Somewhere along my healthy eating journey I heard a concept that stuck in my head. I’m not sure who said it, Michael Pollan? Mark Bittman? but the message was this: eat all the junk food you want, as long as you make it yourself.
Sounds kind of odd, right? A health advocate condoning eating whatever junk you want? However, over time, it really started making so much sense to me. A majority of people talk about how difficult/time-consuming it is to eat healthy. However, if you apply this principle, then really, it takes a lot more time and effort to eat unhealthy.
Go ahead- think of your favorite guilty pleasure food- Oreos? French fries? Ice cream? For me, it’s potato chips and onion dip.
Now think about if you had to make it yourself in order to enjoy it. My particular scenario would mean thinly slicing potatoes, frying them in oil, salting them and letting them drain and cool. Then I’d have to slice and caramelize onions, add herbs and whip it all together.
And still, once I went through the effort, the final product would still be healthier than the store-bought variety because chances are I wouldn’t have monosodium glutamate or Yellow 5 in my pantry to add to it, which is in most popular store-bought onion dips.
Now I realize this method isn’t realistic, nor is it practical for everyday modern living, but it’s worth considering for some perspective.
[Tweet “What’s your take on “guilty” pleasure foods? Here are some of my thoughts.”]
And in that same vein, let’s chat cinnamon rolls!
These are real cinnamon rolls, made with butter, sugar and flour. Only a few short years back, I tried to healthify every recipe I made and while I do believe many recipes can and should be made healthier, for occasional recipes, I just want to make the original, for several reasons.
One of those reasons being that while I love that Hailey identifies and eats edamame and quinoa with ease, I don’t want to make less nutritionally-dense real foods taboo.
Like I’ve mentioned before, those foods just don’t show up as often. However, when they do, we enjoy them! I want her to know the joy of licking cinnamon and sugar off her fingers (it was just for us- I wouldn’t serve finger-full baked goods to friends!… or would I? wink).
I want her to experience the deliciousness that is a warm cinnamon roll with a hint of pumpkin, fresh out of the oven and drizzled in glaze.
And I want her to enjoy and know the process it takes to make it.
However, she’ll have to wait a couple years on the coffee. A young kid on caffeine is what nightmares are made of.
So there it is. Somehow I managed to get philosophical over cinnamon rolls. So without further adieu…
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Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 12 rolls 1x
Description
These pumpkin cinnamon rolls make the perfect fall weekend breakfast. Guaranteed to warm you from the inside out and impress any guests you may have up for the holidays.
Ingredients
- For the dough
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 4 1/4 cup all purpose flour (King Arthur recommended)
- 1/4 cup milk (warmed)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp yeast
- For the filling
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- (optional) raisins
- For the glaze
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 Tbsp milk (I used vanilla almond)
Instructions
- Combine warm milk and yeast and set aside for 5 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt in large mixing bowl. pour in the milk and yeast combination. Using the beater attachment, mix on low until thoroughly combined.
- Switch to dough hook attachment and mix of medium to low, adding 1/2 cup of flour at a time until fully incorporated.
- *The above steps can also be done by hand using plenty of elbow grease.
- Cover and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a 12 x 15 inch rectangle on a clean surface that is coated with flour until about 1/4 inch thick.
- Sprinkle filling over the dough and spread out evenly.
- Roll the dough into a spiral loaf and slice into 12 even slices.
- Place uncooked rolls in a greased 9×13 pan.
- Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown.
- As the rolls cool for 5-10 minutes, mix up the glaze by melting together the butter and milk, then whisking it with the confectioner’s sugar.
- Drizzle the cinnamon rolls with the glaze and serve warm.
Notes
Total time for recipe is 2 hour and 30 minutes when adding in the time for the dough to rise.
Enjoy!
[Tweet “These pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls are best served fresh out of the oven and drizzled in glaze. YUM!”]
Do you try to healthify recipes?
Are there any that you leave as they are?
What is your favorite ‘junk’ food?
Farah says
Yum! Those look professionally made. You’re totally right about making our own treats. It’s less likely to happen since so much effort is put into making them, but when we do make them, it’s special and delicious. Love your approach on food with your daughters.
Parita @ myinnershakti says
These look delicious!
I do healthify recipes when possible. Of course, there are some things that should be made the way they’re supposed to be made, and I let those things be! But I do love the looks on peoples’ faces when they ask me for my brownie recipe and I tell them there are black beans in it.
Jennifer says
This post is so perfect at the moment as I am struggling to find balance for my family in our food lives – which is our lives! I’ve heard that quote before but after hearing it again the meaning seems to have more purpose. I like the idea of trying to eliminate processed carbohydrates and going organic and local as much as possible. But if I need to feed my son Annie’s organic Mac and Cheese then there is no harm in that. As you have said before the 90/10 rule is where I think I need to put my mind. As typically I have the all or nothing mind set. Not only does that negatively effect me but my whole family is then subjected to it as well.
Thanks for this great post! I feel re-motivated for myself and my family. Plus, I will def be making these rolls for Saturday’s breakfast! Yum!
Lindsey @ SimplyLindsey says
I cannot wait to make these!! My Mom is coming into town next weekend so I might try them then. 🙂 The only recipes I healthify are muffins or quick breads. I’ll use applesauce instead of oil and slightly reduce the sugar. I think it’s better to have the full fat, 100% flavor version less often than eat the yucky no fat, no flavor version all the time!
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama says
Since becoming a mom, I’ve also undertaken trying to make my favorite “junk” foods at home. Just last night I had a huge craving for Hamburger Helper’s Cheeseburger Macaroni (that’s what happens when you grow up as a 1st generation Asian in the 80s with a mom who isn’t familiar with cooking American food). I Googled “Homemade Hamburger Helper” and found a recipe that I modified with ground turkey and voila! healthified Cheeseburger macaroni for me and my 3 year old.
My favorite junk food is loaded nachos! I don’t make the tortilla chips from scratch (one day maybe), but I have healthified the beef and beans topping and I always make the cheese topping from scratch, although I often skip the cheese and am perfectly happy with some homemade pico de gallo on top!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
These look amazing!
I try to healthi-fy a lot of recipes. However! If the healthy version doesn’t taste good…forget it. Give me the real thing!
My favorite “junk” food is pizza, and I do make my own from scratch. The healthier(ish) part is the crust, which I do half white/ half wheat. I could not get the full wheat version to rise well. And the white-wheat passed the taste test.
Emily says
Those cinnamon rolls look delectable! I don’t try to healthify recipes. I eat a healthy diet, and I love my daily salad. That said, if I want a brownie, it’s going to be the real deal- homemade with plenty of butter and sugar 🙂
Courtney @ Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life says
I am ALL about cinnamon rolls. Especially if there’s pumpkin involved! Definitely going to have to try these out 🙂
Liv @ Healthy Liv says
I love the idea of making your junk food yourself. It’d be much more about the experience of making it and taking the time to enjoy it rather than just scarfing down a bag of chips!
Jenni says
I’ve never heard that quote before but I LOVE it and I’m going to try to stick to it!
These look amazing! I think I’m going to make them with the kids this weekend! I am in no way very good in the kitchen so if I have a recipe I stick to it! My favorite junk food is pies, cobblers or cakes! Or basically anything loaded with lots of sugar! =)
★★★★★
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
I’m with ya, girl. Sometimes you just gotta eat the real stuff. Plus, what’s better than baking with your daughter? Also, seeing those pictures is difficult being on Whole30. haha. I can only imagine how tasty they were!
Heather says
While we try to be a healthy family, we do have our vices, so I try to keep our junk food choices as “healthy” as possible when shopping for quick snacks for the kids and us. When it comes to cupcakes and cookies, though, I’d much rather they be made from scratch. I like my sweets and it’s no wonder that my son likes them too, so if he’s going to have a treat now and then, I want it to be made with REAL ingredients. I’ll often try and find low sugar options or make other healthy additions (he never notices the difference), but some recipes I won’t change like the classics that my mom made us as kids. 😉
★★★★
Holly @ The Cooper Family says
I may try my hand at making these with Cup4Cup Gluten-Free flour blend! I’ll let you know how they turn out (IF they turn out!)
Nicole @ Squash on Squash says
I definitely try to healthify recipes, but I can definitely appreciate the original unhealthy versions- sometimes you just gotta do it. Plus, all of those great memories with Hailey are worth it. I remember when I used to make cinnamon rolls with my grandmother, and we still have the pictures from it. They’re some of my favourite memories (and pictures!), and I’m sure you’ll cherish these times!
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
some things are better in their original form. no need to “healthify” everything. everyone needs treats! YUM!
Tanya says
I’ll still eat them even if Hailey’s licked fingers were all in there!
char eats greens says
I definitely try and look for healthier recipes to start, but I will adapt ones that I like the idea of the recipe, but want to “healthify” by putting in organic flours, sugars, etc. These look amazing and I would totally make them and not ever think anything about how much we should be eating. I think baked goods are mandatory every once in a while 😉
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
I do try to “healthify” some recipes, but I too believe that moderation is the key. I love the concept of making your own “junk” food. It means you actually know what is in your food and it will by default be a little better for you.
Katie says
I definitely try to “healthify” many recipes- specifically when it’s easy to do or includes ingredients I don’t like to feed my family (vegetable oils, etc) or it’s easy to “pump it up” nutritionally (throw in some flax or chia, etc). However I fully believe there are some things that are better left alone. I tried to make cornbread with whole wheat flour multiple times. Let me save you some time…don’t do it. It’s not great- way to dense and all purpose flour tastes so much better in cornbread. 🙂
Carrie (This Fit Chick) says
I love the addition of pumpkin here!! Cinnamon rolls the morning of thanksgiving sounds perfect!
Amanda Perry @ Sistas of Strength says
Those look delicious! I posted a pumpkin breakfast recipe today too. 🙂 Same page!
christina says
Based on this post alone, I am renaming your blog in my reader “drool.com.”
Matt says
Yummmmm
Brittany from CountingMyCupcakes says
This is such a great perspective! My biggest indulgence is probably ice cream…and cake…and there’s now way I would eat as much if I had to make it myself all the time. No ice cream maker in my house anyway! Like you said, I used to try to “healthify” everyyyything I baked. More often than not though, I was at least mildly unsatisfied with the result and find that if I just stick with the good old fashioned butter, flour and sugar, it’s worth it in the end to have something I’m actually enjoying. All in moderation!
Danica @ It's Progression says
That concept – to enjoy all the treats you want as long as you make them yourself – I cannot remember where it came from either but I abide by the same thing! The problem is that I adore cooking and baking (honestly more than the eating sometimes), so that can be a little troublesome 😉 But it’s an awesome philosophy and one I even share with my clients at times 🙂
Mitra says
Agh! I just made this dough last night thinking is impress my friends by popping them in the oven for our Satirday morning coffee date but the dough didn’t rise! I used dry active yeast but didn’t activate it before adding it in. I’m assuming you used rapid rise yeast since you just add it into the mix? I’m such a beginner baker I don’t know much about yeast in recipes. Brittany could you change the recipe to specify the type of yeast you used? I’ll try again another day!
Brittany says
Oh no! I hate to hear that! I did use rapid rise yeast. Did you put it somewhere warm to rise? I like to preheat my oven to 200, then turn it off and stick the dough in there to rise with the oven cracked. I’m so sorry it didn’t rise for you. 🙁
Mitra says
I just made a new batch this morning and activated the yeast before incorporating it. It’s in my oven rising right now! It’s okay, I learned a valuable baking lesson from my initial fail! Update- we just ate then and they were delicious! I switched the cinnamon in the dough out for pumpkin pie spice to make it evenpre pumpkin pieish they were delish!
Brittany (Healthy Slice of Life) says
Oh my gosh I love your idea of pumpkin pie spice!! i bet that takes it to a whole new level. I’m so glad they worked for you the second time! 🙂 Thanks for reporting back!
Marcie Rafoth says
How do you make these ahead of time? I am assuming you won’t be doing all of this on Christmas morning?? :0)