Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I should warn you...this post contains some serious food porn. It all started a few weeks ago when I promised my friend Tony some kicked up pumpkin pancakes. This was mostly because I have vats of pumpkin left over from Halloween (bought too much). Tony does lots of little things for me, mostly like being my taste tester for recipes on this site, so I like to reward him once in a while. Last week we settled on the kicked up pancakes...until I saw a post on TasteSpotting that I knew I had to make. I have never made cinnamon rolls mostly because most recipes I see call for the use of my non-existent stand mixer (I'm working on getting one before the new year, but there are no promises). I have been wanting to make cinnamon rolls ever since I recently overcame my fear of yeast. I made only a few modifications, mostly because of what I had on hand. I had to sub honey in for molasses, and I used a little less powdered sugar than called for in the frosting. I must say though, this is one of the best cream cheese frostings I have ever made and this may be my go to from now on. Even though my rolls were clearly not even, this recipe was so easy these were frakking amazing. After I tried one, I immediately texted Tony and said he should start looking for a wedding ring for me...even though in my state we recently (ridiculously) outlawed the right for people like him to get married. ANYway, if you have some pumpkin and the rest of the ingredients, I strongly suggest you back away from your computer and go make these immediately. You will not be sorry.


Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
(Adapted slightly from Fullblown Technicolor)

For the dough:
1 packet of active yeast
1/2 cup of warm water
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp course salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 cups all purpose flour

For the filling:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp honey
2 tsp cinnamon


For the frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 or 2 dashes cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Mix yeast and warm water in a large bowl and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Add in the rest of the dough ingredients and thoroughly combine. Add a little more flour if it needs a more doughy consistency.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, then allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Mix filling ingredients together in a small bowl until you have a sugar paste.
Roll dough out in a large rectangle to 1/4 inch thick then spread the sugar filling evenly over the dough, roll into a long cylinder and cut into 9 equal pieces. Place slices in a greased 8x8 baking dish and allow to rise for 45 minutes to an hour until doubled in size, then bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Mix together frosting ingredients. When the rolls have cooled slightly, spread with a rubber spatula over the top of the rolls while they're still in the dish.