Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls!

Well, thanks (again) to my buddy,Melissa, of Love at First Bite, I was able to make my first batch of cinnamon rolls ever. I was scrolling up and down her wonderful blog and decided that they looked sooooooo good, I just had to make them! Would you believe me if I told you that I had never worked with yeast until coming across this recipe? I guess I had always been scared of screwing up recipes just because I didn't know how to use it properly. How ridiculous is that? Well, I got over my fear and I'm so glad that I did because these cinnamon rolls were fantastic. I'd even venture to say better than Cinnabon. Hmmm....maybe I'm slightly biased because I made them. Oh well, sue me! What's cool about these rolls is that pumpkin was included in the filling and it just kicked the flavor up a notch--not to mention I've been looking for recipes that I could use all my leftover pumpkin for (and believe me, I have a lot!). Here are some pictures of my cinnamon roll adventure!

I got 20 cinnamon rolls out of this recipe! I made sure to give them away to family and friends because I didn't want to get stuck eating all of them by myself (which I easily could have done!). Speaking of the recipe, here it is. I hope you have just as much fun baking them as I did! And one more thing....the cream frosting is to DIE FOR! I'm going to eat one of the rolls I have leftover right now!


Pumpkin-Filled Cinnamon Rolls
(dough recipe adapted from Betty Crocker)


Dough:
3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 packages regular or quick active dry yeast
1 cup very warm milk (120 to 130 degrees F)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 large egg


Filling:
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup pumpkin puree


Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract


1. To make dough: mix 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add warm milk, 1/4 cup butter and the egg. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.


2. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Place dough in large well-greased bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour 30 minutes or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.


3. Prepare filling: place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well blended.

4. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Flatten dough with hands or rolling pin into 15x10-inch rectangle on lightly floured surface. Spread with filling. Roll rectangle up tightly, beginning at 15-inch side. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Stretch and shape until even. Cut roll into fifteen 1-inch slices with dental floss or a sharp serrated knife. Place slightly apart on a well-greased baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes or until double.


5. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.


6. Prepare cream cheese frosting: cream butter and cream cheese in a bowl. Mix in the vanilla and then the powdered sugar until well blended. Frost cinnamon rolls in the pan if eating them warm. Or, remove them to cooling racks and frost when cooled.


Makes 15 rolls