This Twist On Cinnamon Rolls Will Be Your New Fall Go-To

The arrival of crisp, cool autumn weather is not only a welcome relief after a long, hot summer, but it is also an invitation to indulge in the flavors of the season. Fall brings with it all the bounty of the harvest, as well as warm spices and weather cold enough that you can finally get back to baking. And there may be no single dish that better encapsulates all of these seasonal changes than butternut squash cinnamon rolls.

Cinnamon rolls are already an excellent autumnal offering, a warm, sweet, baked breakfast topped with tangy cream cheese icing. Butt when you add mashed butternut squash to the dough, they really take on the spirit of the season. All you have to do is cook and mash around 1 to 1.5 cups of butternut squash — or other similar winter squash — and mix it into the dough for your favorite homemade cinnamon rolls recipe. You will want to reduce the other liquids in the recipe slightly to account for the moisture of the squash, but you can let the dough be your guide — or take inspiration from this pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe.

When you take that first bite of a butternut squash cinnamon roll, you will understand that this is about more than just finding a great way to sneak vegetables into your sweet breakfast dishes. Pillowy orange-hued rolls with a delicate squash aroma, wrapped around a sweet filling redolent of warm spice, and topped with a tangy cream cheese icing, are autumn on a plate.

Adding it into cinnamon roll dough is certainly a creative way to use butternut squash, but it also opens the door to experimenting with fall flavors in your breakfast pastries. If you're already bringing in one seasonal element, why not amp things up and see how autumnal you can go?

The simplest way to make your cinnamon rolls even more seasonal might be to play with the filling. For a simple switch, try infusing your cinnamon filling with chai spice. There is still plenty of cinnamon, so it won't taste too unfamiliar, but the rest of the complement of warm spices adds great depth. Or, if you want to get a little more creative, there are plenty of unexpected fillings that work in cinnamon rolls. You can wrap your dough around apple pie filling, pumpkin, or even a mixture of maple syrup and chopped bacon to add layers of seasonal sweetness and savor.

The topping is another great area for experimentation. You can elevate the fall flavors in your cinnamon rolls with a simple two-ingredient maple icing. Or try just mixing a bit of pumpkin spice or chai spice into your typical cream cheese frosting. A small sprinkle of spice in the right place can deliver loads of flavor.

Finally, there's the look of the rolls. While they tend to have a pretty standard appearance, there's a simple twine trick to turn your cinnamon rolls into little pumpkins. If you're already infusing the dough with winter squash, this technique might be just the cute touch that you need.