Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns, courtesy of your crock pot :-)

Here's the thing about making cinnamon rolls in your slow cooker.

It's basically the best idea anyone had. 

Ever.

It only takes about an hour and a half in your crock pot and they come out super duper perfect. 

Like, gooey, sweet and deliciously fluffy perfect.

You might be wondering why you'd want to spend 90 minutes making something you can bake in 20, but I really encourage you to give this recipe a whirl. Unlike the 20-minute, pop-in-the-oven method, it's really, really hard to overcook (aka dry out and make brick like) these cinnamon buns in the crock pot.

And in the spirit of all things fall, august and wonderful (not to mention a half a can of pumpkin sitting in my fridge begging to be used), I've decided to put a fun spin on this breakfast and make it pumpkin spice cinnamon buns with cream cheese frosting. You won't be sorry.

 

 

 

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Buns

(Makes 12-14 rolls)

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 package active dry yeast

1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup pureed pumpkin

1/2 cup canola oil

1 Flaxseed egg (1 TBS flaxseed to 1 1/2 TBS warm water, let it sit for 5 minutes)

 

  

 

Filling Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp ground gloves

Icing Ingredients:
4 oz vegan cream cheese, soft
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 stick vegan butter, soft
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and yeast. Fold in almond milk, water, pumpkin, flax seed egg and oil into try ingredients. Form into a ball and let it sit in bowl, covered with a towel, for 30-45 minutes.

Once dough has settled, roll into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. 

Mix together filling ingredients and baste rolled rectangle dough with sugary, pumpkin spice mixture. Roll long side to long side, pinch ends and then cut into 12-14 slices. 

Place in greased crock pot and cook on high for 60-90 minutes (perform the toothpick test to determine doneness. If it comes out clean, you're good to go!)

Mix up icing/glaze and pour over hot rolls to create an hooey, gooey, perfectly moist cinnamon bun. Top with pecan pieces if you're feeling wild.

 

These were surprisingly MUCH easier than your traditional cinnamon rolls! :)