Our kitchen has been bustling with the flavors of autumn swirling round in the air. Scents of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in breads, muffins, tea, cider...and cinnamon rolls.
Last month, my family enjoyed our annual Autumn Celebration Dinner. It's a tradition we began probably four years ago and is one that we have come to love and look forward to with lots of anticipation. On the first evening of autumn, we cook up a special cozy meal...it's never the same as we have too many favorites to narrow it down to the same one every year. Sometimes it's chili or stew or soup of some sort. Other times it's a pot pie or a roasted chicken, like this year. We also make a special seasonal dessert...again, it's never the same. Sometimes it's cupcakes or pie and this year it was pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls. This meal is the welcoming in of the autumn season for us. By this day, we have all our autumn decorations out, pumpkins on the front steps and spicy candles are being lit each evening. It's also the inauguration of our seasonal baking. We finally break out the spices and yummy recipes that we save for this time of year.
It's a grand welcoming to a beautiful season!
This year we chose cinnamon rolls as our first seasonal dessert of autumn. Several years ago, whilst at the grocery store, I saw a can of those ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls. However, these were special ones with a pumpkin-flavored dough. We picked up a couple cans and came home to bake them...and oh my! They were heavenly! I knew that I wanted to recreate them somehow at home...and this autumn was a perfect time and our celebration dinner was the perfect excuse. {{smiles}} They tasted exceptionally divine along with a cup of spiced tea, which we make a batch of at the beginning of the season to enjoy all autumn and winter long. (Recipe HERE.)
These are basically cinnamon rolls on a whole other level! The pumpkin and extra spice really take these over the top...and you end up with the most scrumptious rolls. Their coloring, too, is absolutely beautiful. A richly golden dough with ribbons of dark brown cinnamon and sugar swirled throughout. On top of that, the maple cream cheese frosting is ah-mazing!
My family went nuts over these pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls and I just know they're going to become a yearly tradition in our home. Perhaps that will also be true for you? Give this recipe a try and you'll see what I mean. They are a bit time consuming, but they're the perfect project for a rainy, autumn afternoon. But, oh, the fruits of your labor will be well worth it and celebrated by your entire household!
Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
2/3 cup milk
1/2 stick butter
1 can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
4 1/2 tsp. yeast
5 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
In a small saucepan, warm the milk and butter together just until melted. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the canned pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Add the milk/butter mixture and continue mixing together. Add the eggs, one at a time, and finally the yeast.
Gently stir in the flour until a dough ball forms. Place the dough in a greased bowl covered with plastic wrap or a tea towel, and place in a warm spot to rise for about 1.5 hours.
Once the dough has risen, punch down gently, divide in half, and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll the first half of dough out to a large rectangle. Spread 6 tablespoons of softened butter on the dough and sprinkle liberally with half of the spiced sugar mixture. (Recipe below.) Begin rolling the dough tightly to create a long roll. Cut into smaller rolls about 1.5 inches thick and place in a greased baking pan. Repeat with the other half of the dough, spreading 6 more tablespoons of softened butter on top, and sprinkling the other half of the spiced sugar mixture. Roll and cut the same way you did the first one.
Cover the pan/s with a tea towel and return to the warm place to allow the rolls to rise again, for one hour.
Once the dough has risen a second time, bake in a 350*F oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until nicely golden brown all over. Cool slightly before spreading the frosting over the top.
Spiced Sugar Mixture:
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
Combine and set aside until ready to use.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1/3 cup maple syrup
6-8 Tbsp. milk.
2 cups powdered sugar
Using an electric mixer, combine all the above ingredients. Add the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until your frosting reaches the desired consistency. You should aim for a frosting that is thin enough to be poured over the cinnamon rolls, but thick enough so it doesn't just run off them. Set aside until you are ready to frost the slightly-cooled cinnamon rolls.
What are some of your favorite seasonal desserts to bake? Please share below so we can inspire one another with our delicious recipes!
Happy baking, lovely friends!
♥