Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

So I found this recipe and thought "I am going to try these".....I have never made cinnamon rolls from scratch let alone cinnamon rolls with pumpkin!! I will tell you that the recipe takes a little bit of time from start to finish BUT the time was WELL worth it :-)

Ready to rise for the first time

Rising for the second time

Baked without the frosting 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

1/3 cup milk (I used lactose free milk)
2 TBS butter
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 TBS sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 (1/4 oz.) pkg dry yeast ( I used Rapid Rise Yeast)
2 cups flour

Filling
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBS melted butter

Directions:

In a small saucepan heat milk and 2 TBS butter just until warm (DO NOT BOIL OR SIMMER), heat just until butter is completely melted, stir while heating. In a large bowl combine pumpkin, sugar and salt. Add milk mixture to the pumpkin and mix until well mixed. Beat in egg and yeast.

In a separate bowl add the two cups of flour with the nutmeg and salt. Slowly add flour to the the wet mixture, scraping sides of bowl frequently until all of the flour is combined. Dough will be very sticky!

Lightly grease a different bowl and turn dough into this bowl. Grease the surface of the dough lightly and cover with plastic wrap. Place bowl in a warm area and let rise at least 1 hour. Dough is ready when doubled in size.

Meanwhile combine your filling ingredients and set aside.

When dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Turn dough onto a clean, floured surface. Knead a few times to form a smooth dough. You will need to sprinkle your dough with more flour to make it workable and easy to handle. Once your dough is workable roll dough into a 12x10 rectangle.

Once you have rolled out your dough, smear your filling mixture all over. Then roll your dough up jellyroll style, beginning on a long side. Cut your dough into 3 even chunks and then cut these into 1 inch slices. Place rolls cut side up in a greased square baking dish.*** Cover and let rise again for 30-45 mins. Preheat your oven to 350 F during this step.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from your baking dish and put them on a parchment paper lined cooling rack. Cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

***You can freeze the rolls before baking if desired. When ready to bake take them out of the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature at least 5 hrs before baking. This amount of time is needed to allow dough to rise.

Caramel Frosting

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBS milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

In a small saucepan heat butter until melted. Stir in remaining ingredients, having the powered sugar being the last thing added. Whisk until smooth. Smear over baked and slightly cooled cinnamon rolls.