The Starving Chef Recipe: Cinnamon Rolls

By Felicia Vargo, The Starving Chef

Today we are making pumpkin butter apple pie cinnamon rolls with a maple cream cheese frosting.

They’re all of the quintessential flavors of fall, rolled up into a delicious cinnamon bun.

For step-by-step instructions with photos, click here.

Pumpkin Butter Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Makes: 8-10 cinnamon rolls

Ingredients

1 lb. raw, plain pizza dough
1 C pumpkin puree
1 C pumpkin butter
1 t vanilla
3-4 T butter, melted (for brushing dough)
Flour, for dusting

For Filling

1 t lemon juice
2 C apples, finely chopped
1/4 C brown sugar
3-4 T butter, melted (for apple mixture)
1 t ground cloves
1 dash allspice
3-4 T cinnamon
1 t sea salt

For Frosting

16 oz. cream cheese
1/4 C maple syrup
2 C powdered sugar

Here’s How

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree and pumpkin butter along with a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, toss the chopped apples in lemon juice. Combine the rest of the ingredients for the filling. Chill until ready to use.
3. Dust a clean surface with flour. Roll out the pizza dough to be about one-quarter- to one-half-inch thick.
4. Spread the pumpkin butter mixture in an even layer across the dough, leaving about a quarter inch of crust.
5. Sprinkle the chopped apple mixture across the dough in a single layer. Don’t over-stuff the cinnamon rolls.
6. Roll the dough up into a spiral. Cut the roll in half, then into quarters and finally into eighths to make even pieces. Trim the ends.
7. Grease a baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the cinnamon rolls side by side. If there’s room, add the trimmed edges between the rolls.
8. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 25-30 minutes, until the cinnamon rolls are puffed and pale. Melt three to four tablespoons of salted butter.
9. Turn the oven temperature up to 400 F. Brush the melted butter over the cinnamon rolls. Return to the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes.
10. Whisk together the frosting ingredients. Leave at room temperature until the cinnamon rolls are done.
11. Remove rolls from the oven and cool for 5-10 minutes. Spread the frosting over the rolls as desired. Serve warm. Enjoy!

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