Pumpkin-Pecan Cinnamon Rolls, Ginger Cream Cheese Glaze

I want to dive into these vegan Cinnamon Rolls. Fork first. Fluffy swirls of pumpkin buns infused with thick cinnamon sugar pecan filling. Those moist, flaky swirls slathered in a vegan cream cheese ginger glaze. A steaming hot Pumpkin Spice Latte on the side. Someone to share this special AM treat with too. Mornings can’t really get any better, can they? Dive into cinnamon rolls with me…

I haven’t made cinnamon rolls in a while. So when a craving for pumpkin cinnamon rolls hit I knew I had to whip some up. There are so many gorgeous fall-inspired pumpkin cinnamon rolls around the blogosphere right now .. but most of them not so vegan. So vegan rolls it is!..

Or keep the rolls as is. 🙂

Pumpkin Pecan Cinnamon Rolls, Ginger Cream Cheese Glaze
vegan, makes 7-8 rolls in a 9″ inch cake pan

Pumpkin Cinnamon Dough
1/2 cup pumpkin puree, canned/unsweetened
2 1/2 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 packet yeast
1/2 cup vegan shortening, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
*extra white flour as needed to handle, knead and roll out dough

Pecan Cinnamon Sugar Filling
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla bean granules – or extract
1/2 cup vegan butter, melted

Ginger Cream Cheese Glaze
1 1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 cup vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup vegan butter, melted
1/2 cup soy creamer
2-4 Tbsp powdered sugar to thicken as desired (add last, by hand with sifter)

Note on “decadence” – you can certainly alter the amount of “fat” you put into these rolls. If you’d like to cut back a tad on the vegan butter and/or shortening – go for it. The texture will dry out a tad, but they will still be tasty. A few fat replacer ideas:
* in the frosting, sub out some of the vegan butter for some vegan soy yogurt or more vegan cream cheese.
* in the dough, sub out some of the vegan shortening for more pumpkin puree or soy yogurt.

Vegan butter vs vegan shortening. My recipe calls for both. I found that the shortening makes for a ‘lighter’ roll texture. However, if you’d like to only use vegan butter you can (just omit the added salt). I found this nice explanation on “butter vs. shortening” in baking here (same idea applies to vegan ingredients as she describes).

Directions:

1. Start on the dough about 3 hours before you want to eat your rolls. Combine the warm water with the yeast. Stir well to dissolve. Add to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the melted shortening. Add in 1 cup of flour, sugar, pumpkin and salt. Using a hand mixer, beat on low until smooth. Fold in the remaining flour with a spoon – until it is barely sticky to touch. Roll into a ball – knead gently for a minute. Place the dough in a floured mixing bowl. Cover with a clean towel and place in a high warm spot. Let rise for about 2 hours.

2. Prepare the cinnamon pecan filling. Combing the sugar with the vegan butter. Stir in the pecans and spices. Mixture should be thick yet spreadable. If too thick, add in more vegan butter – or a splash of oil. Set aside.

*preheat oven to 400 degrees*

3. After the dough has risen for 2 hours, roll it out onto a clean well-floured surface with a rolling pin. Roll out very thin – about 1/3″ thick. Spread the pecan mixture over the entire area of the dough. I had a nice 20″ x 10″ area (roughly). See my photos..

4. Roll the dough tightly and slice into 1 1/2 inch thick rolls. Place the rolls about 1/8″ apart in a 9″ cake pan – greased. Optional: add a few dots of vegan butter for extra moist roll tops.

5. Bake at 400 for 25-35 minutes – or until a toothpick comes out clean from center bun. Do not overcook. Allow rolls to cool and continue setting in the pan for at least 20 minutes before applying glaze.

6. To make glaze, combine all ingredients and beat until smooth with a hand mixer. Using a sifter, hand fold in the powdered sugar until you reach a thickness that you like. I added about 2 Tbsp powdered sugar. You can also add in another sprinkle of ginger for a more intense glaze. Pour over rolls. Chill leftovers.

Serve and enjoy!!