Baking: Fall Cinnamon Rolls

As temperatures drop and stormfronts roll in, nothing is better than the comfort of your home and the wonderful scents of baking. Cinnamon rolls with pumpkin cream cheese frosting are the perfect remedy to any fall baking fever.

This recipe can fit any baker’s limitations, as they can be made the day of or prepared for the next day. To form the dough, first warm the milk to about 110 degrees fahrenheit and add the yeast so it can activate. Next, add sugar, egg and melted butter, stir until combined. Then, add flour and salt to the mix and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to form a dough. Use a dough hook on a stand mixer to knead the dough for about eight minutes. If you do not have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand on a well-floured surface until it is stretchy and glutinous. Once a dough ball forms, transfer it to a well-oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Allow the dough to rise for about one or two hours until it has doubled in size.

Now for the filling: take a small bowl and mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll out the dough to about a 14x9 inch rectangle and spread melted butter over it. Sprinkle the filling on top of this; you can rub it in to make sure it combines with the butter. Tightly roll the dough and cut it into one inch sections, which should come to nine pieces. Place the cinnamon rolls in a prepared 9x9 baking pan.

After letting this rise for about one hour, bake it at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, until they are slightly golden brown. Once out of the oven, let them cool for about five minutes.

While the cinnamon rolls are baking, you can make the pumpkin cream cheese frosting. Beat the butter and pumpkin cream cheese together in an electric mixer until smooth. Then, add vanilla and salt and sift in the powdered sugar. Once the cinnamon rolls are out of the oven, spread on the frosting and serve immediately.

Cinnamon rolls are a warm and cozy recipe perfect for sharing during the winter season. One tip is to make the dough the night before, and leave it in the refrigerator to rise. Then it will be ready to quickly bake in the morning. This versatile recipe is always a crowd pleaser.