Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls

I can literally smell Fall in the air. I know. It sounds weird, but I promise you I can smell it and it is the most wonderful smell in the world.  It is that crisp, cool smell that infiltrates your home as you open the windows for the first time. It is the cinnamon and apples simmering on the stove. It is the pumpkin spiced lattes wafting through the local coffee shops. Yes, fall is my absolute favorite season. And I love everything that encompasses it.

I also have a deep love for cinnamon rolls. Did you happen to read my last post about my magical Saturday morning muffins? Well, muffins aren’t the only thing we eat on our perfect Saturday mornings. We also enjoy cinnamon rolls. Gooey, hot fresh-from-the-oven, icing all drippy, licking my fingers good cinnamon rolls. Now, normally, because I don’t want to wait all day for the dough to rise, my cinnamon rolls are the Pillsbury in-a-can kind my Mom used to make. (I remember quite vividly, fighting with my brother and my Dad over who got the middle roll because that was always the gooey-est). But with Fall tapping me on the shoulder, I thought, why not try a fall version of one of my favorite breakfast foods.

I had first thought about making apple cinnamon rolls, but I had forgotten I had used up all my mountain apples on the several apple pies I had made the weekend before (mountain day-cation post coming soon). Then I realized, I had just picked up my very first canned pumpkin of the season the day before and that pumpkin cinnamon rolls were totally the way to go! I also thought I could make a yummy cream cheese pumpkin icing to top my ooey, gooey pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

Now I will say that I spent the better part of the day waiting for these puppies to rise, but that was ok with me because I was watching a Firefly marathon on Netflix to pass the time. Plus, by the time the rolls were baked and iced, they were totally worth it. This is not as hard as it looks folks. You can do this! You want to do this! It has to be done…

Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Dough:

1/2 cup milk

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter at room temperature

1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

1 envelope (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4-4 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for work surface

Filling:

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

Icing:

12 ounces cream cheese, softened

4-5 tablespoons corn syrup

3 tablespoons canned pumpkin

2 cups confectioners sugar

sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

For the dough:

1. Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and set aside until the mixture is lukewarm (about 1oo degrees). I used a thermometer to double check.

2. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the water, yeast, sugar egg, and yolks at low speed until well mixed.

3. Add the salt, lukewarm milk mixture, and 2 cups of the flour and mix on medium to low speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Switch your attachment to the dough hook and add another 2 cups of flour, and knead at medium speed, adding up to 1/4 cup of flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is smooth and freely clears the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.

4. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a round. Place it into a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Watch Firefly…

For the icing:

1. While your dough is rising, combine all of the wet ingredients in the bowl of your standing mixer. Blend together at low speed until roughly combined, about 1 minute. Add your confectioner sugar 1/2 cup at a time until blended. Increase the speed to high and mix until the icing is smooth and free of cream cheese lumps, about 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Roll and Fill:

1. After the dough has doubled, press it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, shape the dough into a 16 by 12-inch rectangle, long side facing you. In a small bowl, mix the filling ingredients and sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border at the far edge. To roll the dough, begin with the long edge closest to you and using both hands, pinch the dough with your fingertips as you roll. Moisten the top border with water and seal the roll. Lightly dust the roll with flour and press the ends to make a 16-inch cylinder.

2. If you have gotten this far, then you are in the homestretch. Grease a 13 by 9 baking dish. Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces using dental floss. I start by cutting the roll in half, then each half in half, and so on. Place the rolls, cut side up, into the baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm, draft free spot until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 -2 hours.

3. BAKE! When your rolls are almost fully risen, heat the oven to 350 degrees and place your oven rack to the middle position. Bake the rolls until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Invert the rolls on a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Place rolls upright and frost those babies with your cream cheese icing! Serve/Gobble immediately!!