Soft and Fluffy Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Sugar
Sara St. Peter
Soft and Fluffy Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Sugar
95 minutes
25 minutes
Ingredients
Dough—
- 1 ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup Wood’s Vermont Maple Sugar
- 1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 1 cup pumpkin pie filling
- 5 cup King Arthur All-purpose Flour, divided, plus more for rolling dough
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Filling—
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
- ½ cup Wood’s Vermont Maple Sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ cup finely chopped pecans
Frosting—
- 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ lb. powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons. whole milk, plus additional as needed
- 2 tablespoons. unsalted butter, melted
- Dash of salt
- ½ teaspoon maple extract, optional
- ¼ cup finely chopped pecans
Directions
Dough—
- In a large saucepan, combine the whole milk, vegetable oil, and maple sugar. Heat until hot but not boiling, between 105 - 115° F, then remove the pan from the stove. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the liquid and allow to sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin puree until combined.
- In a large bowl, combine 4 cups of flour with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Sprinkle it into the saucepan and stir until it just comes together. Cover the saucepan with a dish towel and set in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, the mixture should be very puffy and at least doubled in size. Stir in the remaining 1 cup of flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until totally combined.
Make the rolls—
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease two 9-inch round baking dishes or pie pans.
- Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface and press it into a rectangular shape. If it is overly sticky, sprinkle generously with additional flour until it's easier to handle. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough into a large rectangle about 12 inches by 24 inches.
Filling—
- Drizzle the melted butter over the dough and smear it all over the surface with your fingers. Mix together the maple sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Sprinkle this all over the buttered surface of the dough. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans.
- Starting at the top, roll the dough toward you into a large log. Roll it tightly as you go so the rolls with be nice and neat. When it's all rolled, pinch the seam closed and turn the roll over so that the seam is facing down.
- Slice 1 ½ -inch thick slices and place them in the greased pans (8 rolls in each pan). Cover with plastic wrap and allow them to rise for 30 minutes. Bake for 25 minutes or until nice and golden brown on to and around the edges.
Frosting—
- While the rolls are baking, making the frosting by combining the cream cheese, powdered sugar and milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat smooth until fluffy. Add the butter, salt and maple extract, if using, and beat until combined.
- Sprinkle chopped pecans over the frosting, then allow them to sit for 15 minutes before serving. Delicious!