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.

Fall Spice Oatmeal Cookies

I love autumn. The spell of burning leaves. This crispness of the morning air. The amazing colors. And the delicious tastes of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and ginger that are so prevalent this time of year. Thus was born my Fall Spice Oatmeal Cookies that I took to work a couple weeks ago (yes, it's taken me a while to get around to blogging this! lol) I used the same base recipe as my Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies, but I added some spices to the dough and added pumpkin spice chips, cinnamon chips, and chopped crystalized ginger. These are warm and spicy and aromatic and absolutely delicious! When my daughter tried the first one of the batch she said that they tasted like fall. If you love fall and fall tastes too, then you really should try this!

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp clove
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups oats
12 ounces Pumpkin Spice Chips
6 ounces Cinnamon Chips
1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, all spice, clove, and nutmeg in a bowl and whisk together. Crystallized ginger is pretty potent, so chop it into pretty small pieces. 

Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla extract, and blend until combined.

Add flour mixture, and blend until incorporated. 

Mix in the oatmeal, pumpkin spice chips, cinnamon chips and crystallized ginger.

Heap by rounded teaspoon full, or medium cookie scoop if you have one, onto parchment lined cookie baking sheet.

Bake cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 9-12 minutes until cookies begin to turn golden brown. Cookies will continue to cook and set after being removed from the oven, so do not overcook. Allow cookies to rest on the pan for 3-5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to completely cool.

Bulgogi

Being an Army brat, I had the pleasure of many new experiences and becoming friends with a diverse group of people while growing up. My first best friend ever I met in Germany in the 1980s while in elementary school. Gina and I did everything together and stayed at each other's houses often. I made my nachos for her, and her mother, a Korean native, introduced me to many foods I'd never tried before. Gina and I reconnected in adulthood and remain friends to this day. For Thanksgiving 2016, Gina and her daughter came to visit me and my family. We had so much fun reminiscing and allowing our daughters the chance to get to know one another. One of my favorite activities was the cooking we did together... just like old times. I made Gina several dishes she had not tried before, and Gina made me bulgogi. Have you ever had bulgogi? It's a Korean dish made of thin, marinated slices of beef or pork grilled on a barbecue or on a stove-top griddle. It is also often stir-fried in a pan in home cooking. Sirloin, rib eye or brisket are frequently used cuts of beef for the dish. This dish was so delicious, and both my daughter and I loved it. This is Gina's recipe that she shared with me. You have to try this!

4 lbs rump roast (ask the store to shave it as thinly as possible)
1 entire bulb of garlic finely chopped
2 bunches of green onions sliced thin
2 large yellow onions chopped
3 green (red, yellow or orange) bell peppers chopped
4 large carrots finely peeled and sliced or a bag of julienne pre-cut matchstix size
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 entire bottle of low sodium soy sauce
1/2 bottle of sesame seed oil

2 Tbsp of fresh diced ginger or use the purée in a tube

1 Tbsp of black pepper

Start by chopping and prepping the bell pepper, onion, green onion, and carrots and garlic, if you're chopping those. I chose to use jarred garlic and the matchstix carrots.

Add the soy sauce and sesame oil to the meat.

Add the garlic, ginger, and sugar and mix into the meat.

Add the carrots, bell peppers, onion, and green onion and mix all of it together by hand (put on latex gloves) and be sure to separate the slices of meat to get all the flavors mixed in it.

Let it marinate for 30 minutes to overnight. The 4 lbs of meat will make enough to feed 6 people two times. I chose to bag and freeze mine. I got four quart-size freezer bags full of bulgogi, which feed my daughter and me twice. Be sure to freeze them flat. It's easier to store, and they thaws quicker. 

If you are pulling it out of the freezer, be sure to pull it the night before and thaw in fridge. When ready to cook, fry in a frying pan or wok on high heat. No extra oil is needed. At first it will be very liquidy... just continue to cook until some of the moisture cooks down.

Serve over jasmine rice and enjoy the aromatic, delicious yumminess!