Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Posted Dec 19, 2022, Updated Feb 15, 2024
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The best chocolate cinnamon rolls! A chocolatey cinnamon sugar filling is swirled inside a chocolate cinnamon roll dough and topped with an irresistible chocolate cream cheese frosting.
If you’re looking for a decadent breakfast for serious chocolate lovers then these chocolate cinnamon rolls are for you (also try chocolate waffles, chocolate crepes and chocolate scones)!
This is not your average chocolate cinnamon roll recipe! Every component of these heavenly rolls contains chocolate. There is chocolate inside the cinnamon sugar filling. The cinnamon roll dough itself is deliciously chocolatey. And the chocolate cream cheese frosting is absolutely to die for.
These chocolate cinnamon rolls are the perfect special occasion or holiday breakfast or brunch – sure to impress. Adapted from our famous better-than-Cinnabon cinnamon rolls, I promise you will love them!
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Whole Milk. half and half or 2% milk are good substitutes – I don’t recommend anything with a lower fat content.
- All-purpose flour. bread flour may be used in place of all-purpose flour.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder. dark cocoa powder can be used to make these extra chocolatey.
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter or ghee are both good substitutes for salted butter.
- Light brown sugar. for a richer molasses taste, use dark brown sugar.
- Ground Cinnamon. The quality of cinnamon used in this recipe really matters. Please choose your cinnamon wisely!
- Mini chocolate chips. I like using mini chips because they distribute throughout the dough very well. You can use full-size chips or chopped chocolate, if preferred.
- Cream cheese. Full fat or light cream cheese both work well in this recipe. The higher the fat content, the richer the taste.
- Vanilla extract. Vanilla bean paste is a good substitute for extract.
How to Make Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
This recipe has three different components: chocolate cinnamon roll dough, filling and frosting. We’ll walk through how to make each one step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Make the Dough
Begin by proofing the yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Stir and let sit until foamy (5-10 minutes).
Once the yeast is proofed (foamy) add the milk, ¼ cup sugar, melted butter, egg, and vanilla to the mixture in the bowl of your standing mixer. Use a dough hook to stir until combined.
Note: you can also stir and knead by hand in a large bowl.
Next, add 2 cups of flour, salt, cinnamon and cocoa powder and stir using the dough hook, starting on low and increasing to high.
Then, add more flour ¼ cup at a time until a smooth ball is formed. The dough should be smooth and only slightly tacky to the touch.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead with your hands until it is smooth and elastic (about 3-5 minutes). Then, form it into a ball.
Put the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it with a warm, damp towel and put the bowl in a warm place to rise for 1 hour – or until it has doubled in size or slightly puffed.
Make the Filling
While the dough is rising, make the filing. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Then melt the butter and set aside (It will be brushed on the dough later).
Alternately, you can combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon until mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout). Set aside.
Assemble the Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Sprinkle a large work surface with flour, then gently press the gas out of the dough and form it into a rectangle that’s 18” long and 10” wide (18×10”), and about ¼ inch thick.
Then, fill the dough by using one of two methods:
- Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter all over the dough. Then sprinkle the dough with cinnamon sugar mixture and pat it down gently to insure it sticks. Or
- Spread the filling over the dough using greased hands or a greased spatula. This process can seem difficult, but it gets easier as you spread it.
Once the cinnamon sugar is all over the dough, spread the chocolate chips evenly over the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Tightly roll the dough and cut into 9 equal sized rolls (I recommend measuring by placing a tape measure next to the rolled dough to ensure it’s 18” long, then make marks every 2 inches and cut the rolls to be 2” wide).
Next, line an 8×8” or 9×9” baking dish with parchment paper and lightly grease. Then place rolls in 3 rows of 3, evenly spaced. Cover and let the rolls rise until nearly doubled, or puffed, about 30-60 minutes. They will rise more while they bake.
Bake
While the rolls are rising, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once rolls are doubled in size, bake them in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. They will rise more in the oven.
Make the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Do not chill the frosting. Keep it at room temperature until the cinnamon rolls are baked.
Once the cinnamon rolls have been removed from the oven, spread the cream cheese frosting on them while they are still warm.
Prepare in Advance
- Make the recipe according to the recipe instructions all the way up until you cut the rolls and put them in the baking sheet.
- Tightly wrap the assembled, but not risen, cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap and cover with a damp tea towel or the lid to the baking dish.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, remove the assembled rolls from the refrigerator. Loosen the plastic wrap and let the cinnamon rolls come to room temperature and complete their second rise covered with loose-fitting plastic wrap and a warm, damp tea towel.
- Bake risen rolls according to the recipe!
You can also make the frosting in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Remove it from the refrigerator when you take the rolls out to rise so it can come to room temperature before spreading it on the warm rolls.
Cool & Serve
Let the chocolate cinnamon rolls cool slightly and serve warm. We like serving them alongside our other favorite brunch dishes like this egg bake, quiche recipe, winter fruit salad, and the best frittata.
Store
Store leftover cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Freeze Unbaked Cinnamon Rolls
Once the rolls are assembled in the baking dish before baking – tightly wrap them with plastic wrap and cover them with tinfoil. Then freeze for up to 1 month before baking.
To bake cinnamon rolls after the dough has been frozen:
- Remove the frozen cinnamon roll dough from the freezer the night before you would like to bake them.
- Leave the dough on the counter to come to room temperature and rise until doubled in size.
- After the dough has risen, bake and frost according to the recipe instructions.
Freeze Baked Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Let the rolls cool and freeze them (either frosted or unfrosted) in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator and warm in the microwave or oven.
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can double the recipe and make 12 larger rolls, or two pans of 9 rolls (so 18 rolls total).
Yes, you can use a simple glaze or try this cream cheese frosting, vanilla frosting, or this chocolate buttercream frosting.
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Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- ¼ cup water warm (105 degrees F)
- ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar divided
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- ½ cup whole milk warm (105 degrees F)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Filling:
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter softened
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup salted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
Make the Chocolate Cinnamon Roll Dough
- Combine water, 1 Tablespoon sugar and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir and let sit until foamy (5-10 minutes). (Alternately, you can mix the dough by hand with a wooden spoon in a large bowl).
- Add milk, ¼ cup sugar, melted butter, egg, and vanilla to the mixture in the bowl of your standing mixer. Use a dough hook to stir until combined.
- Add 2 cups flour, salt, cinnamon and cocoa powder and stir with the dough hook, starting on low and increasing to high.
- Add more flour, ¼ cup at a time until a smooth ball is formed. The dough should be smooth and only slightly tacky to the touch.
- Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead with your hands until it is smooth and elastic (about 3-5 minutes). Form it into a ball.
- Grease a large bowl and place the dough inside.
- Cover the bowl with a warm, damp towel and put the bowl in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.
Make the Filling
- While the dough is rising, make the filing. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Then melt the butter and set aside (It will be brushed on the dough later).
- Alternately, you can combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon until mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout). Set aside.
Assemble
- Sprinkle a large work surface with flour.
- Gently press the gas out of the dough and form it into a rectangle.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle that’s 18” long and 10” wide (18×10”), and about ¼ inch thick.
- Either: 1) Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter all over the dough. Then sprinkle the dough with cinnamon sugar mixture and pat it down gently to insure it sticks. Or 2) Spread the filling over the dough using greased hands or a greased spatula. This process can seem difficult, but it gets easier as you spread it.
- Spread the chocolate chips evenly over the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Tightly roll the dough and cut into 9 equal sized rolls (I recommend measuring by placing a tape measure next to the rolled dough to ensure it’s 18” long, then make marks every 2 inches and cut the rolls to be 2” wide).
- Line an 8×8” or 9×9” baking dish with parchment paper and lightly grease. Then place rolls in 3 rows of 3, evenly spaced.
- Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, or slightly puffed about 30-60 minutes (the rolls will rise more while they are baking).
Bake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once rolls are risen, bake them in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. They will rise more in the oven.
Make the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Do not chill the frosting. Keep it at room temperature until the cinnamon rolls are baked.
- Once the cinnamon rolls have been removed from the oven, spread the cream cheese frosting on them while they are still warm.
- Let cool slightly and serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Whole Milk. half and half or 2% milk are good substitutes – I don’t recommend anything with a lower fat content.
- All-purpose flour. bread flour may be used in place of all-purpose flour.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder. dark cocoa powder can be used to make these extra chocolatey.
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter or ghee are both good substitutes for salted butter.
- Light brown sugar. for a richer molasses taste, use dark brown sugar.
- Ground Cinnamon. The quality of cinnamon used in this recipe really matters. Please choose your cinnamon wisely!
- Mini chocolate chips. I like using mini chips because they distribute throughout the dough very well. You can use full-size chips or chopped chocolate, if preferred.
- Cream cheese. Full fat or light cream cheese both work well in this recipe. The higher the fat content, the richer the taste.
- Vanilla extract. Vanilla bean paste is a good substitute for extract.
- Make the recipe according to the recipe instructions all the way up until you cut the rolls and put them in the baking sheet.
- Tightly wrap the assembled, but not risen, cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap and cover with a damp tea towel or the lid to the baking dish.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, remove the assembled rolls from the refrigerator. Loosen the plastic wrap and let the cinnamon rolls come to room temperature and complete their second rise covered with loose-fitting plastic wrap and a warm, damp tea towel.
- Bake risen rolls according to the recipe!
To bake cinnamon rolls after the dough has been frozen:
- Remove the frozen cinnamon roll dough from the freezer the night before you would like to bake them.
- Leave the dough on the counter to come to room temperature and rise until doubled in size or slightly puffed (they will rise more while baking).
- After the dough has risen, bake and frost according to the recipe instructions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe for Christmas morning for my chocolate – loving daughters. It was a HUGE hit! They were so fudgy and decadent! Definitely saving this recipe!
It was really good. I used a sticky toffee instead of the cream cheese.
I love your original cinnamon roll recipe, and even though we’re living in a little travel trailer now, I’d LOVE to try this; they look SO SO Good.