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pumpkin cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing in a baking pan.
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4.79 from 14 votes

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are a fun twist on the classic, filled with brown sugar, cinnamon and come loaded with pecans and doused in a delicious cream cheese icing. They're  fluffy, sweet and perfect for the holidays!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Rising Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 25 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pumpkin cinnamon rolls
Servings: 12
Calories: 492kcal

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • ¼ cup water lukewarm
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup butter unsalted, melted
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 cup pumpkin canned
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • cups all-purpose flour up to 4 cups

For the Filling

For the Icing

  • 6 tablespoons butter unsalted, softened
  • cups powdered sugar also known as icing sugar, or confectioners sugar
  • ¼ cup cream cheese at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • teaspoon salt

Instructions

Dough

  • Activate the yeast: In the bowl of your mixer add the water, yeast and the teaspoon of sugar, stir and let it sit for about 10 minutes until yeast has dissolved and it has become foamy.
  • Form the dough: Add the brown sugar, eggs, butter, sour cream, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, salt and the flour and mix until well incorporated. Add additional flour as necessary. The dough should be fairly soft but should come clean from the side of the bowl when it's done.
  • Rise: Butter or oil a large bowl and place the dough in there, cover it with foil and let sit in a warm place until it doubles in size, about an hour. Usually I turn the oven on to 200°F for 1 minute, then turn off the oven and place the bowl in the oven and let the dough rise in the warm oven, it speeds up the rising process. 

Assembly

  • Prep: After the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F. You will need 9x13-inch baking pan for this. Mix the brown sugar with the cinnamon and pumpkin spice.
  • Roll out the dough: Gently punch the dough to deflate it. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out so that it's about 24 inches by 16 inches and about ½ inch in thickness. Brush the dough with the melted/softened butter and spread the brown sugar mixture evenly over the dough. Top with pecans. Working carefully from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge tightly.
  • Cut the rolls: Carefully cut the roll into 12 equal size rolls, so the easiest is to cut the roll in half then cut each half in half and then each quarter in 3 so you end up with 12 equal size rolls. Use either a sharp knife or floss to cut the rolls. Transfer the rolls onto the baking sheet, wrap with plastic wrap and let it rise for another 20 minutes until doubled in size.

Finnish

  • Bake: Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
  • Make icing: While the rolls are baking make the icing by mixing all the icing ingredients and beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth. Allow the rolls to cool for about 5 minutes.
  • Finish: Drizzle the icing or spread it with a spatula over the rolls and serve.

Video

Notes

  1. The above video is for cinnamon rolls but the technique to making these pumpkin cinnamon rolls is the same.
  2. To store, just cover your pumpkin rolls in plastic wrap or in an airtight container and they will keep in the fridge for 3 - 5 days. I recommend storing it in the fridge and not out on your counter since our icing contains dairy.
  3. To freeze, prepare everything as stated in the recipe up until you place the rolls on the baking pan. Wrap the pan in two layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for 8 hours up to 6 weeks. The night before you want to bake the rolls, thaw them out in the refrigerator, still wrapped. They will thaw overnight. Finish the rest of the steps to bake them and prepare the icing fresh!

Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 1466IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg