Description
These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls are an easy fall bake with quick preparation and a simple homemade finish. Soft pumpkin dough wraps around warm cinnamon sugar and bakes into the best fluffy spirals before a tangy cream cheese glaze melts over the top. They bring healthy pumpkin flavor to holiday brunch and potluck tables plus they work for a cozy party breakfast or relaxed meal prep when you want sweet ideas everyone will enjoy. at home.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Whole milk
- 2 1/4 teaspoons Active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup Granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Pumpkin puree
- 6 tablespoons divided Unsalted butter
- 1 Large egg
- 3 1/2 cups All purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons divided Pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 teaspoon Fine salt
- 3/4 cup packed Light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Ground cinnamon
- 4 ounces softened Cream cheese
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons Heavy cream
Instructions
- Stir the warm milk with the yeast and sugar until the surface looks lightly foamy. Add the pumpkin puree with two tablespoons melted butter and the egg then fold in the flour with one teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and the salt until a shaggy orange dough forms.
- Knead the shaggy mixture until it changes into a smooth elastic dough with a warm orange color. Gather it into one slightly uneven ball then let it rise until nearly doubled and visibly puffy.
- Press the risen dough into a rough rectangle with slightly uneven edges. Spread four tablespoons softened butter over the dough then scatter the brown sugar with cinnamon and the remaining pumpkin pie spice so the filling forms an irregular sandy layer.
- Roll the filled dough from the long edge into one thick log with a slightly uneven seam. Cut the log into exactly eight rolls then place them with natural spacing in a ceramic baking dish and let them rise until the spirals look swollen and nearly touch.
- Bake the eight puffy rolls until the tops turn lightly golden and the cinnamon layers darken around the edges. The rolls should rise into one soft cluster with irregular seams and a few deeper brown spots.
- Beat the cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla then add the heavy cream until the glaze becomes thick and pourable. Spoon the glaze over the warm rolls then transfer one roll to a white plate and pull it partly open so the soft pumpkin layers and melted cinnamon filling remain visible.
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Measure the flour lightly and stop adding it once the dough feels soft and slightly tacky for the fluffiest rolls.
- Use pure pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling so the dough stays balanced and does not become overly sweet.
- Let the shaped rolls become visibly puffy before baking because a full second rise creates softer layered centers.
- Spread the glaze over warm rolls so it settles into the uneven spirals while keeping a thick creamy finish.
Storage: Store cooled glazed rolls in a covered container in the refrigerator because the cream cheese topping should remain chilled. They keep their best texture for up to four days. Reheat one roll gently until the center becomes soft and the glaze loosens slightly. Avoid long heating because the edges can dry before the middle warms. For longer storage freeze unglazed baked rolls in a sealed container for up to two months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator then warm and glaze before serving. The shaped unbaked rolls can also rest in the refrigerator overnight. Let them stand until puffy before baking so the chilled dough finishes rising.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American