Ulta soft and fluffy Pumpkin Butter Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Glaze! These sweet rolls are swirled with a homemade maple pumpkin butter and topped with a luscious brown butter cream cheese glaze!
Cinnamon rolls are probably one of my FAVORITE things to bake, especially because they’re so easy to make and are so versatile. You can make them sweet or savory, fill them with nearly anything and top with a variety of glazes.
If you love cinnamon rolls, be sure to check out our Blood Orange Cinnamon Rolls and Cranberry Orange Cinnamon Rolls!
Jump to:
Ingredient Notes
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast - If you are using active dry yeast, combine with milk and sugar and allow to sit for 10 minutes. If you are using instant yeast, you do not need to activate it.
- Whole Milk - Use whole milk for best results. The temperature should be between 105 to 110 ºF (40 to 43 ºC)
- Melted Butter - Melted unsalted butter adds richness and will give the rolls that chewy texture.
- Bread Flour - Bread flour gives the rolls structure and that chewy texture. I like to use a high quality bread flour, such as King Arthur.
- Milk Powder - Milk powder (not an affiliate link) is the secret ingredient for making the rolls super soft. It also improves the texture and structure of the rolls.
- White Sugar - Tiny bit of white sugar will feed the yeast.
- Brown Sugar - Adds flavor and moisture.
- Egg + Yolk - For best results, make sure your eggs are at room temperature. Yeast likes a warm environment.
- Salt - Rounds out the flavors.
- Nutmeg - Adds subtle fragrance to the dough.
- Vanilla Paste or Vanilla Extract - Adds flavor
Pumpkin Filling
- Homemade Pumpkin Butter or Store Bought - Pumpkin butter is made by cooking down pumpkin puree, sugar and spices into a thick spread.
- Unsalted Butter - We'll be using softened butter to bind the filling.
- Brown Sugar - You can use dark brown sugar or light brown sugar.
- Cinnamon & Pumpkin Spice - Adds another layer of flavor.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Glaze
- Brown Butter - Butter is browned and then allowed to solidify. Adds SO much flavor to the glaze!
- Cream Cheese - Make sure you are using full fat cream cheese from the brick. Not cream cheese spread or whipped cream cheese.
- Confectioners' Sugar - Also known as, icing sugar or powdered sugar.
- Vanilla - You can use vanilla extract or vanilla paste.
- Milk - Milk is used to thin out the icing.
*See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here are step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make these amazing Pumpkin Butter Cinnamon Rolls! Please find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
One Day 1...
Step 1 - Make Pumpkin Butter (if using store-bought, skip to step 2) - Recipe and instructions can be found here!
Hint: Homemade pumpkin butter can be made 2 weeks in advance. Keep chilled until needed.
Step 2 - Make Overnight Cinnamon Roll Dough - For Active Dry Yeast; In the bowl of your stand mixer, add warm milk, yeast and 1 teaspoon of white sugar and stir to combine. Allow the yeast to bloom for 10 minutes.
Step 3 - Add flour, brown sugar, melted butter, 1 egg, 1 yolk, vanilla extract, salt and nutmeg to yeast mixture.
Hint: For Instant Yeast; Combine all the ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer and continue to step 4. Just make sure the salt and yeast are not touching.
Step 4. With a spatula or wooden spoon, mix until the dough roughly comes together (will be shaggy).
Step 5. Fit your stand mixer with the hook attachment and knead the dough on medium speed for 10 minutes. The dough should be elastic and is ready when it passes the window pane test.
Window Pane Test
To perform the window pane test, take a small (2 tbsp) ball of dough and stretch it into a small square. It should be stretched thin enough to let light pass through without tearing it. If it tears, knead for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 6. Transfer dough into a large oiled bowl (I used the same stand mixer bowl). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow rise in the fridge overnight.
On Day 2...
Step 7 - Prep the Filling - In a small bowl, combine room temperature butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice; set aside. Remove homemade pumpkin butter from the fridge and give it a good mix; set aside.
Step 8 - Assemble Cinnamon Rolls - Gently punch down your risen dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. With a rolling pin, roll your dough out to a 12x18 inch rectangle. Evenly spread the cinnamon butter filling onto the dough, followed by a ⅔ cup of the homemade or store-bought pumpkin butter.
Step 9 - With a pizza cutter or really sharp knife, cut your dough into 8 to 10 strips lengthwise OR 12 strips widthwise.
Step 10 - Tightly roll each strip of dough and transfer to a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. Lightly cover with a plastic wrap or tea towel and allow to proof for 45 minutes.
Step 11 - Make Brown Butter Glaze - After butter has browned, immediately pour into a small glass bowl and allow to solidify at room temperature. It should be opaque but still soft.
Step 12 - In a medium sized bowl, mix your cream cheese and solid brown butter with a hand held mixer until combined. Then add sifted powdered sugar, vanilla and milk and whisk until combined. Set aside.
Step 13 - With about 10 minutes of proofing remaining, position a oven rack in the center and preheat to 350ºF (180ºC). Bake for about 22 to 25 minutes. Your rolls are ready when they are golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190ºF (88ºC).
Hint: To know when rolls are properly proofed and ready for the oven, perform a "poke test!" With your pointer finger, gently poke a roll and if it springs back quickly, it is not ready. If there is a slight indentation, then it's ready to bake!
Step 14 - Allow the rolls to cool for about 15 minutes, then slather with glaze. Serve warm and enjoy!!
Substitutions
- Yeast - I almost always only use Active Dry Yeast, but you can also use instant yeast in this recipe. If you are using instant yeast, there is no need to bloom or activate it in milk. Just combine all of the ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer and proceed as written.
- Milk Powder - You can substitute for malted milk powder. Although it's not the same thing as dry milk powder, I've had great results in the past. You can also omit it completely, however, the texture won't be as soft.
- Homemade Pumpkin Butter - Can substitute for store bought.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer - While having a stand mixer is helpful, you can also make by hand. Please see directions in the FAQ section.
Storage
- Cinnamon rolls are best eaten freshly baked. However, transfer leftovers into an airtight container and store on the counter for up to 2 days or 1 week in the refrigerator.
Expert Tips
- For best results I always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh all your ingredients as it’s the most accurate way to bake. I like using King Arthur’s Weight Chart to convert to grams.
- If you are not using a kitchen scale, measure your flour correctly. Fluff and aerate your flour first, then spoon into your measuring cup and finally level off with the back of a butter knife. Do not pack it in as it will add too much flour.
- Try not to add too much flour as it can make your bread tough. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl, but it’s okay if it sticks to the bottom of the bowl.
- Make sure you are using room temperature ingredients as yeast likes a warm environment.
- Make sure your yeast is fresh.
- Place your dough in a warm area to rise and proof. I like to heat my oven to the lowest setting for about 3 minutes, just enough to warm up.
FAQ
Yes, you can! Believe it or not, I used to make all bread recipes by hand. You will just need to knead the dough by hand for up to 15 minutes. It can get quite sticky so refrain from adding too much flour. I like to knead the dough with oiled hands and use a plastic bench scraper to help move the dough around. Don't forget to perform the window pane test to know that it has been properly kneaded.
Bread flour (aka strong flour) has a higher protein percentage than all-purpose flour, making it ideal for yeasted bread recipes. The higher protein means that it has more gluten in it, which makes the dough more elastic and light, resulting in a chewy and airy texture.
Milk powder, also called powdered milk, is made by evaporating all the liquid out of milk and what you're left with is a dry powder.
The difference between the two is that, malted milk powder is a combination of dehydrated milk, barley and wheat flour. Milk powder is just dehydrated milk.
Allowing the dough to slowly rise overnight in the fridge makes the dough easier to work with. It also allows the flavor to meld together, resulting in better flavor overall.
You May Also Enjoy
Did you try this recipe? Please consider leaving a star rating and review below and tag me on Instagram @shortstackkitchen. This provides helpful feedback to myself and other readers. Thank you so much!
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Butter Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Glaze
- Total Time: 1 Hour + Overnight Rise
- Yield: 8 to 12 Rolls
Description
Ulta soft and fluffy Pumpkin Butter Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Glaze! These sweet rolls are swirled with a homemade maple pumpkin butter and topped with a luscious brown butter cream cheese glaze!
Ingredients
Pumpkin Filling
- ⅔ Cup Pumpkin Butter, homemade or store-bought
- ½ Cup (113g | 1 Stick) Unsalted Butter, room temp
- ½ Cup (100g) Brown sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon Pumpkin Spice
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 2 ¼ Teaspoons (7g | 1 Packet) Active Dry Yeast
- 1 Teaspoon White Sugar
- 1 Cup (227g) Whole Milk
- ¼ Cup (50g) Brown Sugar
- 1 Large Egg + 1 Yolk, room temp
- 4 Tablespoon (56g) Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
- 3 ½ Cups + 2 Tablespoons (420g + 16g) Bread Flour, and a bit more if needed
- 2 Tablespoons Malted Milk Powder
- ½ Teaspoons Nutmeg
- 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Icing
- 5 Tablespoons Butter, browned & solidified
- 5 Ounces Cream Cheese, cold
- 1 Cup Confectioners' Sugar
- 3 to 5 Tablespoons Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
Instructions
On Day 1...
- Make Pumpkin Butter (if using store-bought, skip to step 2) - Recipe and instructions can be found here!
- Make Overnight Cinnamon Roll Dough - For Active Dry Yeast; In the bowl of your stand mixer, add warm milk, yeast and 1 teaspoon of white sugar and stir to combine. Allow the yeast to bloom for 10 minutes. For Instant Yeast, see note below.
- Add flour, brown sugar, melted butter, 1 egg, 1 yolk, vanilla extract, salt and nutmeg to yeast mixture.
- With a spatula or wooden spoon, mix until the dough roughly comes together (will be shaggy).
- Fit your stand mixer with the hook attachment and knead the dough on medium speed for about 10 minutes. It’s okay if the dough sticks to the bottom of your bowl, but it should not stick to the sides. If your dough is still sticky after 8 minutes in, you can add up to 2 tablespoons of bread flour. The dough should be elastic and is ready when it passes the window pane test (see note below).
- You can either transfer the dough into a large oiled bowl or you can use the same stand mixer bowl. Just lightly oil your hands, pick up the ball of dough, grease the bowl and then place the ball of dough back in. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in the fridge overnight.
On Day 2...
- Prep the Filling - In a small bowl, combine room temperature butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice; set aside. Remove homemade pumpkin butter from the fridge and give it a good mix; set aside.
- Assemble Cinnamon Rolls - Gently punch down your risen dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. With a rolling pin, roll your dough to a 12 x 18 inch rectangle. Evenly spread the cinnamon butter filling onto the dough, followed by a ⅔ cup of homemade or store-bought pumpkin butter.
- With a pizza cutter or really sharp knife, cut your dough into 8 strips lengthwise OR 12 strips widthwise.
- Tightly roll each strip of dough and transfer to a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. Lightly cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow to proof for 45 minutes. (see note below regarding proofing)
-
Make Brown Butter Glaze - In a light colored saucepan and over medium heat, add your butter. Swirl the pan and keep the butter moving around the pan constantly. Once completely melted, the butter will foam and sizzle. It's ready when it smells nutty and and the color is an amber brown color. Immediately pour the butter and all the brown bits into a medium glass bowl and allow to solidify at room temperature. It should be solid, but soft. You can see the brown butter in the ingredient photo in the blog post for reference.
-
Add cream cheese to the room temperature brown butter and combine with a hand held mixer. Then add sifted powdered sugar, vanilla and 3 tablespoons of milk and whisk until combined. If you'd like a thinner glaze, add a tablespoon of milk at a time until you reach desired consistency. Set aside.
-
With about 10 minutes of proofing remaining, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF (180ºC). Bake for about 22 to 25 minutes. The rolls are ready when they are golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190ºF (88ºC).
-
Allow the rolls to cool for about 15 minutes, then slather with glaze. Serve warm and enjoy!!
Notes
- For Instant Yeast; Combine all the ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer and proceed to step 4. Just make sure the salt and yeast are not touching. There is no need to activate or bloom in warm milk.
- To perform the window pane test, take a small (2 tbsp) ball of dough and stretch it into a small square. It should be stretched thin enough to let light pass through without tearing it. If it tears, knead for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- How to know when your rolls are done proofing - To know when rolls are properly proofed and ready for the oven, perform a "poke test!" With your pointer finger, gently poke a roll and if it springs back quickly, it is not ready. If there is a slight indentation, then it's ready to bake!
- Prep Time: 35 Minutes
- Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Leave a Rating and Comment