The Time I Made Chase's Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Bourbon Cream Cheese Glaze

Folks! If you’ve been reading my books and you don’t know that a recipe goes with every single one, you might not be paying attention. I myself love to cook (and especially to bake 😋). I’m a foodie, and a former food writer, and, no lie, if you ever want to bribe me, give me really good food.

Speaking of really good…I loved baking these cinnamon rolls. They were pretty easy, they made my house smell amazing, I wanted to eat about a million of them, and they were such a hit that I had to hide some of them from members of my household who shall remain unnamed.

Why did I choose these cinnamon rolls as my recipe for Wild Goose Chase?

Chase is a total cinnamon roll hero. Not only does he live to make Violet happy (and shows her through his gestures every single day), would he do anything for her. He’s a great surrogate dad to her kids, which still gives me all the feels (and I wrote the damn book). He is sweet and gooey and sinfully delicious.

And it just so happens that he’s also a chef. He’s the proprietor of The Noble Pig, the pop-up farm-to-table restaurant represeted as Forrest and Sierra’s first date location in Forrest for the Trees. It’s fair to say that he doesn’t merely attempt cinnamon rolls. He is a trained chef so he pretty much crushes it. No wonder Violet calls these her favorite.

I know, I know. Now you want to bake these delicious treats!

Click above for the downloadable version of my recipe card!

Ingredients: The Dough

• ¾ cup milk

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• 2 ¼ tsp quick rise yeast

• ¾ cup pumpkin puree

• ¼ cup melted butter

• 1 egg (room temp)

• 4 cups bread flour

• 2½ tbsp pumpkin pie spice

• ¾ tsp salt

Ingredients: The Filling

• ⅔ cup dark brown sugar

• 1 ½ tbsp cinnamon

• ¼ cup softened butter

Ingredients: The Cream Cheese Glaze

• 4 oz softened cream cheese

• 3 tbsp softened butter

• ¼ cup powdered sugar

• 2 ½ tbsp pure maple syrup

• 1 tbsp bourbon

• Pinch of salt

Cooking Instructions

1. Warm milk to ~110°F on the stove, or microwave for 40 seconds.

2. Blend milk, sugar, and yeast with a mixer.

3. Add puree, egg and butter. Mix until smooth.

4. Stir in flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt to form a dough. Knead for 8-10 minutes.

5. Place in a covered bowl to rise for ~1 hour.

6. Once dough has doubled in size, roll it into a 14x16 inch rectangle on a floured surface.

7. Spread softened butter over dough.

8. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over buttered dough, rubbing it in.

9. Tightly roll up the dough starting from the smaller side. Place the seam side down.

10. Cut into 1-inch sections with a serrated knife to yield 12 rolls.

11. Place rolls in a greased 9x13" baking pan.

12. Cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Let the rolls rise again for 30 minutes.

13. Preheat the oven to 350°F while you wait.

14. Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden on the edges.

15. To make the frosting, beat all ingredients until smooth.

16. Spread over cinnamon rolls and serve!

Or, you want something pretty and printable, here is a downloadable version of the recipe card. Enjoy!

Meanwhile, here are pictures of me making these from my actual kitchen!