Yay!! It’s that time again! I always get so excited over being in this fun Secret Recipe Club! The anticipation of who had who and what was made is almost unbearable by 3 days in advance! I start counting down the days, and then the hours, like a kid at Christmas, to see all of the fun recipes that everyone chose to make! 😀

 

 

This month I received a special gift, in that, my blogger that I was assigned to has a ton of  budget-friendly recipes! We had a very scary and rough three weeks when our beloved furbaby suddenly became deathly ill. We are looking at a massive, unspeakably expensive vet bill. ($3,500.00 and we aren’t even done yet…!) Though he is worth every penny, (he’s like our own child to us!), we definitely need to be on a budget for a few months! This all happened after my hubby had just been back to work for only a month and a half after a long lay-off. When it rains it pours, right? 😀

But it was Micha to the rescue with all of her fantastic recipes to choose from! Nice to meet you, Micha! 😀 She is a sweetheart and lovely lady originally from southern California, and has been blogging for quite some time, so she has a plentiful collection of recipes to choose from! I really had some hard decisions narrowing down my “wish list” of what to make!

Just like me, she loves to make lots of breads, (hence my play-on-words nickname, “Wildflour”), and also has a love for Mexican and southwestern dishes! (Right there with ya, Micha!) My tummy started rumbling when I saw her Sloppy Joe Pockets, she dropped my jaw (literally!) over her Enchilada Stuffed Shells, her Pot Roast Melts look to die for, and check out her Banana Crumb Cake !! Oooooh, myyyyyy! I swear I can almost smell and taste it! 😀 Be sure to check out all of her breads and rolls, too! Heaven. Pure heaven! 😀

Since we both share a passion for baking breads and rolls, I couldn’t resist trying out one of her recipes for rolls! (These fit very nicely into my budget, too! 😉 I didn’t have to buy a single thing! 😀 ) Good old fashioned baking at it’s finest doesn’t take a whole lot of expensive ingredients anyways, it just takes lots of love. 😉

I decided to make her Pumpkin Spice Sweet Rolls as a “welcome home” surprise for my hubby after he was away on a quick business trip, as anything pumpkin is one of our favorites!

And I know what you’re thinking….”pumpkin – – this time of year??” Why, yes! We LOVE pumpkin! I’m known for making pumpkin pies year-round! It’s cool, creamy and topped with whipped cream. A perfect treat even in the summertime! 😉  And why only enjoy your favorites during the holidays, right? 😀 Us pumpkin lovers need to take a stand! Peace out! “All we are saaaaaying, is give pumpkin a chance!”

Ok, that may be a bit much. But seriously. Life is short. VERY short. Enjoy what you love when you want, I say. Today could be your last. (Think of all the ladies on the Titanic that waved the dessert cart.) 😉

 

(A few of the ingredients to start…)

I decided to use both Pumpkin Pie Spice as well as Cinnamon due to my spice blend being just a tad bitter.  Plus we LOVE extra cinnamon flavor anyways.

 

 

Tip: *I always get my best results from the jarred yeast, not the packets for some reason. Make sure you keep the jar in the fridge.

Yeast….such a beautiful thing!

 

 

The dough mixed up beautifully, too!

 

 

The INCREDIBLY delicious filling! I mixed all of the filling ingredients together. By accident. It worked perfectly, though. 😉

 

 

I think I need a little practice rolling a rectangle….

 

 

Ready to roll! 😀

 

 

Maybe I should’ve reached for that ruler sitting 6″ away….

 

 

My little kitchen mascot deciding which pan will be his….

 

 

My cast iron skillet was just the right size!

 

 

After rising, and ready to bake!

 

 

The luscious icing! (I snuck in a little maple syrup, too! 😉 )

 

 

Absolutely gorgeous!!

 

 

Mmmmmmm! Come in closer for a whiff!!

 

 

I think I was going for the – –  ” rustic imperfect messy look”??

 

 

These. Are not. Going to last long…

 

 

Breakfast the next morning….heavenly! Even the sun thought so!

 

 

These rolls were simply DIVINE. They not only have pumpkin in the filling, but in the dough as well! And they sure hit the spot on a chilly, misty, early spring afternoon, lemme tell ya! They warmed not only our tummies, but our hearts, also.

My hubby took the cake pan of rolls over to the neighbors’ to share while they were still warm, and, too funny, they saw him coming and already had the door open, waiting to see what goodies they were getting this time! 😉 😀

The rolls received 4 thumbs up all around! These were absolutely fabulous!! So good in fact, that they tasted like they came from a fancy bakery! Not only that, but my neighbor, who is having me bake cakes for birthdays where she works, would like to add these to the list of treats she’d like to bring in for her co-workers! 😉 😀

As I said, we’re only on this planet for a blink of an eye in time. Life passes so quickly, that not to fully enjoy everything you can and all the world has to offer is such a silly shame. So don’t wait until fall or Thanksgiving to enjoy the wonderful flavor of pumpkin. You might miss out.

You see, today, my Dad has been gone for 30 years now. He was just a young 48 years old when he died, (May 11, 1985), 4 years younger than I am now. (I was just 22 then). Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him and miss him terribly. So live life to the fullest. Always.

 

 

Hope you all enjoyed this month’s recipe!
And be sure to add a can of pumpkin to your next shopping list! 😉

 

 Thanks so much Micha, for sharing so many wonderful recipes
that help folks out when they need it the most!
Making your recipe really cheered us up and put much needed smiles on our faces!

Make sure you take the time to check out more fantastic recipes from Micha at Cookin’ Mimi!
Even if you aren’t on a budget, she has many wonderful recipes
that would make for perfect meals from quick weeknights to Sunday dinners!

Adapted from Cookin’ Mimi.

Yield: 12 Rolls

Pumpkin Spice Sweet Rolls | The Secret Recipe Club

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours 57 minutes

Total Time: 5 hours 20 minutes

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Ingredients

For the Dough:

• ¼ cup warm water
• 2½ tsp. yeast
• 1 tsp. sugar
• ½ cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Libby's pure pumpkin
• ⅓ cup butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ cup white sugar
• 5-6 cups flour (mine took 5 1/2 cups)

For the Filling:

• ½ cup Libby's pure pumpkin
• ½ cup softened butter
• ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbl. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 Tbl. cinnamon

For the Icing:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbl. softened butter
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbl. cream or milk
• 1 Tbl. maple syrup

Instructions

For the Dough:

In a small bowl, mix together the warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Stir to combine and let sit for 10-15 minutes or until mixture is foamy. (I place this in my oven with the light on).

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together the milk, eggs, pumpkin, butter, ½ cup sugar, salt, the 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, and the 1/4 tsp.cinnamon. Mix until well blended. If you don't have a stand mixer you can do this with a hand mixer or a spoon.

Add 4 cups of the flour and the yeast mixture. Stir and mix until combined.

Switch to the dough hook and knead for 5 minutes. Add in the additional 1-2 cups of flour, a ½ cup at a time, until the mixture starts to clean the sides of the bowl. You want a soft dough but not an overly sticky one. If you're doing this by hand, flour a clean surface, turn the dough out, and sprinkle with flour. Knead by hand for 8-10 minutes or until you have a soft dough that is no longer sticky. Form into a ball, and place the ball of dough into an oiled bowl. Flip and turn to make sure that all sides have been oiled. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap or a damp, lint-free tea towel.

Set in a warm, draft free place, and let rise for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. (I set the bowl in my oven with the light on, and let it rise for a total of 1 1/2 hours - until it doubled.)

For the Filling:

Beat together the softened butter and the ½ cup pumpkin until smooth. Set aside.

In another bowl mix together the brown and white sugars, and 2 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice.

Or you can just beat all of the ingredients together. Either way works fine in the end.

Assembling and Baking the Rolls:

When dough is ready, roll out onto a floured surface into a 16" by 21" rectangle. It doesn't have to be exact.

Spread the pumpkin/butter mixture over the dough and sprinkle with the sugar and spice mixture.

Roll up tightly starting with a long edge, pinching the edge to seal.

Cut the jagged edges off and then slice into 12 rolls.

Place into a greased 9 x 13" pan or 2 (8") cake pans.

Cover with sprayed plastic and let rise for 30 - 40 minutes.

While rolls are rising preheat oven to 400º F.

When the rolls are almost doubled, bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. (*Make sure the ones on the center are done).

For the Icing:

In a medium bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons softened butter, vanilla, maple syrup and enough cream or milk to achieve the desired consistency. Immediately spread over warm rolls.