Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I'm not a huge cinnamon roll fan, but today I was in the mood to bake and something cinnamon sounded great. If you have never had homemade cinnamon rolls, please make this recipe; it is super-simple and delicious. Even my little brother who is the pickiest eater ever loved them (well, until I mentioned that they had pumpkin in them - oops!).


Warning: once you make homemade cinnamon rolls, you won't be able to go back to any other type.


Amish Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Glaze
adapted from RecipeGirl (via Love and Olive Oil)
makes 12 rolls (it really is only supposed to make 6,but mine made 12)

Dough:
1/6 cup low-fat vanilla soy milk (you can use skim milk too, but I really like soy)
1 Tbs. margarine
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 Tbs agave nectar (you can use 1 Tbs. sugar)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg white
1 1/8 tsp. active dry yeast (or 1/2 package)
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup bread flour
1 Tbs. honey
Filling:
1/6 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbs. margarine
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
Glaze:
1 Tbs. margarine
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs. low-fat vanilla soy milk
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
dash of salt
1/4 cup powdered sugar

1. Put butter and milk in a microwavable bowl and heat for 50 seconds, or until butter is almost melted.
2. In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, agave nectar, and salt. Add milk mixture and beat with an electric mixer until well mixed. Beat in egg white and yeast. Add flours gradually, beating on low speed for about 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Dough will be really soft and gooey, but it's okay.
3. Spray a bowl with cooking spray, place the dough in the bowl and grease the dough lightly. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
4. Place dough on a floured surface and knead a few times incorporating as much flour as needed to form a more smooth and elastic-y dough. It won't look/feel like normal bread dough but will turn out fine - I promise!
5. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12x10 inch rectangle.
6. In a small bowl combine cinnamon and brown sugar. Spread margarine on the dough in a very thin layer. Top with a thicker layer of pumpkin puree. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture.
7. Starting with the longer side, roll up dough like a jelly roll. With a very sharp serrated knife, cut in twelve 1-inch slices. Place rolls in a lightly sprayed baking pan.
8. Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes (you can also cover and put in fridge overnight).
9. Preheat oven to 350F. Drizzle rolls with honey and bake for 20-ish minutes or until golden. Remove and let cool.
10. Meanwhile, combine butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and add milk, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar. Whisk until well combined. Add more powdered sugar until it reaches your desired thickness. Drizzle over rolls and enjoy!

Listening to: "Settle for a Slowdown" Dierks Bentley
Thought of the day: "Find your purpose and fling your life out to it. Find a way or make one. Try with all your might. Self-made or never made." -Orison Swett Marden


Image via Love and Olive Oil}