Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Wikipedia states that Sweden is presumed to be the birthplace of the cinnamon roll.  The Swedish name is kanelbulle, which means cinnamon bun.

Through Wikipedia, I also learned that October fourth is promoted as cinnamon roll day in Sweden.  Swedish cinnamon rolls have cardamon, which gives then a unique taste.  It sounds fantastic.

The website also explained that North Americans often add a confectioner sugar icing.  We like our desserts decadent and diabetic inducing.  Western European countries often make a glaze with sugar nibs.  I'm not sure what sugar nibs are, but they sound like large sugar crystals.  

A honey bun is a version popular in the southeastern section of the United States.  It contains honey and is deep fat fried.  It sounds delicious.

This pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe came from allrecipes.com.  I added chocolate chunks and altered the frosting a little.  The frosting turned out strangely, so don't replicate my frosting.

The ingredients are 1/4 cup warm water, 1 package active dry yeast, 5 ounces evaporated milk, 3/4 cup white sugar, 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 egg, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, around 5 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 cup chocolate chunks, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 5 ounces cream cheese, 2 tablespoon melted butter, around 3 cups confectioners' sugar, and 1/4 cup milk.  

The original recipe only used 3 ounces of cream cheese and 1 cup confectioners' sugar.  Their frosting must have been more of a glaze.  I think adding the extra cream cheese was good, but it should have been room temperature.

I let the yeast and warm water stand for five to ten minutes.  The yeast becomes foamy.

Meanwhile, I added the evaporated milk, white sugar, pumpkin, olive oil, and egg into the bowl of my mixer.  It's actually my roommate's mixer but whatever.  

Once the yeast was foamy, I added it to the bowl.  I mixed these ingredients together.

I added two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice and flour.  I gradually added the flour until the dough started coming off the sides of the bowl.  I let the dough rise for 45 minutes in a warm area of the kitchen.

For the filling, I added brown sugar and the 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin pie spice.

After the dough had risen, I flattened it out on a greased surface.  It was a square shape.  It should be about 18 by 26 inches in dimension.  I spread a fourth of a cup of melted butter evenly over the dough.

I evenly sprinkled the sugar and pie spice mixture over the melted butter and dough.

I added the chocolate chunks on top of the sugar and pie spice.

I rolled the dough up into a tight roll and sliced it into 12 even pieces.

I placed the slices in a greased 9 by 13 inch baking pan.  I baked the cinnamon rolls for 32 minutes at 350 degrees.  The recipe says to bake the rolls for 30 to 40 minutes.

I made the frosting while the cinnamon rolls baked.  I added the melted butter, cream cheese, and milk into a bowl.  My cream cheese was too cold.  It made the frosting lumpy.  Boo.

I gradually added the powdered sugar.  I kept on adding sugar until the frosting was thick enough for my liking.

 I spooned the frosting on the cinnamon rolls while the rolls were still warm.  The frosting pools into all the nooks and crannies.

It's a sugar overload for sure.  You should only make cinnamon rolls occasionally because they probably shorten your lifespan.

 These were warm and comforting.  The bread was pliable and tender.  The chocolate melted and formed pools of luscious, creamy sweetness.  Chocolate and pumpkin go together well.

 They weren't my favorite cinnamon rolls, and I'm not sure why.  The frosting looks weird, but it tasted fine.  The dough tasted a little bland, but bread is never particularly flavorful.  I don't know.  Regardless, I'll use a different pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe next time.