Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing

4.70 from 42 votes

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing

Pumpkin cinnamon rolls with maple icing are the perfect indulgence. Pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree make these cinnamon rolls taste like autumn. Then they're topped with fluffy maple cream cheese icing.

Prep Time30

Cook Time23

Rising Time2

Total Time2 53

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Author: Adrianna Adarme

Cost: $12

Ingredients

Dough:

1/4 cup lukewarm milk
1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons white granulated sugar (37.5g)
1 large egg beaten in a bowl
1/2 cup unsalted butter cubed and at room temperature

Cinnamon Filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar (66g)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch kosher salt

Maple Cream Cheese Glaze:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Instructions

To Make the Dough:

To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (alternatively, you can do this in a large bowl by hand), add the lukewarm milk. Mix in the active dry yeast and allow it to stand and activate, about 8 minutes, until foamy and alive!
To a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
To the bowl of the mixer (with the yeast), mix in the pumpkin, sugar and egg. Then all at once, add the flour mixture. Attach the dough hook to your mixer and mix on low until the dough starts to become cohesive. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the cubes of butter.
Knead on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, if you’re doing this by hand, you’ll need to knead the dough for about 10 to 15 minutes. The dough will go from crumbly and separate to completely cohesive and smooth. The dough shouldn’t be sticky. Remove the dough from the hook and the bowl and form it into a ball.
Transfer the ball of dough to a clean, lightly greased bowl (I used the flour bowl and just wiped it clean with a kitchen towel and then greased it). Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and transfer to the fridge to rise for at least 2 hours or overnight. (If you’re going to let it rise overnight, place it in the fridge.)

To Make the Filling:

To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (with the paddle attachment) or using a medium bowl and a fork, add the butter, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Mix and mash until the filling is completely smooth.

To Assemble the Cinnamon Rolls:

Remove the dough from the bowl. Lightly flour your work surface and place the dough into the center. Lightly flour your rolling pin and roll the dough into a 1/8-inch thick rectangle that measures 15“x22“ If it’s not a perfect rectangle, then that’s totally ok.
Add the filling to the rectangle of dough, spreading it out into an even very thin layer, stopping from about 1/2-inch from the edges. Roll the dough starting closest to you and going up. Cut the dough into 2-inch rolls using a piece of floss.
You might have some ends or skinnier pieces. You can place those in a smaller baking dish and still bake them up, if you like!
Transfer the cinnamon rolls to a greased 9 x 9 baking dish (or comparable baking dish or dishes). Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for an additional 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top.

To Make the Cream Cheese Icing:

To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (or a large bowl) with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the sifted powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt and heavy cream. Beat for about 1 minute, until light and fluffy

To Serve:

When the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, pour the icing over the cinnamon rolls and smother them with icing.

Notes

Use floss to cut the dough - After you add the filling to the top of the dough and roll it up, you'll end up with a log that needs to be cut up. The easiest way to cut it up is using a string of floss. Use it to slice through the dough. It yields super clean cuts.

You could also cut the log in half and transfer them to the freezer to chill for 10 minutes. This will help with getting clean slices. It will take some additional time for the rolls to rise since they'll be super cold.

Store the dough in the fridge overnight, covered with plastic wrap or a lid. You can roll out the dough the next day in order to assemble the rolls.

To Make these Ahead of Time:

You are more than welcome to make them ahead a few different ways.

The first way is the make the dough/filling/cream cheese frosting and place them all separately in the fridge overnight. The dough will proof slowly in the fridge. You can continue the recipe in the morning, rolling the dough straight from the fridge, cold. This makes it easier to handle and slice. You will need to bring the filling and frosting to room temperature first before using.
Another way is to assemble the cinnamon rolls and instead of setting them out on the counter to proof, transfer them to the fridge to proof overnight. You can bake them straight from the fridge as long as they have doubled in size.

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