Scald your milk by heating 3/4 cup of milk over medium high heat in a skillet. Once the milk is simmering, turn the heat off. You should have approximately 1/2 cup left. Measure out the 1/2 cup milk and discard the rest. (The goal is to make the milk not cold. Heating breaks down proteins that prohibit yeast growth. Most milks are pasteurized and ready to use as is, but avoid using cold milk as it will harden the butter and make the rise difficult.)

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water as per package directions for the correct temperature to ensure that you keep your yeast alive (typically between 100-110F).

In a large bowl, mix the 1/2 cup milk, sugar, melted butter, salt, egg, and 1 1/2 Tablespoons pumpkin spice. Add two cups of the flour and mix to combine.

Add in the yeast. Add additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is easy to handle (the amount of flour that you need will vary).

Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. Place the dough into a greased bowl (you can use 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil to coat the bowl you mixed everything in). Cover bowl with saran wrap and then a kitchen towel. Let sit until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 60-90 minutes.

When dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Then put it back on a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 15x9 inches.

Mix the filling of cream cheese, pumpkin puree, and 1 Tbsp pumpkin spice together in a medium bowl. Spread the mixture over the dough in a thin layer. Depending on the exact size of your dough, you may need a little more to coat it all.

Spread the 2 Tablespoons melted butter on top of the cream cheese mixture. Mix the cinnamon with the brown sugar and sprinkle the mixture over the butter. Top with walnuts or pecans if you are using them.

From the long edge, tightly roll the dough all the way to the other long edge and pinch dough together to seal.

Using a serrated knife, cut the log in half. Then cut each half into half again so that you have four equal pieces. Lining up two pieces at a time, cut each into three rolls so that you have a total of 12 rolls.

Coat the bottom of your 9x13" baking dish with some additional melted butter and sugar to coat. Place the cinnamon roll slices close together (four rows of three) in the dish and let them rise until the dough has doubled again, approximately 45 minutes. (If you are making these the night before, once the rolls have doubled in size, cover them in plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator. In the morning, pull them out to warm to room temperature before baking).

Preheat the oven to 350F. Once the rolls have doubled in size, place them in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until they are starting to brown.

While the rolls are baking, prepare the icing. Whisk the cream cheese in a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and maple syrup and whisk in until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Taste and add additional maple syrup if you wish, however go light as you do not want it to overpower the pumpkin spice.

When the rolls are done, let them cool slightly and then top with the icing. Serve warm.