Pumpkin-Pecan Cinnamon Rolls with Maple-Spice Frosting
A beautiful recipe for fall, brought to you by our girls From The Little Yellow Kitchen (the same chicas that brought you these)
Ingredients:
For the Dough:
- 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk, heated up (or regular)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
- 3 Tbsp butter, soft and cut into small pieces
- 2 Tbsp Grade B Pure Maple Syrup
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling it out
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
For the Filling:
- 3 Tbsp butter, melted (plus extra for brushing the dish and the tops)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup pecans, lightly toasted
For the Maple-Spice Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar, or more to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 Tbsp Grade B Pure Maple Syrup
Directions:
Heat the almond milk to approximately 110º F. Add to the bowl of the stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to activate the yeast. Add all of the “Dough” ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer, and with the dough hook attachment, begin to mix on a medium speed. After about 30 seconds, scrap the edges and turn the speed down to low and let mix until a dough ball has formed. Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead about 20-30 times. Spray the bottom of the mixing bowl, add the dough ball to the bottom, spray the top, cover with a towel and let it sit in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375º F. After the dough has doubled in size, punch down. Remove from bowl and turn out on a floured surface. Roll the dough out into a rectangular shape, about ½ inch thick.
Lightly toast the pecans, and give them a rough chop. Brush the melted butter onto the dough. Evenly distribute the brown sugar, spices and (only 3/4 cup) pecan pieces, using enough and more if needed, to cover the sheet of dough. Starting with the long end, roll the dough into a log, and cut it equally, into 12 parts. Brush extra melted butter on the bottom of the 9X13 glass-baking dish (or in our case, a 9X9 dish, plus a small cast iron skillet) and add the rolls to the dish. Brush the tops of the rolls with butter and sprinkle on the rest of the toasted pecans. Before baking, let them sit in the dish for about 15-20 minutes, so they can rise some more.
Bake for 18-20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting, but mixing the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice, until mixture is creamy and lump-free.
Remove cinnamon rolls from the oven and let cool for about 5-10 minutes before adding the frosting.
