Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Walnut Glaze

It’s October and I’m fully embracing everything fall! I bought a pumpkin candle, when I light it everything in my room feels infinitely more cozy and festive. I received a request for cinnamon rolls so I decided to take my pumpkin scent obsession to the next level and create an aromatic pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe. Realtors should take note of this pumpkin post and pop a batch of these bad boys in the oven for open houses, houses would sell like wildfire. I adapted this recipe from an adorable blog called 40 aprons, I used ½ brown rice flour and the substitution worked wonderfully, I’m sure you could use all brown rice flour if you wanted a gluten free option. I hope you guys enjoy these and good luck trying not to lick the walnut glaze spoon #crack

Recipe adapted from 40 aprons http://40aprons.com/vegan-pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls/

INGREDIENTS

Cinnamon Rolls

• • 1 packet instant yeast

• • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

• • 1 cup pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

• • 1½ teaspoons pumpkin spice

• • ½ cup Earth balance vegan butter or you can use grass fed butter if you want to make it not vegan

• • ¼ tsp salt

• • 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour

• • 1 ½ cups whole wheat flower

• • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• • 1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
  • ¼ cup granulated monkfruit

Walnut Glaze

• • ¼ cup maple syrup 

• • 3 tablespoons coconut oil

• • 1 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cups toasted roughly chopped walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a small saucepan over low heat slowly heat the almond milk and 3 tablespoons Earth Balance until warm and melted together–do not boil. Remove from the heat and let cool to about 110º, or the temperature of bath water–warm but not hot. If the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast!
• Add the monkfruit  then transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle on yeast. Let sit and bloom for about 10 minutes (should get foamy), then add the salt and stir. Add the pumpkin purée and stir.

• Sift the flour together with ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice. Add the flour mixture in ½ cup at a time, stirring as you go. The dough will be quite sticky, and if it becomes too thick to stir, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two until it forms a loose ball. Coat a large bowl with neutral oil and add your dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set in a warm place and let rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
• Stir together remaining 1-teaspoon pumpkin spice, fresh nutmeg, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Roll out dough into a thin rectangle onto a lightly floured surface. Using a pastry brush, brush with 3 tablespoons melted Earth Balance and top with sugar-spice mixture. Sprinkle rolled out dough with ½ cup of your toasted roughly chopped walnuts. Starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough, ending with seam side down. Then with a very sharp chef’s knife or serrated knife (or string of floss, if that’s your bag), cut the dough roll into about 1½” – 2″ sections. Place in a buttered 8×8″ square or 8″ round pan and brush with remaining 2 tablespoons melted Earth Balance. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place on top of oven to rise again while you preheat the oven to 350º.
• Once the oven has preheated, bake for about 25 minutes or until slightly golden brown. While the cinnamon rolls are baking start on the glaze
• In a small saucepan over low heat slowly heat the almond milk, coconut oil, salt, and sugar until well combined and it slightly thickens (3 minutes)
• Add in the walnuts and stir
• Serve cinnamon rolls piping hot with a generous drizzle of walnut glaze