Tasty Thursday #77: Pumpkin Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Rum Cream Cheese Frosting

Welcome back to Tasty Thursday!!

I had some pumpkin pie pudding that was about to expire, well..not really expire, but "best by" date was swiftly coming.

I had a tempting look recipe in my arsenal and decided what the heck - I will just mix it up a bit. About halfway through the recipe, I decided to mix it up even more and make rum cream cheese frosting. The only thing that we thought it could use was pecans - and it's a shame I didn't have any on hand. This is perfect for fall - and it's pretty much here. Not officially, but it's mid-September. At the time I made these it was mid-August...but that's okay. Pumpkin is good any time of the year!

The dough was really easy to roll out - and they got pretty big. It was probably the easiest dough I've ever dealt with.

(Print)
What you need:
Rolls:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 tbsp. active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 3 1/2 oz. pumpkin spice pudding (instant pudding)
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. salt
• 6+ cups flour

Filling:

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 4 tsp. cinnamon
• Pumpkin Pie Spice

Frosting:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp. rum extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2-3 tbsp. milk 
• Chopped pecans, optional

Directions:

1. For rolls: Combine water, yeast, and sugar. Stir and let sit until bubbly and foamy.
2. Mix pudding with 2 cups milk as per package instructions.
3. Add butter, salt, and eggs to pudding. Mix well.
4. Add yeast to pudding mixture.
5. Gradually add flour. You may need less or more. I added about 6 1/2 cups.
6. Cover and let rise until doubled (about an hour).
7. For filling: Roll out into a large rectangle.
8. Spread 1 cup butter on top. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
9. Roll up and slice 1 1/2-inch thick slices. Place onto a greased cookie sheet (I used a 9x13-inch, but will try a cookie sheet next time). Cover and let rise until doubled (about another hour).
10. Bake at 350* for 15 to 20 minutes.
11. For frosting: Combine cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add rum and sugar.
12. Stir in milk by the tbsp until desired consistency is reached.
13. Top slightly cooled rolls with frosting and chopped pecans, if desired.

Fantastical Original

Recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe's Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls