These chocolate cinnamon rolls are a sweet treat. They use enriched bread dough filled with a decadent chocolate filling.
They are like individual chocolate babka, soft and tender and super decadent.
The dough
These chocolate sweet rolls use a lightly enriched dough that makes soft bread. If you're a fan of homemade cinnamon rolls but want something different from the classic cinnamon and brown sugar filling, these chocolate rolls are for you! (or go for a fruity version and make blueberry cinnamon rolls.)
It can be worked with by hand or in a stand mixer. It's not quite as enriched as brioche dough but the soft dough still has amazing texture and flavor and doesn't use quite so much butter! If working by hand, know that it does start off as quite a sticky dough. Just keep slapping and folding it until it becomes elastic and strong.
I use a similar one for these red velvet cinnamon rolls, and lemon poppy seed rolls too.
The dough will rise twice, once as a large dough ball and the second time as the shaped buns. The first dough rise can happen at room temperature for same-day chocolate sweet rolls or it can rise slowly in the fridge overnight.
Letting the dough have a cold rise will give it extra flavor. It would then have its second rise at room temperature.
This dough can also be used for savory bread like this pull-apart pesto bread recipe!
The chocolate filling
The chocolate filling is made with real chocolate. Similar to the filling in this sourdough chocolate babka. Some unsweetened cocoa powder is added to enhance the chocolate flavor and a touch of ground cinnamon. Adding cinnamon to the chocolate brings a great flavor contrast.
The chocolate is melted along with some butter, then mixed with powdered sugar for sweetness. It's cooled just until spreadable, then it's generously spread over the sweet dough.
Equipment
Stand mixer - This dough can be made by hand, but a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook makes things a lot easier.
A 9x13 inch baking pan - Or similar sized pan.
Ingredients
Find the actual recipe amounts in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. For this chocolate cinnamon roll recipe, you will need -
The dough
- All-purpose flour. A strong all-purpose flour with a protein level of at least 11%. You can use bread flour too, this will make a chewier bun.
- Yeast. Active dry yeast or instant dry yeast. The yeast used in this recipe can be instant yeast or active dried yeast. Instant yeast will rise faster than active dried yeast. Whichever one you use, it needs to be viable. Usually, the instant yeast sachets are pretty full-proof, but sometimes active dried yeast can lose viability.
- Granulated sugar - The dough itself doesn't make overly sweet rolls, as the main sweetness comes from the filling and topping.
- Eggs - 2 large eggs
- Salt
- Whole milk
- Butter - Just enough softened butter to bring some richness to the buns. This can be salted or unsalted butter.
The filling
- Semi-sweet chocolate
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Vanilla paste or extract
- Salt
Glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla
Baker's schedule
Here are two examples of baking schedules you can follow. Feel free to adapt these times to suit your own schedule.
Option 1 - Same day homemade chocolate cinnamon rolls.
- 9:00 am - Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm milk. Add in the flour, eggs, and salt. Knead, add in butter, and mix for 10-15 minutes. Form into a smooth ball.
- 9:25 am - Place dough in a greased bowl and let the dough rise until doubled.
- 9:30 am - Make the chocolate filling. Cover and let it cool until thickened and spreadable.
- 10:30 am - Roll dough into a rectangle. Spread on the chocolate filling. Roll it up and slice. Place slices in the baking pan and let rise until doubled in size.
- 11:45 am - Bake for around 25 minutes until golden brown. Make the glaze while the rolls are baking.
- 12:15 pm - Glaze the sweet rolls while still warm. Serve.
Option 2 - Overnight dough
- 7 pm - Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm milk. Add in the flour, eggs, and salt. Knead, add in butter, and mix for 10-15 minutes. Form into a smooth ball.
- 7:25 pm - Place dough in a greased bowl and wrap it tightly. Let it rise slowly overnight in the fridge (up to 16 hours.)
- The following day 8 am - Make the chocolate filling. Cover and let it cool until thickened and spreadable.
- 9:00 am -Remove the dough from the fridge. Roll dough into a rectangle. Spread on the chocolate filling. Roll it up and slice. Place slices in the baking pan and let rise until doubled in size.
- 10:30 am- Bake for around 25 minutes. Make the glaze while the rolls are baking.
- 11:am - Glaze the sweet rolls while still warm. Serve.
Method
The dough
In a small saucepan, warm the milk to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C and pour it into a bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the milk. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy, if using instant yeast this step can be skipped.
Add the flour, salt, and eggs to the yeast mixture. Fit the stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment and mix on low speed until a thick dough forms.
Add in the softened butter, a few cubes at a time, and keep mixing on medium speed for around 10 minutes until the dough pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl and is soft and strong.
Once kneaded, form the dough into a dough ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl and cover with compostable plastic wrap or beeswax wrap.
Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, around about 1 to 1 ½ hours. The exact rise time will depend on your room temperature. You can create a warm spot for rising by placing the dough in a turned-off oven next to a mug of boiled water.
If making overnight chocolate cinnamon rolls, the dough can be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to 16 hours.
The filling
In a saucepan over low heat, melt together chocolate and butter. Once melted, remove from the heat, and stir in powdered sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour into a bowl and let it cool until it's a thick and spreadable consistency.
You can put it in the fridge, but not for too long or it will stiffen up too much. It can be softened again by being placed in the microwave for 10 seconds.
Shaping
Grease or line a 9x13inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Punch down the risen dough, then pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with some flour.
If the dough has come from the fridge, it will be very stiff. You can let it warm up to room temperature for 10 minutes first before rolling.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a large rectangle that measures around 12x16inches (30cmx40cm).
Dollop the chocolate mixture over the dough. Use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate out, leaving a 1-inch border.
Carefully roll the dough up from the long side into a log. Cut the log into 12 equal pieces, using unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife.
Place the rolls into the prepared pan. Cover the pan and let the rolls rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
Baking
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C.)
Bake the chocolate rolls for around 25 minutes until deep golden brown. If they are browning too fast, you can cover the top of the rolls loosely with aluminum foil.
Glaze
Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and milk into a pourable glaze. Drizzle it generously over the warm chocolate rolls.
Storing
Leftover chocolate rolls can store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. On the following days, rewarm them gently in the microwave to soften them.
The sweet rolls can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the rolls overnight in the refrigerator and warm them up in the microwave before serving.
More Cinnamon Roll Recipes
Full Recipe
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Soft and tender, these chocolate cinnamon rolls are a sweet treat. they use enriched bread dough, filled with a decadent chocolate filling.
Ingredients
Dough
- 240g (1 cup) whole milk
- 2 ½ teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
- 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 530g (4 ¼ cups* ) all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 85g (6 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
Chocolate Filling
- 170g (6oz) good quality 50-60% dark chocolate
- 85g (6 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 60g (½ cup) powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
Glaze
- 90g (¾ cup) powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, warm the milk to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C and pour it into a bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the milk. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy, if using instant yeast this step can be skipped.
- Add the flour, salt, and eggs to the yeast mixture. Fit the stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment and mix on low speed until a thick dough forms.
- Add in the softened butter, a few cubes at a time, and keep mixing on medium speed for around 10 minutes until the dough pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl and is soft and strong.
- Once kneaded, form the dough into a dough ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl and cover with compostable plastic wrap or beeswax wrap.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, around about 1 to 1 ½ hours. The exact rise time will depend on your room temperature. You can create a warm spot for rising by placing the dough in a turned-off oven next to a mug of boiled water.
- If making overnight chocolate cinnamon rolls, the dough can be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to 16 hours.
- The filling - In a saucepan over low heat, melt together chocolate and butter. Once melted, remove from the heat, and stir in powdered sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Pour into a bowl and let it cool until it's a thick and spreadable consistency. You can put it in the fridge, but not for too long or it will stiffen up too much. It can be softened again by being placed in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Just ensure it's not runny when you spread it on the dough.
- Grease or line a 9x13inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Punch down the risen dough, then pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with some flour. If the dough has come from the fridge, it will be very stiff. You can let it warm up to room temperature for 10 minutes first before rolling.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a large rectangle that measures around 12x16inches (30cmx40cm).
- Dollop the chocolate mixture over the dough. Use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate out, leaving a 1-inch border.
- Carefully roll the dough up from the long side into a log. Cut the log into 12 equal pieces, using unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife.
- Place the rolls into the prepared pan. Cover the pan and let the rolls rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C.)
- Bake the chocolate rolls for around 25 minutes until deep golden brown. If they are browning too fast, you can cover the top of the rolls loosely with aluminum foil.
- While the buns are baking, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and milk into a pourable glaze. Drizzle it generously over the warm chocolate rolls when they come from the oven.
- Leftover chocolate rolls can store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. On the following days, rewarm them gently in the microwave to soften them.
Notes
*The cup sizes are US size which is smaller than metric. For best results, use scales.
The sweet rolls can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the rolls overnight in the refrigerator and warm them up in the microwave before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 415Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 270mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 2gSugar: 22gProtein: 8g
This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist
Mark says
Interested to know if you've tried to develop a chocolate icing glaze.