface and knead by hand.. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if dough becomes too sticky (typically about 10 minutes by hand, or 5 minutes with a stand mixer).

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl, turn to coat all over with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.

Filling and Assembly
In a small bowl whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

Lightly grease a 13×9” (33x23cm) pan with butter, set aside.

Once dough has finished rising, punch down to deflate and transfer to a clean, lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to form into a 20×8” (50x20cm) rectangle.

Spread the surface of the dough evenly with your softened butter, leaving a 1/2” (1.5cm) perimeter around the edges.

Sprinkle filling evenly over the surface and gently press it into the butter.

Starting with the longer end, tightly roll the dough into a log, pinching the seam to seal.

Use a sharp knife to cut into 12 even slices and transfer to prepared baking pan, evenly spacing slices. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30-60 minutes, or until rolls are puffed. While rolls are rising, preheat oven to 350F (175C).

Once rolls have risen, remove the plastic wrap and transfer to center rack of 350F (175C) preheated oven. Bake for 26-30 min, until edges of rolls begin to slightly brown. You can use an instant read thermometer to test the thickest part of an outer cinnamon roll and it should reach 185-190F (87C) when done. Prepare icing.

Icing
Beat together cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and salt until creamy and smooth.

Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring until combined.

Add milk or cream and stir well, until smooth and uniform.

For a gooey glaze, allow rolls to cool only slightly (about 10 minutes) before applying frosting, for a thicker frosting allow rolls to cool completely before applying. Serve and enjoy!

12 servings