I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: cinnamon rolls are BORING. They require so much work for such a subpar flavor payoff. All they are is a fairly monotonous sweet, not even having the strong flavor of warm spice you would normally expect from something with cinnamon in the title. Let’s make them a little more interesting by turning them into Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls. The flavors are representative of fall, with ginger, pumpkin, and, of course, cinnamon. The pumpkin adds fluffiness and color to the rolls, ginger gives a slight bite that adds depth to the dough, and a stronger spiced filling gives these rolls the warmth and intrigue that regular cinnamon rolls just can’t deliver.

Compared to regular cinnamon rolls, these take about the same amount of work. Maybe a few seconds more because you will have an extra ingredient (pumpkin) to measure out and store when making the dough. Unfortunately, this recipe doesn’t use an entire can of pumpkin puree, but pumpkin does freeze well. Conveniently, the leftover pumpkin puree from this recipe is the perfect amount for my pumpkin spice pancakes! So you can freeze the leftovers and thaw them when you are ready to try those, if you are concerned about leftovers. I like to think about those things when I’m making recipes.

These are almost certainly NOT a weekday breakfast (unless you’ve got time, then good for you). I would say these are a weekend or day-off kind of breakfast or brunch. Still, the outcome is so delicious that all the effort is actually worth it. Trust me, one bite and you will have to stop yourself from eating the whole pan. Besides, after an overnight rise and some quick 5-minute frosting, you will feel like it was much easier to make than you thought.

Ingredients

Dough

½ Cup milk *the higher fat milk you use, the tastier these will be
2¼ teaspoons yeast, one packet
2 Tablespoons butter
½ Cup pumpkin puree
1 egg large
¼ Cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
2⅔-3 Cups all-purpose flour

Filling

¼ Cup butter softened
⅔ Cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon ground ginger

Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese softened
2 Tablespoons butter softened
½ teaspoon vanilla
1¼ Cup powdered sugar *aka confectioner’s sugar

How to Make It

Make the Dough

Warm your milk in a microwave-safe cup (preferably the measuring cup) for up to 45 seconds to bring it up to around 105℉ (no more than 110℉). Add your yeast, stir to help it dissolve, and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter (I just microwave it in a mug for 30 seconds). Pour into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add the pumpkin, egg, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger to the bowl and stir to combine. Then, add your milk mixture and stir again to combine.
Add the flour, starting with 2 cups, then ⅔, adding more if needed, until the dough is manageable with your hands but a bit tacky to touch.
Let the dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled in size (about an hour).

Make the Filling

Once your dough has doubled in size, make your filling by adding ⅔ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice to a small bowl.
Punch down your dough. Then, on a floured work surface, roll your dough out into a 14 by 16-inch rectangle.
Spread the butter evenly on the dough, leaving about ½-1 inch of space from one of the longer sides. Then add your filling, trying to sprinkle the mixture as evenly as possible on the dough.
Roll your dough from the buttered long side to the bare one, trying to keep the dough tight so you don’t have large pockets of separation. Then, grease a 9-by-13-inch pan.
Cut your dough into 12 somewhat even pieces, displaying the prettier side of each cut roll on the top (pro tip). Let your rolls rise until doubled (about an hour on the counter or overnight in the fridge).

Baking & Frosting

Once the rolls have risen, bake at 350℉ for 22-28 minutes, until golden on the edges and cooked through in the center (not squishy when you gently press on the center of a roll). If you chose an overnight rise, you will need to wait an hour before baking to let the rolls come back up to room-ish temperature.
Once your cinnamon rolls have baked, start the frosting by creaming together the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl (I like a hand mixer for this part). Then, add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until combined.
Top the warm rolls with your frosting and serve.

Variations

Honestly, the flavors in this dish are just intricate enough that I don’t have a whole lot of ways you could mix it up. If you wanted, you could try a caramel frosting, but I get the feeling that would turn out a touch too rich. This is perhaps the only variation I would try if you have made these before and want to try shaking it up:

Go Nuts! I feel like I always say this, but some chopped pecans or walnuts in the filling adds some nice flavor and a fun textural element that contrasts the otherwise very soft dish. Shout out to my friend Zac for teaching me about pecan cinnamon rolls.

Storage

Store covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you are going to freeze these, I recommend placing them on a baking sheet and freezing them right after you’ve rolled them. Once they are hard, you can put them in a bag or a more space-efficient container. Or, if you’re lazy and have freezer space, a disposable metal casserole dish (for baking them in later) can be put in the freezer covered with a layer of plastic wrap and then a second layer of tin foil. Then, to bake them, you will just need to take them out and thaw them before proceeding with them like refrigerated rolls.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a way to impress people at a brunch or potluck, or need some pumpkin spice in your life, or you just want a cinnamon roll that actually lives up to the hype, look no further. Make these, and trust me, you will feel like you found the holy grail of cinnamon rolls.