Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Incredibly soft cinnamon rolls are filled with real pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice for a warm, fall breakfast dream! These pumpkin cinnamon rolls are absolutely scrumptious. Detailed step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this cinnamon rolls recipe.

I have to admit I love pumpkin any time of year but September through November especially. The pumpkin train is full speed ahead at my house! I first made pumpkin cinnamon rolls back in 2016 then again in 2017 but I never got around to posting the recipe for the blog. So here we are today.

For this recipe, you get the best fall flavor by using pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and brown butter, all the warm flavors are beautiful together. The pumpkin flavor is there but in my opinion, it's perfectly there, it's not too aggressive but you know its pumpkin.

I won't sugar coat it cinnamon rolls require time and effort but I honestly think if you go in with the right tools and plenty of time, as in you are not rushing through the steps, that anyone can make these!!

Another fall breakfast treat we adore is this pumpkin pancakes recipe or sticky pecan rolls!

Let's get to the recipe.

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• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Making overnight cinnamon rolls
• More fall breakfast ideas
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Ingredients

The ingredient list looks long but don't let that stop you. It is SOOO worth it!

• Instant Dry Yeast. You'll need one 1 Standard American packet of instant or rapid-rise yeast. Make sure your yeast is fresh otherwise it will not activate.
• Warm Water. The water will help activate the yeast so it needs to be at the correct temperature, your yeast should specify on the back of the packet. Usually, it is around 115F/46C- 125F/52C.
• Brown Sugar. Adding a little brown sugar to the dough gives it a smidge of sweetness.
• Butter. Like I mentioned above I like to use browned butter, but by all means, you could use plain melted butter it just needs to be melted.
• Egg. Make sure it's at room temperature, you don't want a cold egg to affect the temperature of the batter.
• Dry Milk Powder. I use this stuff for a few things in baking, so I always have it on hand. It's the secret to stabilized whipped cream!
• Salt. Don't skip it, salt helps enhance the natural flavors of the other ingredients.
• Pure Pumpkin Puree. Just make sure it's not pumpkin pie filling, and it should be at room temperature.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice. All these warm spices give the traditional pumpkin pie flavor.
• Flour. I like to use just all-purpose flour also known as plain flour. The amount you will need might vary due to the doughs moisture level.

For the filling you'll need:

• Brown Sugar. I love the warm flavor from brown sugar because it is made with molasses.
• Ground Cinnamon. Since these are cinnamon rolls I wanted to make sure the roll was heavy on the cinnamon even though cinnamon is also in pumpkin pie spice.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice. This spice mix is the classic pumpkin flavor, don't skip it!
• Butter. I like to use browned butter, but by all means, you could use plain butter it just needs to be melted.

For the cream cheese brown butter frosting recipe you will need:

• Cream Cheese. It is crucial that your cream cheeses is softened to room temperature before you start the frosting. Otherwise, you will end up with a lump frosting.
• Browned Butter. It is vital that your brown butter is softened to room temperature to avoid lumps as well.
• Pure Vanilla Extract. Real vanilla only, please!
• Heavy Cream. I love adding heavy cream to frostings, it helps create such a light and fluffy frosting.
• Confectioners Sugar. Also known as powdered sugar, I suggest sifting it before using to prevent any lumps.

Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!

Instructions

For this recipe, you will need a total of 12 Tablespoons of browned butter, since when you brown butter some evaporates I suggest browning 15 Tablespoons of butter.

You will use melted brown butter in the dough and the filling but for the frosting, you will need room temperature butter. So my suggestion is to brown all of the butter first then use what you need for the dough and filling and then place the rest in a container to chill in the fridge overnight while the cinnamon rolls rise. Then when you take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature take the cold brown butter to soften too. 

Here is a detailed post on how to brown butter.

First thing we will start with is activating the yeast. If it doesn't foam up like the photo then the yeast is bad and you need fresh yeast before you can move on.

In the bowl of an electric mixer dissolve thee yeast in warm water, let sit for 5 minutes. You can also do this in a large mixing bowl and then knead the dough by hand.

Once fully dissolved mix together and add the sugar, browned butter, egg, milk powder, salt, and pumpkin puree.

Make sure everything is evenly combined and there are no traces of egg yolk left behind.

Now add in 3 ¼ cups of flour and the pumpkin pie spice.

Mix until mostly combined then attach the dough hook and mix. If the dough is very sticky to the bowl add ¼ more flour and mix again, you may need the final ¼ cup of flour or you may not.

The dough should be soft and moist but not overly sticky. Mix on medium speed to knead the dough for 8 minutes you may want to scrape the sides of the bowl every couple of minutes.  You can also knead the dough by hand on a floured work surface.

Preheat the oven to 200F/93C and then turn the oven off, this is creating a warm environment for the dough to rise in. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray or oil and place the dough inside, move the dough around, this is helping prevent a skin from forming. Place a clean kitchen towel on top of the bowl and place the bowl in warm but not turned on oven.

Check the dough after 45 minutes to an hour, the dough should have doubled in size when its ready. Use clean hands to punch the dough to release any air bubbles. Place the dough on a floured work surface. Using a rolling pin roll dough into a 16 inch X 14 inch rectangle.

In a small bowl mix together brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.

Brush the dough with melted browned butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture on top of the dough.

Roll the dough tightly, I like to score the cinnamon roll log into 12 even pieces before slicing. You can use unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife for a clean cut. You can also cut the ends to ensure each piece is the exact same size but I personally don't mind two larger cinnamon rolls!

Place the rolls into a 9"X13" baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge overnight or let rise immediately until doubled in size (30 ish minutes) and bake.

When you wake up take cinnamon rolls out of the fridge and set on the counter to rise/thaw for 45 ish minutes. Preheat oven to 350F/180C and bake for 22-27 minutes. At this point prepare the frosting.To check your cinnamon rolls have fully baked they should be golden brown, you can use a digital internal thermometer to check the cinnamon rolls have fully baked by checking the temperature has reached 190F/88C. Let the rolls sit for 5-10 minutes before adding the icing. 

To ensure success I highly recommend using an instant-read thermometer. I get SOOO much use out of my Thermapen Mk4 (affiliate link). From cooking filet mignon, tempering chocolate, roast turkey, making caramel, and more!

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★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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