Pumpkin Pecan Sticky Rolls

One of the biggest reasons I love fall is the ready availability of pumpkin. It is so versatile, and can be easily made sweet or savory. Plus, pumpkin puree makes a great substitute for butter in so many baking recipes… and adds fantastic flavor!

These are much easier to make than I expected, and are packed with pumpkin spice flavor. Enjoy with some fruit and eggs for a perfect autumn Sunday breakfast.

Pumpkin Pecan Sticky Rolls

Inspired by Food & Wine’s Pecan Maple Sticky Rolls

Makes 12 mini rolls

1 2/3 c whole wheat flour

1 c all-purpose flour

1/4 c + 2 T sucanat or sugar

1 T baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c pumpkin puree

1 c buttermilk

1 T cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

2 T canola oil

8 T pumpkin spice syrup

1/4 c pecans

Preheat oven to 425*F. In a food processor, pulse the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and pumpkin puree until well-mixed. Add the buttermilk and process until a soft dough forms.

Place the dough on a floured surface, kneading a few times. Shape the dough into a ball, then pat out with your hands to create a rectangle about 1/4″ thick. Brush the entire surface with the canola oil, and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.

From the long side of the rectangle, roll the dough into a cylinder. Use a bit of water and your fingers to pinch the seam closed. Slice into 12 even pieces.

Butter or spray a mini muffin tin. Place two or three pecans into each cup, and divide the pumpkin spice syrup among the cups.

Put one piece of the roll into each cup of the muffin tin. Press down a little so that the rolls fill the width of the cups. This will also help the pecans stick to the rolls!

Place the muffin tin on top of a large cookie sheet to catch any drips. Bake for 18 minutes at 425*F.

Savvy Tip: Trust me on this one, you’ll want the sheet there — as the sticky rolls rise, they may push some of the syrup out of the muffin tin!

Place a wire rack on top of the sticky rolls. Quickly flip the rack and muffin tin over, tapping lightly so that the rolls come out of the tin. Press any stray pecans back into the tops of the rolls, and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before eating.

What is your favorite Sunday breakfast treat?

FOOD & WINE is giving away a year-long subscription to a lucky reader from Savvy Eats. Click here to enter and read official rules here.

This post is part of a series featuring recipes from the FOOD & WINE archive. As a FOOD & WINE Blogger Correspondent, I was chosen to do four recipes a week from FOOD & WINE. I received a subscription to FOOD & WINE for my participation.