The holidays just got a little bit merrier with these pumpkin blueberry morning buns. Drizzled with luscious cream cheese icing and sprinkled with a homemade pumpkin spice crunch topping they’re an indulgent treat to serve your friends and family for a holiday brunch.
I hope everyone isn’t sick of pumpkin recipes because I have one that is sure to be a hit for a holiday brunch with the family this fall or winter. What started as a pumpkin croissant loaf morphed into these insanely flaky and delicious pumpkin blueberry morning buns with cream cheese icing and pumpkin spice crunch.
What makes these spiraled buns special? Well, they’re a hybrid of some of my very favorite baked goods and infused with all of the best fall holiday flavors. Let’s break it down.
The Dough
What exactly are morning buns? They’re essentially a hybrid between cinnamon rolls and croissants. The enriched dough is laminated with butter and then rolled and assembled like a cinnamon roll. If you’ve never laminated dough before, don’t be afraid. It’s a lot easier than it sounds. Plus, after you do it once, it will open the door to a plethora of other baking adventures.
For this recipe, a cup of pumpkin puree is mixed into the dough along with a bit of butter for added richness. Traditional morning buns are sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, but my variation is topped with cream cheese icing and pumpkin spice crunch.
The Spices
Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice—this classic melody of spices is mixed, rolled and baked into almost every layer of these tender, flaky pumpkin blueberry morning buns. They’re first blended into the softened butter that’s formed into the butter block that is used to laminate the dough. Then they’re also mixed into the dough itself as well as the crunchy pumpkin spice granola-like topping.
The Filling
Blueberry muffins are one of my favorite baked goods. When I was creating this recipe I loved the idea of combining pumpkin with blueberry. Because the spices ran the risk of being pretty strong, I used a blend of fresh blueberries and blueberry preserves to fill these buns. The preserves add color and sweetness and the blueberries provide lots of juicy berry flavor.
The Icing
In my opinion cream cheese icing is almost always the best way to go for baked goods. This cream cheese icing is my new go-to because it’s not too sweet or heavy. It adds just the right amount of sticky, gooey sweetness to the buns without going overboard.
The Crunch
Pumpkin, blueberries, a five-spice blend and cream cheese icing just wasn’t enough for these morning buns. In testing, I wanted to add a little crunch to these soft, decadent buns so this basic granola-like streusel topping was created. It’s jazzed up with pumpkin spices, brown sugar and pepitas (pumpkin seeds). The mixture is baked on a parchment-lined baking sheet and then cooled before being crumbled over the finished buns. You could omit this component from the recipe but why would you?! If you’re investing your time into making these buns, go big or go home!
There’s no denying that these morning buns have a lot going on. But I assure you, despite the multiple components, they’re easy to make. They may take a little time but trust me they are worth it!
If you’re looking for a shortcut, there isn’t one. However, you can refrigerate the dough overnight once it has been rolled up with the blueberry filling. That way in the morning you simply have to slice the dough and arrange the slices in a prepared muffin tin. Then just bake until golden. This is my preferred method for making these rolls since the upfront work does take some time. Plus, let’s face it, nobody wants to wake up at 5 a.m. to start cooking brunch during the holidays!
If you make these Pumpkin Blueberry Morning Buns, snap a photo and tag me on social media. It’s @frydaeblog and #frydaeblog absolutely everywhere! Not into social media? Leave a comment and a rating for the recipe below. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Happy Frydae!
Looking for other cinnamon baked goodness? Try these Maple Cinnamon Buttermilk Biscuits next.
Pumpkin Blueberry Morning Buns
Ingredients
Spiced Butter Block
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
Pumpkin Dough
- 1 cup whole milk, warm
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 625 grams all-purpose flour, about 5 cups
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Blueberry Filling
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh
- 2-3 tablespoons blueberry jam
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup whole milk or half and half, (as needed)
Pumpkin Spice Crunch
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
Method
Prepare the Spiced Butter Block
- In a medium bowl, mix together 2 sticks of softened butter with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice. Turn the spiced butter out onto a sheet of parchment paper. Fold the parchment in half over the butter and then seal the outside edges of the parchment by folding a few times to create an envelope that's about 11×17 inches in size.Next, use a rolling pin to evenly spread the spiced butter out between the layers of parchment. Keep rolling until the entire interior of the envelope is filled evenly with butter. Then place the butter block on a flat surface in the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.
Prepare the Pumpkin Dough
- In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, mix together the milk and pumpkin puree. Stir until well-combined. Microwave the pumpkin milk for 30-45 seconds, or until the mixture is 110°F. Add the pumpkin milk to the bowl of a stand mixer and add the sugar and yeast. Stir to combine and then let the yeast bloom for 5 minutes. Next, add 625 grams (about 5 cups) of flour, salt and spices. Using the dough hook attachment, begin to mix the ingredients. As the ingredients blend, gradually add the butter a tablespoon at a time. Continue to mix the dough until the flour is completely incorporated, about 8-10 minutes. The dough is ready when it pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. It will be sticky but hold its shape well. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and cover with foil. Let the dough proof in a warm place (use the proof setting on your oven if you have one) for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.After the dough has proofed, turn out dough onto a floured surface. Knead a few times to form a smooth ball. Roll out to a 12×18 inch rectangle. Then, unwrap the chilled butter block and place it in the center of the dough. Fold the left and right sides of dough over the butter block (like a brochure). Next, turn the "brochure" 90 degrees and roll out the dough again to a 12×18 inch rectangle. Fold again into thirds (like a brochure) and then wrap dough in plastic or parchment and freeze for 20 minutes.Remove dough from the freezer and roll out again to a 12×18” rectangle. Fold in thirds “brochure-style” again and then roll out a final time to 12×18 inches.Next, brush a thin layer of blueberry preserves over the dough and sprinkle it evenly with fresh blueberries. Leave about 1/2 inch of the dough naked along one of the long edges of the dough. Now, starting with the opposite long edge of the dough, begin to tightly roll up the rectangle towards the naked edge as if you were making cinnamon rolls. Once you reach the end, gently press the seams together. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a muffin pan with butter. When the dough is chilled, remove and make 12 even slices from the log and arrange in the baking pan. Loosely cover and then let rise for 30-45 minutes in a warm place. When buns are done proofing, transfer to a preheated 350°F oven and bake on the center rack for 30-35 minutes. Rolls are done when they are deep golden brown and their internal temperature reaches 190-200 degrees. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before drizzling with icing and sprinkling with the pumpkin spice crunch crumbles. Serve warm.These buns are loaded with butter. You may want to place a second baking sheet on the rack below to spare your oven from melted butter drips.
Prepare the Cream Cheese Icing
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend together the softened butter and cream cheese with a whisk attachment. Turn the mixer down to low and then add the powdered sugar a quarter cup at a time. Once incorporated, add the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Next, gradually add in the milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the desired thickness is reached. Drizzle or spread icing onto warm morning buns before serving. The icing may be covered and refrigerated and stored for up to 1 week.
Prepare the Pumpkin Spice Crunch
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Then, in a medium bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, spices and salt. Next, using a fork or a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gently mix in the pumpkin seeds and then turn out the contents onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread the mixture into an even layer and then bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Keep an eye on the crumbles to make sure they don't burn. When golden, remove the pan from the oven. At this point, they're going to resemble a giant, thin oatmeal cookie. Let the "cookie" cool completely and then crumble with your hands into small pieces. Sprinkle crumbs over warm morning buns before serving.
Notes
You can prepare the dough for these buns the day/night before you bake them. Simply leave the dough in the fridge overnight wrapped tightly in parchment paper once rolled up with the blueberry filling. Then, in the morning, slice the dough, proof a final time and bake as directed.
12 comments
The world might be just a notch better if everyone would start their days with a few of these. Not only they look delicious, but I am sure they taste incredible, too. Can’t wait to have a few on my table!
Thank you, Laura! I agree the world would certainly be a better (albeit stickier) place with these on the table every day.
Made this for the family and it was hit!
So glad everyone enjoyed! Thanks, Katie!
These are impressive. With the laminated butter, I bet these must be so buttery good, fluffy, and fragrant. I will have a big smile waking up to this. 🙂
So so so buttery! <3 Thanks, Anita!
Wow! What an elegant treat! I’m not a morning person but I would leap out of bed for this!!
I’m not a morning person either, Beth! But the leftovers of these buns have been making me jump out of bed the past few days for sure!
Omg this recipe is everything I love about the holidays and fall! The pumpkin spice crunch on top was so amazing I might end up making an extra batch and using that as a topping for cereal or other breakfast treats throughout the season too!
Such a great idea! I’ve been sprinkling some leftover crunch over yogurt with berries and it’s delish!
Does anyone know/think I could use a handheld mixer for this? I don’t have a standing mixer but I would really love to try these! (Sorry if this is a dumb question, I am trying to teach myself to cook/bake but I am new to this! Thank you)
Hi Camilia, I wouldn’t use a hand mixer to mix the dough the beaters won’t work the dough quite the same way as a hook attachment on a stand mixer. However you can try preparing the dough the old fashioned way—-with your hands and a wooden spoon.
Use a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients in the same order as noted in the recipe and then use your hands to finish mixing and knead the dough. It will take a lot more time and effort but it can be done! Please note I have not tried making these morning buns without a stand mixer though—-but I might have to now. ☺️
If you’re newer to cooking and baking this may be a bit much to take on without a stand mixer though. I recommend trying these biscuits first—-they can be made without a stand mixer but are a lot more straight forward for beginners. Thanks for visiting!