i'd rather be baking

I’ve seen various recipes for pumpkin cinnamon rolls floating around the food blog world the past few weeks and they all just look so good! But my main gripe with homemade rolls still stands: long rise time for something I want to eat first thing in the morning. And I never seem to plan ahead quite enough to make them the night before.

So one day last week, when my mom was here and Ryan took the morning off, I decided to try a pumpkin variation on these cinnamon rolls. They turned out so well the first time around that I figured it was worth a try. And oh my, were they delicious.

These rolls are moist and spicy-sweet with just a hint of pumpkin and the three of us had no problem polishing them off in a couple of days. They’re completely delicious and I’m contemplating making them again this weekend! Consider these for a quick and easy homemade breakfast treat.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from Fine Cooking

For the dough:
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/8 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour; more for rolling
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the filling:
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, melted
2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons cold low-fat or soy milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Make the dough:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the pumpkin, 1/8 cup milk, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until combined. Add the flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon and mix just until the dough clumps together (don’t overmix). The dough will be soft and moist.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with floured hands 4 or 5 times until smooth. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12×15-inch rectangle.

Make the filling:

Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a 1/2-inch border unbuttered around the edges. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area of the dough and pat gently into the surface. Sprinkle the nuts over the sugar mixture.

Starting at a long edge, roll up the dough jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal, and leave the ends open.

With a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Set the pieces, cut side up, in the prepared pan; they should fill the pan and touch slightly, but don’t worry if there are small gaps.

Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, 20 to 28 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a spatula around the inside edge of the pan and remove the springform ring. Transfer the rolls to a serving plate.

Make the glaze:

In a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar, 2 Tbs. milk, and vanilla to make a smooth glaze. It should have a thick but pourable consistency, so add up to 1 Tbs. more milk if necessary. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls. Let stand 15 minutes and serve.