Create Fall-Worthy Cinnamon Rolls With One Simple Twine Trick

It's true that pumpkin-flavored treats are all the rage in the fall, and for good reason. We love Filled Pumpkin Pie Donuts, pumpkin bread, and 5-Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies as much as the next person — but when getting into the spirit of the season, you don't have to stop at goodies infused with this gourd's flavor. If you want to celebrate fall in a more visual way, you can also turn to desserts that are shaped like literal pumpkins, which are easier to whip up than you might think.

To turn regular cinnamon rolls into a cute squash shape, all you need are some cinnamon sticks and twine. You'll want to arrange four pieces of twine around your fully-formed but not yet baked rolls, then tie them together over the top of each one, squeezing the dough together a little. After snipping off any extra string, you can bake your rolls according to package directions. The dough will expand according to the shape of your twine, making adorable little pumpkin-shaped treats, over which you can pour your icing and insert cinnamon sticks in the centers to look like the stems.

There are two main ways you can properly distribute your twine around your raw cinnamon rolls. The easiest is to simply lay four strips of string out on a cutting board, plate, or baking sheet, making sure the space between them is even and that they meet in the middle. Then, place one roll over the center, tie your twine over the top, and snip excess string over each knot. However, you can also arrange your string over the top of each roll in the same pattern, then flip your dough over and tie the knots from there. Either way, when you go to bake, place your rolls in the pan with the knots facing down for the cleanest-looking results.

@ourwintonhome

DIY pumpkin shaped cinnamon rolls!🎃 I used pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls some cooking twine, and cinnamon sticks. I also realized you probably don't have to wrap the twine so tightly but it was my first time making them so I didn't know. 🤣 Anyways, all you do is wrap the twine around the cinnamon roll. I wrapped mine 4 different ways to create all the lines in the pumpkin.. once they were done cooking I iced them and stuck a cinnamon stick in the top! That's it.🎃🎃 #halloweenparty #halloweencountdown #fallfood #fallparty #fallrecipes #falldecor #halloweeniscoming #pumpkinspice #fallbaking #halloweenbaking

♬ Monster Mash – Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers

When sourcing your string, look for butcher's twine, which you may also see called kitchen or cooking twine. Unlike baker's twine, which isn't meant for heat, butcher's twine is typically okay to go in the oven. And while a cinnamon stick is a sure-fire fall-flavored stem option, you can also experiment with pretzel sticks (which you can later pluck out and eat) or rolled wafer cookies chopped in half (such as Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice Batons). Just make sure to snip the twine off your fully-baked rolls before you pour on the icing, insert the stems (before your icing solidifies), and dig in.