Ginger-Spiced Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I’m still working my way through the mountain of winter squash and pie pumpkins I purchased a couple of weeks ago from the farmer’s market. Yes, I know there’s no real rush, they will keep for a few months but it’s so exciting to come up with creative tasty ways to use them. Not to mention the last pumpkin I roasted produced about seven cups of purée that I have to use up.

The days are finally getting cool here in Denver. It’s late in the season already and we haven’t had our first snow yet. Very unusual since we usually have one before Halloween. I still have tomato and basil plants growing beautifully in the balcony. Can’t complain about that since we’re still reaping the benefits of that. But the couple of cool days we had inspired me to make Pumpkin Ginger Cinnamon Rolls.

I love a good cinnamon roll. They always pair so perfectly with a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast. Of course, they make great desserts as well but I love them in the morning. Just pop them into the microwave for a few seconds to turn them into warm ooey, gooey goodness and relax back to enjoy the sticky sweetness. Good cinnamon rolls have a beautiful slightly sweet yeasty dough to roll up the wonderful layer of butter, spices and brown sugar. Bad ones are just overly sweet.

I feel my Pumpkin Ginger Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect amount of sweet and balanced beautifully. They include pumpkin three ways: in the dough, in the filling and in the drizzle on top. To much pumpkin, you might think, but I assure you that you would be wrong. And if you can resist, they are even better the next day than they were fresh out of the oven. Giving the flavors time to meld just right, enhanced the beautiful flavors.

And while I did leave cinnamon in the name because they do feature cinnamon, the star of the show was the ginger. I love ginger paired with pumpkin and these have both ground ginger and crystallized ginger bits in the spicy filling. I balanced out the sweet of using fresh ground black pepper, a savory spice I know but it went so nicely with all the other spices, I could not resist. Don’t let it scare you from trying it, I’m sure you’ll love it.

Finally, it may seem like a lot of time to make these and don’t get me wrong, you do need to plan when you’re making cinnamon roles. The majority of the time is spent waiting on the dough to rise. Make the lovely yeasty dough by hand or pop the ingredients into your bread maker for even more ease. Then it’s time for it to rise before you can roll it out, apply the filling, roll it up and it’s off for another rise. A quick bake and you’ve got beautiful Pumpkin Ginger Cinnamon Rolls to impress you taste buds with.

Ginger-Spiced Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

heidi medina

These soft, spiced cinnamon rolls are swirled with a fragrant blend of ginger, cinnamon, and pumpkin, then finished with a creamy pumpkin glaze. Perfect for fall mornings or holiday breakfasts, each bite is warmly spiced, tender, and full of pumpkin goodness.

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Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 12 rolls

Ingredients

  

Dough

• ⅓ cup evaporated milk
• 2 ¼ tsp. yeast
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter melted
• 1 cup pumpkin purée room temperature
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 large egg beaten
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Filling

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¾ tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp. all-spice
• ¼ tsp. cardamom
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter melted
• ½ cup crystallized ginger bits
• ½ cup roasted sunflower seeds or toasted pecan pieces

Glaze

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup pumpkin purée
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp. milk

Instructions

 

Making the Dough

• Warm the evaporated milk to about 110°F. In a stand mixer bowl, combine warm milk and yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes to proof until frothy.
• Whisk in the melted butter, pumpkin purée, brown sugar, salt, and beaten egg. Add 1 cup of flour and mix well.
• Using the dough hook and mixer on low, knead in the remaining flour until a soft dough forms.
• Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preparing the Filling

• While the dough rises, mix all filling ingredients together and set aside.

Shaping and Baking

• Punch down the risen dough and roll it out on a floured surface into an 11″ x 22″ rectangle.
• Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border.
• Roll up from the long side, pinch the seam to seal, and cut into 12–18 slices.
• Place the rolls close together in a buttered 11″ x 15″ baking dish. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare the glaze by whisking all glaze ingredients together; set aside.

Baking and Serving

• Bake the rolls for 25–30 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Remove from oven and let cool slightly in the pan.
• Drizzle with glaze while slightly warm.
• Serve warm. Leftovers can be gently warmed in the microwave for 10–15 seconds.
• For best flavor, make ahead and chill overnight; reheat before serving.
• Makes 12–18 cinnamon rolls.

Keyword cinnamon rolls, Pumpkin