Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect Fall breakfast treat. These warm, luscious and buttery rolls have the perfect hint of pumpkin spice, but still taste like your classic cinnamon roll. In terms of other Fall sweets, I tried pumpkin pie for the first time the other day (I know!) and I love it! Now I am craving those flavors. I want to wait until Thanksgiving to make the pumpkin pie, but I love cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon is a Fall flavor, so I thought why not actually combine the two?

I basically made pumpkin pie filling (with canned pumpkin) and spread that all over the dough before I rolled it up. It was an epic fail. The filling leaked out everywhere and the dough fell apart. I made a lot of mistakes with that batch, including mixing in some gluten-free flours (coconut, quinoa flour) and putting too much filling in the dough. I may try to make those pumpkin pie cinnamon rolls next Fall, but for now, I’m sticking with a simpler Pumpkin Spice version, and sharing that recipe with you! By the way, these turned out to be the BEST cinnamon rolls I have ever made in my whole life. I hope this recipe is just as awesome for you, too. 

What You’ll Need

• Milk or milk alternative
• Instant Dry Yeast
• Eggs
• Butter
• Salt
• All-purpose flour
• Granulated Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Pumpkin Spice Blend
• Maple Syrup

Prepare the Dough

There are several ways to prepare the yeast for a yeast roll dough, but I found that this way produces optimal results for me every single time. Add the warm milk and yeast together in a measuring cup, then add the sugar. 

Let it sit for about 2 minutes until the yeast looks puffy, then mix well and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in cooled melted butter, salt and eggs. Mix well.

Add in the flour and let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Knead the dough in the stand mixer for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. The dough will be very sticky.

Transfer the dough to a large bowl that has been coated with cooking spray and let rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Make the Filling

Combine softened butter, light brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin spice together. You can add a little vanilla here, too, but it tastes great without it. 

Roll out the Dough

The dough should be smooth and retract a little bit when stretched. Roll out the dough to a rectangle, roughly 12X15 inches, but this doesn’t need to be exact.

Spread the filling on the dough rectangle, leaving a one-inch margin on all sides free of filling.

Roll the dough lengthwise and cut into equal pieces. I like to use dental floss to cut the dough because it doesn’t shear or squish the dough like a knife can.

Bake the Rolls

Place the rolls in a greased baking dish and let rise for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 F.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Top the baked rolls with a mixture of maple syrup and melted butter. This was such a refreshing alternative to standard cinnamon roll icing and the maple syrup complements the pumpkin spice well.

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect Fall breakfast treat. These warm, luscious and buttery rolls have the perfect hint of pumpkin spice, but still taste like your classic cinnamon roll.

• 1 cup whole milk or almond milk (warmed)
• 2½ tsp instant dry yeast
• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup butter (melted)
• ½ cup butter (softened)
• 4½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• maple syrup (for topping)

1. Heat up the milk and let it cool until it is about 115F or until you can handle the milk without burning your hands. Add in the yeast and add the sugar. Let sit for 2 minutes until the yeast begins to puff up. Mix well and transfer to bowl of a stand mixer.

2. Add in the melted butter, salt and eggs. Mix to combine.

3. Add in the flour and mix to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, spray a mixing bowl with cooking spray and set aside.

4. Knead the dough in the stand mixer for about 5 minutes on medium speed until the dough is smooth.

5. Transfer the dough to the greased mixing bowl, cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Combine the softened butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and pumpkin spice together.

7. Turn out the risen dough onto a floured surface and roll into a 12X15 inch rectangle. Spread the filling onto the dough and roll lengthwise. Cut the dough into equal size rounds.

8. Place the rolls in a greased 9X13 baking dish and let rise for 20 minutes, covered. Preheat the oven to 375F.

9. Place the risen rolls in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

10. Serve the cinnamon rolls with maple syrup and melted butter.

Let me know what you think! These cinnamon rolls make the house smell delightful, and these were such a welcome treat for desserts and breakfasts during this Fall season. Check out some additional Pumpkin Spice Recipes from around the internet here!