Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

As you can see from our last few cooking posts, we LOVE pumpkin! So, surprise, surprise, I’m sharing another pumpkin recipe! Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls! I like my healthy breakfasts- scrambled eggs, oatmeal, homemade granola. But, every once in a while, I really like making a “Fun Breakfast” aka not as healthy but still delicious 🙂 So, I figured fall would be the perfect time to try making pumpkin cinnamon rolls! They taste really good, and, also have a great consistency! I cannot always find healthy alternative ingredients, so I will give you the ingredients I used, but also include a few healthy alternatives to try if you want!

INGREDIENTS (Adapted from Chocolate-Covered Katie: The Healthy Dessert Blog) Makes approx 12 cinnamon rolls   

• 1 TBS yeast
• 1 cup milk of choice
• 2 TBS of sugar
• 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 2 TBS baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar (Or you can do 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/8 tsp pure stevia extract)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (See homemade recipe below)
• 1/4 cup of butter (or 4 TBS melted coconut oil)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Approx 5 TBS whole-wheat or all-purpose flour (So the dough does not stick when kneading)
• FOR THE INSIDE
• 3 TBS sugar
• 1 TBS cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• Dash salt

HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE (Adapted from Annie’s Eats: Making Your Day Taste Better)

2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cloves
¾ tsp. ground nutmeg

Mix all together.

DIRECTIONS:

Warm the milk in a small bowl. You want it warm, but not boiling (Approx 110 degrees). To test the temperature, put the tip of your finger in it quickly. If you can put your finger in without burning it but cannot leave it in more than 2-3 seconds, the temperature is just right. Stir in the 2 TBS sugar, sprinkle the yeast on top (Do not stir), and set aside for 5 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling. (If it does not bubble up, either your yeast is bad or your milk was too hot or cold.)

In a large  bowl, combine the 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar (add  stevia, if desired), salt, the 2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Stir  well.

Melt the butter (or coconut oil) and stir in vanilla extract. Add to the milk mixture, then stir into dry ingredients to create your dough. Form dough into a ball, then place in a large bowl. Place a towel over the bowl, and set in a warm place to rise 20 minutes or until doubled in size.

While you are waiting for the dough to rise, stir together all remaining pumpkin cinnamon roll ingredients (the insides) in a separate bowl. Set aside. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan. (I used a 8×8 but a 9×13 would work better) Set aside.

After the dough has risen, punch dough to deflate. Knead dough with your hands- Add the 5 TBS flour as you knead so that the dough does not stick to your hands- You can add more flour, if needed). Knead 5 minutes or until dough is smooth. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the dough into a very thin rectangle. Spread the contents of the cinnamon roll insides evenly on top. Carefully roll up the dough, lengthwise, lifting and rolling the dough.

Slice dough into 12 even rolls. Place the rolls in the prepared baking pan, and return to the warm place for 30 minutes. (The warm space allows the rolls to rise before the baking process) Give each roll a good space in the pan, as they will get bigger as they continue to rise. (I did not leave enough space as you can see in the above picture, which scrunched each roll on all sides and took much longer to cook all the way through). Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. When it reaches this temperature, place cinnamon rolls in the oven and bake 20-30 minutes.

ICING:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp milk

Stir well. To make it thicker, add small amounts  of the powdered sugar and continue to stir. To make thinner, add more milk.

ENJOY! 🙂