Pumpkin Chai Cinnamon Rolls

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Pumpkin Chai Cinnamon Rolls - Pumpkin enriched dough, with a brown sugar cinnamon chai filling, drizzled with a homemade caramel and topped with more cream cheese caramel icing. The dough is soft, buttery and makes my home smell amazing.

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If you didn't know and couldn't tell I am a pumpkin fanatic. I love all things pumpkin spice in the fall, and the addition of caramel just brings it to the next level. You will love these pumpkin chai caramel cinnamon rolls. It's perfectly spiced and doesn't make you feel like the chai is to overwhelming.

These pumpkin chai cinnamon rolls are perfect for holiday mornings, with all the warm spices. 

For more cinnamon roll recipes make sure to check these out. Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls, Peach Cobbler Cinnamon Rolls, Oreo Cinnamon Rolls, Blueberry Crumble Cinnamon Rolls. 

Why You'll Love These Pumpkin Chai Cinnamon Rolls

Soft and gooey: Pumpkin helps keep the cinnamon roll dough soft and tender, while the caramel and heavy cream create those extra gooey centers.

Fall Baking: Pumpkin, cinnamon, chai spices, brown sugar, and caramel the perfect fall flavors.

Homemade caramel: The caramel is made from scratch and gets used three different ways, under the rolls, before baking, and drizzled over the finished pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

overnight: These pumpkin chai cinnamon rolls can be made overnight which makes them so much easier!

Ingredients

Pumpkin Chai Cinnamon Rolls -dough

• Bread Flour: Bread flour gives the dough structure while still creating a soft, chewy cinnamon roll. All-purpose flour can work, but the rolls will be less chewy and structured.
• Sugar:  Adds sweetness to the dough, color, and helps the yeast. 
• Yeast: Yeast is what makes the dough rise and gives the cinnamon rolls their fluffy texture. 
• Milk: Milk adds moisture and richness, make sure to use whole milk. 
• Eggs: I always test and use large eggs.  
• pumpkin purée: Pumpkin puree gives these cinnamon rolls their pumpkin flavor while adding moisture to the dough. Make sure to use pure pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling.
• Brown Sugar: I use dark brown sugar for more flavor but light brown sugar will work 
• Butter Adding it toward the end of mixing also helps the dough develop properly before the fat is incorporated.
• Salt  Salt balances the sweetness 

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Chai Filling

• Butter: Make sure to use room temperature butter to make it easier
• Dark Brown Sugar: Gives the filling a deeper molasses flavor, but light brown sugar will do just fine!
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon gives the filling its classic cinnamon roll flavor, I like to use Saigon Vietnamese cinnamon. 
• Chai Spices: The chai spices are what make these different from a traditional cinnamon roll. The warm combination of spices adds depth and gives the rolls that cozy fall flavor. Chai spices are very different and created very uniquely. 

Homemade Caramel

• Granulated Sugar: Sugar is the base of the caramel, using brown sugar instead of granulated sugar works too but it's known as a butterscotch sauce now. 
• Water: A little water helps the sugar dissolve evenly before it begins to caramelize. There is also a dry method to making caramel but I prefer the wet method. 
• Heavy Cream: Heavy cream turns the caramelized sugar into a smooth, creamy caramel sauce.
• Unsalted Butter: Make sure to add butter towards the end. and to use real butter. 
• Vanilla: vanilla extract and or vanilla bean paste can be used here. 

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream Cheese: A classic cinnamon is frosted with cream cheese, use room temperature cream cheese. 
• Butter: Make sure your butter is at room temperature
• Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar sweetens and thickens the frosting without adding any graininess.
• Caramel: Adding caramel directly into the frosting gives it even more caramel flavor and ties everything together.

How to Make Pumpkin Chai Cinnamon Rolls

Start by warming the milk until it is warm to the touch but not hot milk temperature should be around 80F to 110F. Add the active dry yeast and let it sit for a few minutes. (If your using instant yeast, skip the warm milk and just add the yeast in with the dry ingredients.) But warmer milk will help the dough rise faster. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree, and yeast mixture. Add the bread flour and mix until the ingredients begin to come together.

Add the salt and continue mixing. Once the dough starts to form, gradually add the softened butter last.

Continue mixing until the dough becomes smooth and comes together without any large clumps. The dough should be sticky but try to get it out of the bowl and let it rise. 

Transfer the dough into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size.

Make the Caramel

While the dough rises, make the caramel so it can cool. 

Add the sugar and water to a medium saucepan. Give the sugar a quick stir to make sure there aren't any dry clumps, then cook over medium-low heat.

As the sugar cooks, it will slowly begin to brown. The color should develop from the center outward. I like to gently swirl the pan as it cooks so the caramel browns evenly.

Once the sugar reaches a deep amber color, remove the pan from the heat.

Very carefully add the heavy cream. Be extremely cautious here because the caramel will bubble and foam aggressively when the cream is added. Use a large whisk and continue whisking until the cream is incorporated.

Once smooth, add the butter, salt and stir until completely melted. Add the vanilla bean paste and stir to combine.

Set the caramel aside to cool.

Make the Chai Filling

Add the softened butter, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and chai spices to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Mix on medium speed until everything is combined and the mixture becomes slightly lighter and more pale.

You don't need to whip the filling until it becomes fluffy, but I like whipping it a little because it makes the filling much easier to spread over the dough.

Roll and Fill the Dough

Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.

Roll the dough into a 12 x 20-inch rectangle.

Spread the brown sugar cinnamon chai filling evenly over the dough, making sure to reach the side edges.

Cut the dough into six 2-inch-wide strips. Roll each strip tightly from one end to the other to create the cinnamon rolls.

Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and drizzle some of the cooled caramel over the bottom.

Place the cinnamon rolls into the pan, leaving a little space between each one.

Cover and let the rolls rise until they are doubled in size. This usually takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour, but it can take longer depending on the temperature of your kitchen.

The rolls are ready when they look puffy and have expanded into each other.

Add the Caramel and Bake

Once the rolls have finished their second rise, drizzle more caramel over the top of the rolls.

Pour the heavy cream over the rolls, making sure it gets between and around them.

Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 325°F for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking for another 30–40 minutes, or until the center of the cinnamon rolls reaches about 200°F.

The tops should be golden brown and the centers should be fully baked but still soft and gooey.

Make the Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

While the cinnamon rolls bake, make the frosting.

In a mixing bowl, beat the room-temperature cream cheese with butter until smooth.

Add the powdered sugar and mix until creamy and smooth. Add the cooled caramel and mix until completely incorporated.

Frost pumpkin chai Cinnamon Rolls

After the cinnamon rolls finish baking, allow them to cool for a few minutes.

Spread the caramel cream cheese frosting generously over the warm cinnamon rolls. Then drizzle more caramel over the top.

Enjoy!

​Can i use homemade pumpkin puree?

Yes, but it may have more liquid which might mean the consistency of the dough. Canned pumpkin puree is best but you would have to drain out the liquid from homemade pumpkin puree. 

How to make Pumpkin Chai Cinnamon Rolls overnight:

• Milk added with the yeast can be added cold to prevent an over proofing
• Refrigerate dough in fridge after mixing.
• Next morning, take out the dough from the fridge and roll out the dough, spread the filling, roll the dough into scrolls, and place in baking pan for the SECOND RISE.
• Proceed with instructions as listed above.