Hey, y’all! Today, I am super stoked to share one of my favorite recipes for pumpkin cinnamon rolls. I mean, this is really a game-changer, especially if you are like me and just cannot get enough cinnamon. Honestly, I am such a sucker for cinnamon. I just love it. I just put it in everything from lattes to banana cake, even popcorn. But cinnamon rolls—girl!—they bring it all up to a different level of yum.
This post is all about pumpkin cinnamon rolls
Well, let me give you a little backstory: the very first time these pumpkin cinnamon rolls were baked was for my best friend’s baby shower, and, man, it was such a success. Literally, from that day forward, it seemed like my family and friends just would not leave me alone about making them during the fall season. It kinda became a tradition, it is like my treat, you know from foodie to foodie, is there a better gift than a heavenly-warm-sweet treat. So trust me, you have to try making them. Soft, sweet, just perfect with that pumpkin flavor, and perfect for this fall season. What is more autumnal than pumpkin and cinnamon, really? Okay, enough chatty-patty—on to making these rolls. And let me tell you, once you have made these babies, you will get addicted too!
First off, make the dough. I always use my stand mixer for this and make things easier for myself, but if you’re energetic, you most certainly can mix everything by hand.
Dry Ingredients:
- 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
First off, to get things started, simply whisk all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. The mixing of the ingredients will do everything. This distributes the yeast evenly so with every bite of the rolls you get a nice explosion of warmth and spice.
Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup pure pumpkin
- 2 room temperature eggs
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice extract
- Milk, lukewarm
So what I do, is starting with the wet ingredients! In a medium mixing bowl place the eggs, then pour in your melted butter, extract of vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice extract. Beat everything at medium speed for about 10 minutes. If by hand, then beat until smooth and elastic.
Quick tip: If your dough is going to be just a little too sticky to handle—no sweat!
Now I move to the dry ingredients. You will then add gradually the flour, one spoonful at a time, until everything comes together. Form the dough into a ball and place it into a greased bowl, making sure to grease the top. That keeps the dough from becoming dry on top. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This takes an hour, so you have a bit of time to relax or, if you are like me, start daydreaming about just how good these rolls are going to be.
So, your dough has risen—good for you! Now it’s time to shape those cinnamon rolls. First off, you will need to gently punch down the dough to rid it of the air pockets that may form in it, then transfer the dough to a clean countertop.
You can stretch this dough by hand or grab a rolling pin-whatever works for you. What you’re looking for here is to stretch it out until it’s about a quarter-inch thick. Next, you’re ready to spread the butter. I’m talking a whole stick of room-temperature butter, smeared evenly over that dough. Be sure to hit all the edges, because you want every bite to be buttery and delicious!
Filling Mixture:
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
Now, the filling—this is the magic. In a small bowl mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Then sprinkle this mixture evenly over the buttered dough. Press it down gently so that it sticks to the dough. You want all of that sugary, spicy goodness to stay there when you roll it up.
Now, the fun part: rolling. Beginning on one of the long sides, roll tightly. Pinch seam to seal when you have a nice roll. Ends can be a little rough, so don’t be afraid to trim them off before slicing into rolls.
To slice, I just cut the roll in half and then cut that in half to continue cutting outward to get even pieces. You can make eight big rolls or more if you’d like smaller—just be sure that they’re roughly all of the same size so they bake evenly.
Place rolls in a greased baking dish, leaving only a little room between them to rise again. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let rise again until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes more. I am already dying from the suspense!
While these rolls are rising for the last time, preheat your oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap from the nice puffy rolls and pop in the oven. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden in color and your kitchen smells like heaven.
The Glaze Prep
While those cinnamon rolls are baking, let’s get the glaze ready. This creamy, sweet, just a hint of maple glaze really goes nice with pumpkin, being really sort of the cherry on top here.
Glaze Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon maple extract or maple syrup
- ½ cup powdered sugar
First, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Being that they are at room temperature, they will blend in together nice and smooth and will not lump. Add the maple extract or syrup and mix. Next, slowly add in your powdered sugar, mixing until everything comes together nice and creamy. Now if you want a thicker glaze, go ahead and add a little more.
Now, the important part—make sure you taste the glaze before you spread it on the rolls. If you think it needs a little more sweetness, then add a little more powdered sugar. If you want it richer, well, a little more cream cheese will do the trick.
Serving the Cinnamon Rolls
Let the rolls rest about 10 minutes out of the oven before you add the glaze. It’s going to melt too much and just stay right on top where it belongs.
Now comes the best part—spreading the glaze!
I like to topping it on really good, so they’re fully coated, making every bite sweet and creamy. Then dig in! Rolls are tender, sweet, and perfectly spiced. Of course, the pumpkin flavoring is nice and subtle but just enough to make them feel all cozy and fall-like. Now, if you are one of those who honestly aren’t into pumpkin, then I really do think you are going to love these anyway. There you have it, right at your fingertips: an inbox full of delicious pumpkin cinnamon rolls. They never fail, from special occasions to ‘just because,’ when the whim strikes you for a nice, cozy treat. I hope you will enjoy these rolls as much as I do in making and devouring them. Happy baking, and enjoy each bite!
If you liked this pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe, you may also love to know that we have more cookie recipes like this one and that they can be found in the Cinnamon Rolls sub-category under the RECIPES category. Happy baking!