Pumpkin Pecan Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are a decadent treat that bring back fond memories. Delicious dough smothered in cinnamon and cream cheese frosting... the thought of it makes my mouth water! What can be better than that? Well, I've got just the thing for you... Before I tell you about it, I have a funny story to share.

Several year ago I found a recipe for Pull Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread. It was an enriched pumpkin dough that was covered in cinnamon sugar and sliced and stacked in a loaf pan for baking. I've made it a few times, and it's always quite tasty. Late last year, I suddenly realized that it actually was just a pumpkin cinnamon roll! So, I made that recipe again, but after I rolled it out, I rolled it into a log and sliced it for rolls. I put the same glaze on that I used with the Pull Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread. It was good, but I thought it could be better.

The second attempt, I added more spices, switched from white sugar to brown sugar, replaced the sugar in the dough with maple syrup, changed the frosting to a maple cinnamon cream cheese, and filled the inside and the top with toasted pecans. These are so very rich and decadent. If you like all things fall, such as maple, pumpkin, pecans, and fall spices, you're going to want to try these. If you do, please tell me how you like them!

Bread ingredients

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream (room temperature; I microwaved mine for 20 seconds to warm it up)
2 1/4 tsp (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour

Inside sugar and spice mixture

2 cups brown sugar
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups chopped pecans, toasted (reserve 1/2 cup for topping)



In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black).



Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to the stove and heat through.



Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110 degrees F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup maple syrup and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy).



Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour.

Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel.



Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

While the dough is proofing, mix up 2 cups of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and the allspice until combined.

Also toast the 2 cups of chopped pecans over medium heat. I use a skillet on the stove and stir them frequently until they are fragrant. In another bowl, melt 1/2 cup unsalted butter.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with your hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20×12 inch rectangle.



Brush dough with melted butter.

Spread the brown sugar and spice mixture thickly and evenly across the dough leaving about a 1/2 inch border.

Spread about 1 1/2 cup of the toasted pecans evenly across the sugar. Reserve about 1/2 cup for topping the rolls.

Carefully begin rolling the dough trying to keep as much of the cinnamon sugar mixture and pecans inside. Use a little of the butter to seal the edge, rolling the edge to the bottom for cutting.



Trim off the ragged edges, then as close as possible, cut the roll into 12 even pieces. place in a 9x13 pan lined with parchment paper.

Allow to proof for 30-45 minutes until the dough is soft and puffy and nearly twice the size.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown.

Icing

8 oz unsalted butter

8 oz cream cheese

2 lbs powdered sugar

2-4 Tbsps maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8-1/4 tsp salt

***1/2 tsp maple extract (if you want a stronger maple flavor without thinning it too much)

In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth and combined. Start adding the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. After about half the powdered sugar, add the cinnamon and salt. Once you've gotten most of the powdered sugar added, begin adding the maple syrup and alternate with the remaining powdered sugar until you've reached a firm but spreadable consistency.

Slather the rolls with icing and top with extra toasted pecans. Enjoy! Store leftovers in the refrigerator. When ready to eat, warm in the microwave in 15 second intervals until warm and the icing is melted.

Tiramisu

There is not a much better dessert than a rich tiramisu. This is a classic Italian dessert found in almost every Italian restaurant. If you've never tried it, you should! It's made with a soft cookie, in this recipe it is Ladyfingers; dark chocolate; cocoa; and marscapone cheese, which is similar to cream cheese but smoother and sweeter. Tiramisu is lovely layers of rich chocolately yumminess. It's not a difficult recipe to follow; you just need to make sure to follow the steps correctly. I found this recipe on Pinterest at: Bailey's Hazelnut Chocolate Tiramisu. 

3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon powdered sugar, divided
1/2 cup espresso or strong coffee, divided
6 tablespoons and 4 tablespoons Bailey’s Hazelnut Liqueur, divided
1 pound Bel Gioso Tiramisu mascarpone cheese*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (7-ounce) package Ladyfingers
1/2 cup Ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate chips, melted and cooled
cocoa powder for dusting
dark chocolate covered espresso beans for garnish, optional

First melt your chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Check it; stir, and then microwave for another 30 seconds. Check and stir, and then microwave in 15 second intervals until smooth. Do not overcook or the chocolate will burn. Set chocolate aside to cool. In a large bowl, beat 3 egg yolks, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon espresso, 6 tablespoons Bailey’s Hazelnut Liqueur for a couple of minutes until well combined and thickened.

 

Add the mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract and beat until well combined and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

In a separate (very clean) bowl (use a stand mixer if you have one for this part), whisk 3 egg whites until foamy. Add 1 teaspoon powdered sugar and whip to stiff peaks.

 

Stir about 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture to lighten it; then fold the rest of it in gently. Taste for flavor.

Pour the rest of the espresso and Bailey’s into a flat dish. Dip one side of each Ladyfinger in this mixture for just 5 seconds (so it doesn’t get soggy) before layering them, soaked side up, in a deep serving dish.

 

Repeat, lining the entire bottom of the dish with the cookies. Drizzle cooled melted chocolate all over the cookies. Dollop about 1/3 to 1/2 (depending on how many layers you think you’ll be able to get in your dish) of the mascarpone mixture (called zabaglione) over the top and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.

 

Dust this with cocoa powder. Repeat layering dipped cookies, melted chocolate, zabaglione, and a dusting of cocoa powder, ending with a layer of the zabaglione dusted with cocoa powder.

This is the second time I made this recipe. The first time I used a very deep oval casserole dish and ended up with about three layers of ingredients. This time I used a 10X14 rectangular dish and got two layers, but there's not quite enough zagablione in each piece for my taste. Next time, I'm going to use a 9X13, and I think it might just be perfect.

Chill at least one hour before serving. Dot with dark chocolate covered espresso beans and serve. Eat within 36 hours or so, or things start to get soupy.

Pull Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread

If you like to experiment with new recipes, you know that not every one you attempt is going to be a winner. But the only way to find new things and find those "keeper" recipes, is to continue to try new ones. I found this recipe for Pull Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread on Pinterest more than a year ago, and it took me several months before I actually tried it. The first bite floored me. This is an amazing treat. You can eat this for breakfast or a snack or a dessert. The pumpkin flavor is subtle, but this treat is rather sweet. This concoction is a yeast bread, so it is a little time consuming, but it's not difficult and very worth the time and energy. The original calls for rum in the glaze, which I decided not to use. Also, she says she erred in how she applied the cinnamon and sugar. The first time I made this, I did it the way she did, the second time, I did it the way it should have been, and I found the second way to work better. So check out mine, and check out hers and decide for yourself how you want to make it. Either way, you will not be disappointed. 

Bread ingredients

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk (room temperature)
2 1/4 tsp (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Glaze ingredients
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black). 

Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through. 

Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110 degrees F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy). 

Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. 

Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. 

Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

Combine sugar and cinnamon is a separate bowl. Melt 2 Tbsp of butter. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20×12 inch rectangle. Brush dough with melted butter.

Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan.

Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown.

Before bread is finished baking prepare the glaze. Heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and powdered sugar.

Pour over the bread as soon as you remove it from the oven.

Let the glaze settle and harden, and then try not to eat all the bread at once!