Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, A Taste of Fall and a Culinary Piece of Art Work

Not only do I do art work , but I can find my way around the kitchen too...so in honor of the upcoming fall season, I made some soft, warm homemade pumpkin cinnamon rolls- and here they are, fresh out of the oven:

This will be my "recipe of the week" I will share with you- because we all know that most everyone likes to eat too!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Dough: 1/4 c. warm water 2 1/2 tsp yeast 1 tsp sugar 1/2 c. milk 2 eggs 1 c. canned pumpkin puree 1/3 c. margarine, melted 1/2 c. sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp cloves 1 tsp salt 5-6 c. flour

Filling: 1/2 c - 2/3 c. canned pumpkin puree (to your preference) 1/2 c. butter, room temperature 1 c. packed brown sugar 2 T cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting: 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature 3 T butter 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 - 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Directions: 1. Combine warm water, yeast, and teaspoon of sugar in small bowl. Stir until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until froth doubles.
2. Combine milk, eggs, pumpkin, margarine, the 1/2 c. sugar, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Mix until smooth.
3. Add 4 cups flour to mixing bowl. Pour frothed yeast mixture on top of flour. Knead about 5 minutes, adding flour 1/2 c. at a time until dough barely begins to clean the sides of the mixing bowl. Dough should be smooth and moist, but not sticky.
4. Spray a bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Place dough in greased bowl. Cover with wet towel, or plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Allow to raise until doubled, about 1 hour.
5. While dough is raising, prepare filling. Place room temperature butter and pumpkin puree in small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until mixture is smooth. In another small bowl combine brown sugar and cinnamon, set both bowls aside.
6. Pour dough out on slightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle 16x21 inches, dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the pumpkin/butter mixture over rectangle. Next, evenly spread the sugar/cinnamon mixture on top, slightly pressing it into the dough.
7. Roll up long side of dough, forming long tube. Cut tube with sharp knife about every 2 inches, making 12 rolls. Place rolls in lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
9. Bake rolls in oven until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to make frosting. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.