Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I think I’m a little late, as chatter about these delicious baked buns has been going around blogland for over a month…but honestly, is it ever too late for cinnamon rolls?  I just don’t think so!

This recipe from The Kitchn was tweeted to me by Claudia and as soon as I read it I was sold.  With all ingredients conveniently in my pantry and/or refrigerator (minus a last minute realization that I had no pecans!)I planned to make them over the weekend but got busy and ended up accidentally participating in Macaroon Monday instead!

First homemade cinnamon roll attempt = success!  The added pumpkin make these moist and fragrant without being overbearing.  In fact, if I didn’t know it was pumpkin I might not pick it out on my own.  Perfect.

In my former life I used to work as a barista…and at one point I was the lucky girl that got to drag her arse into work at 4:30am every Saturday and Sunday to bake off the breakfast sweets before opening.  One of the things we made was cinnamon rolls…so even though that dough was made from a mix I was still reminded off the copious amounts of butter and sugar, and the cathartic process of rolling the slightly sticky dough into a gorgeous roll for slicing.

That was actually one of my favourite parts of that blasted job. :)

I did cheat here just a bit.  Personally I feel like all cinnamon buns…pumpkin or otherwise…should be topped with cream cheese icing.  So rather than going with the brown sugar glaze I took a short cut with a tub of pre-made frosting.  Thanks for the help, Betty.

First batch frosted while still warm, turning the icing into an oooooey gooey delicious glaze…

Second batch frosted when completely cooled, forming a thick layer of deliciousness…

Good thing I’ve already had two volunteers as guinnea pigs for these babies!  I got 14 buns, plus froze about 1/3 of the dough for future use.  That’s a hefty pile o’ buns!

Deeeeelish!