Description
Laced with warm and fragrant spices, these Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls are deliciously gooey and even better topped with cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Scale
For the rolls
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the filling
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
For the icing
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2–3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
For the pumpkin cinnamon roll dough
- Dissolve the honey in warm water (105-115°F) and sprinkle on the yeast. Let sit until the yeast is foamy, about 10-15 minutes.
- In a small pot, heat the buttermilk and butter until the mixture is warm and the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the pumpkin puree.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the bread hook attachment, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, sugar, and salt.
- Add the yeast mixture, buttermilk mixture, and beaten egg to the flour. Mix for 7 minutes, until the dough forms a ball and is smooth. Transfer the ball of dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and place in a warm spot. Let the dough rise for 1-1 ½ hours.
For making the filling and shaping the cinnamon rolls
- When the dough has risen, punch down the dough and flip it onto a well-floured countertop. Sprinkle flour over the top and roll the dough into a large rectangle that is roughly 15×12”.
- Spread the entire rectangle with the very soft butter. Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and sprinkle evenly over the butter.
- Roll the dough tightly, starting from the longest side of the rectangle. Using a sharp knife, trim each end of your log. Cut the dough log in half, and cut each half into 4 even slices to make 8 rolls.
- Grease a 12” cast iron very well with butter or baking spray. Arrange the sliced rolls in the skillet with 7 on the outside and 1 on the inside. Cover with the damp towel and let rise in a warm place for another hour. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
For baking the pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls and frosting
- Once the rolls have risen, bake in the oven until golden, puffed, and cooked through, about 22-25 minutes. If the rolls are becoming too dark, cover with foil for the last 5 minutes.
- Prepare the frosting by beating the cream cheese and butter using a hand-hand mixer. Beat in the sugar, little by little, until combined. Add in the vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat in the milk, 2-3 tablespoons, to your desired consistency.
- Spread the cinnamon rolls with the icing and serve warm.
Notes
You can prepare these cinnamon rolls the night before and bake fresh the next morning. Follow the recipe through to step 7 (cutting the rolled dough into slices) and chill the sliced rolls in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, let the rolls come to room temperature and rise in a warm place for at least an hour, until doubled in size, before baking.
Keywords: pumpkin cinnamon rolls