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Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

These incredibly soft and delicious Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls come together in under 90 minutes. Buttery soft, homemade dough is layered with a sweet chocolate brown sugar cinnamon filling. The warm sweetness of the cinnamon complements the rich flavor of the chocolate, creating the perfect balance of flavors. You can top these chocolate cinnamon rolls with a velvety smooth fudge icing, or choose another topping from the options listed in the recipe.

Pillowy soft dough, brown sugar cinnamon filling, freshly chopped chocolate that gets melty and gooey after baking in the oven, and a fudge icing. If you like chocolate, these Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls are for you (and even if you aren’t a huge chocolate fan, I think you need to try these chocolate cinnamon rolls at least once! I think these will convince you to think otherwise 🙂 ).

I could totally see these chocolate cinnamon rolls being a great cinnamon roll for the upcoming Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day brunch. BUT, these would also be fantastic as a hot chocolate cinnamon roll during the cozy winter months. There’s just something about a chocolate sweet roll that will give instant cozy vibes.

Here’s what sets these rolls apart from others

  • These chocolate cinnamon rolls take under 90 minutes to make. That means you can enjoy these the same day you make them. They’d make a great addition to your weekend brunch table! I’m thinking these would also be great for Valentine’s day or Mother’s day!
  • Pillowy soft dough. YES. The key to making these chocolate cinnamon rolls so delicious really is the pillowy soft dough. The key to the dough being so soft lies within the ratio of flour to liquid. These rolls have JUST enough flour to hold their structure together and allow them to be pliable and easily rolled. The addition of butter also helps yield a super tender crumb.
  • The chocolate cinnamon combination just go together. The warm sweetness from the cinnamon compliments the rich, bitter notes from the chocolate. This creates a perfect balance of flavors and a truly delightful flavor experience.

The Components

The dough:

These chocolate cinnamon rolls use a rich dough. What exactly is a rich dough? Rich doughs are doughs that use fats like milk, butter and eggs. Some of my favorite cinnamon rolls, like these Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls (these taste just like, or even better than Cinnabon), my 1 -hour super soft Cinnamon Rolls, and my Almond Croissant Cinnamon Rolls.

A rich dough lends to a much softer bread, with more flavor. It’s the perfect dough to use in cinnamon rolls. I actually use my enriched dough recipe in my soft sandwich bread and honey butter rolls as well. Okay, now I’m hungry thinking about all of this delicious bread!

the filling:

The chocolate cinnamon rolls use both cocoa powder as well as freshly chopped semi-sweet chocolate in the filling. The cocoa powder helps to intensify the chocolate flavor, while the chopped chocolate adds chocolate flavor and some sweetness. The chopped chocolate gets melted and gooey after baking, and oh my word! It’s just divine. Think melty chocolate chips in a warm chocolate chip cookie. It’s like that but in your cinnamon roll. SO GOOD!

the icing:

I chose to pair these chocolate cinnamon rolls with a fudge icing. I, personally didn’t feel the fudge frosting added too much chocolate flavor to these. However, if you want to use a different icing on these chocolate cinnamon rolls, you can certainly pair these with the cream cheese icing I use in my 1-hour cinnamon rolls, or vanilla icing I use on my Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls. Both would be delicious!

Ingredients

Here is what you will need to make these delicious Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls.

  • Dough:
    • whole milk
    • instant dry yeast, or active dry yeast
    • granulated sugar
    • large egg
    • bread flour, or all-purpose
    • salt
    • unsalted butter, softened
  • After Rising:
    • heavy cream
  • Filling:
    • unsalted butter, softened
    • brown sugar
    • ground cinnamon
    • unsweetened cocoa powder
    • semi-sweet chocolate
  • Fudge Frosting:
    • unsalted butter
    • powdered sugar
    • cocoa powder

Which type of flour is best for these chocolate cinnamon rolls?

Recently, I began using bread flour to make my cinnamon rolls. Bread flour lends to a much softer, taller cinnamon roll with a slight bit of chewy texture. Now it’s not like a chewy bagel. It’s just a slight texture difference from the all-purpose flour, thanks to the increased strength from the higher protein content. I like the contrast of the slightly stronger texture in the rolls with the soft buttery filing and icing.

With that being said, all-purpose flour works just as well. I just find my rolls seem to be a bit taller and fluffier with bread flour. I’ve made plenty of really delicious rolls with just all-purpose flour. You can also use a blend of half all-purpose flour and half bread flour.

What type of yeast is best for these chocolate cinnamon rolls?

Honestly, this probably comes down to a preference. I personally like using instant yeast for almost all of my bread recipes. Instant yeast has a faster rise time than active dry yeast, plus you can mix it directly into the ingredients. You don’t need to worry about an activation time. My time is always limited with my four sweet, but wild little kids, so I always need methods and tricks for saving time when I am baking and cooking.

Active dry yeast needs an activation time in order to work. This means that it needs to be mixed with a warm liquid (in this case the milk in the recipe). I like to make sure the milk or warm liquid is in the temperature range of 108 – 112 degrees F. This temperature zone is the perfect temperature to activate the yeast without killing it. After adding the warm liquid and sugar to the yeast, let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. The surface should appear frothy, as the yeast has begun working and expanded. You can also smell the yeast.

What is the best way to store leftovers?

If you think you will have leftover chocolate cinnamon rolls, only put icing on the chocolate cinnamon rolls you plan to eat, or just ice them one at a time as you eat them. Store the leftovers, WITHOUT icing, wrapped up in plastic wrap. Essentially you want to keep the air out, because the air makes the bread become dry.

After wrapping the chocolate cinnamon rolls in plastic wrap, place the wrapped rolls in a zip-top bag or airtight container. Store icing in a separate airtight container.

Once you are ready to enjoy one, unwrap it and heat it in the oven or in the microwave. To reheat in the oven, turn oven on to 350F. Place chocolate cinnamon rolls in a baking dish. Sprinkle water over top of rolls, and place 1 tablespoon water in baking pan, OR place a small pat of butter on top of the rolls. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through. Frost the chocolate cinnamon rolls with icing and enjoy!

Can I Make These Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls Overnight?

These Chocolate Cinnamon Cinnamon Rolls can be made overnight. For the instructions on how to do so, use this recipe Overnight Cinnamon Rolls. Just follow the instructions in the overnight cinnamon rolls after step 5 in this chocolate cinnamon rolls recipe.

Here are a few other cinnamon roll recipes you may enjoy

Let me know what you thought!

If you make these Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls, let me know what you thought in the comments and ratings below. I always appreciate your feedback and truly enjoy reading all of your comments!

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Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls


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  • Author: Jolene
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 9 1x

Description

These incredibly soft and delicious Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls come together in under 90 minutes. Buttery soft, homemade dough is layered with a sweet chocolate brown sugar cinnamon filling. The warm sweetness of the cinnamon complements the rich flavor of the chocolate, creating the perfect balance of flavors. You can top these rolls with a velvety smooth fudge icing, or choose another topping from the options listed in the recipe.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Dough:

  • 1 cup warm whole milk (warmed to 110F) (240 grams)
  • 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant dry yeast (7 grams)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 3/4 cups bread flour, or all-purpose
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (3 grams)
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

After Rising:

  • 1/3 cup heavy cream (80 grams)

Filling:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar (165 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Fudge Frosting:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the warm milk, yeast, sugar, flour, salt, egg and softened butter. Knead the dough for 5 minutes on medium-low speed. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand. If kneading by hand, knead the dough for 10 minutes. Please note, the dough is soft.

2. Transfer the dough to a large, greased bowl. Spray the top of the dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes (I recommend turning your oven on. Once the temperature reaches 100F, turn your oven off. Place the covered dough in the warm oven).

3. Make the filling. In a bowl, beat together the cocoa powder, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

4. Punch the dough down and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 12×18 inch rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the dough. Roll up into a log, starting at the short end.

5. Cut the log into 9 roughly equal pieces. Place into a greased 9×9 inch pan. Cover with plastic wrap.

6. Turn oven on to 350F. Once the oven reaches temperature, uncover the cinnamon rolls. Pour heavy cream over tops of cinnamon rolls. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

7. Make the icing. Using a handheld mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. If the icing is too thick, you can add 1-2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream.

8. Spread the icing over the cinnamon rolls while they are warm. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Measuring the flour: Make sure you use a spoon to scoop the flour into your measuring cup. Gently pile it into the cup until it forms a heap at the top. You do not want to pack the flour in, as this can lead to tough rolls. Use the back of a knife to level off the cup of flour.

What type of yeast should I use? This recipe calls for instant yeast. Instant yeast does not need an activation time. I still like to add the yeast to my mixing bowl followed by the warm milk and sugar. I let it sit for a minute or so while I measure out the flour. Just make sure the milk is between 108 – 112 degrees F.

Active Dry Yeast: If you have active dry yeast on hand, feel free to use this instead. Substitute in a one to one ratio. The active dry yeast, DOES need an activation time. Add the yeast along with the milk and  sugar to your mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and allow the mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes, or until the mixture is frothy in appearance. This means the yeast is active and ready to use. Active dry yeast does rise slower than instant, so you will have to add an additional 15 minutes of rise time if using active dry yeast.

What if my dough doesn’t rise? If your dough does not rise, there are only a couple of different reasons for this. If you use active dry yeast, you need to make sure it is active and frothy in appearance before using. If it does not get frothy in appearance, it means the yeast is not working, and you will have to discard it. This could happen for two different reasons. Either the yeast was old and expired, or the warm milk was too hot. I recommend keeping the milk temperature between 108-112F.

Second rise I know it seems weird that the second rise is very minimal. The reason they don’t need a long rise is because a longer second rise can make the rolls too airy. This is great for some things like pizza dough, However, you want your cinnamon rolls to have more of that tighter crumb and softer, denser texture. You don’t want large air pockets in your cinnamon rolls. The rolls do continue to rise and expand in the oven as they bake, which gives them the perfect amount of softness.

What type of flour should I use? Bread flour has a higher protein content, which means the flour is able to form a stronger structure in the cinnamon roll dough than all-purpose flour. This results in taller, softer, fluffier cinnamon rolls. All-purpose flour works great, though too! I have made plenty of rolls with just all-purpose flour. You can also use a blend of half bread flour and half all-purpose flour.

Freezing the Cinnamon Rolls: After baking the cinnamon rolls, allow them to fully cool to room temperature. Once they are cool, place them in a zip-top bag and close. Place in your freezer until they are ready to use. The night before you are ready to eat these, place them in the refrigerator to thaw. You can reheat the cinnamon rolls in your oven or in the microwave. Make the icing fresh and spread over top of the warm rolls.

  • Prep Time: 55
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

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