Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

5 from 17 votes

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

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.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Rising time2

Total Time3

Course: Breakfast, brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Cinnamon Rolls

Author: Laura Sandford

Cost: $9

Equipment

Ingredients

Chocolate Cinnamon Roll Dough

¼ cup water (105°F, 40°C)
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
½ cup whole milk (room temperature)
¼ cup granulated sugar
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

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls 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

US Customary - Metric

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 the Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

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 (18x10”), 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 8x8” or 9x9” 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 the Cinnamon Rolls

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
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

Nutritional information calculated for just the rolls without frosting.

Tip: When done flip over onto a baking sheet and let juices go back into rolls.

Ingredient 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 Store Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Store leftover cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave.

Freeze Unbaked Chocolate 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: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled or slightly puffed. Bake 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.

How to Make Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls In Advance

Yes, you can prepare these chocolate cinnamon rolls the night before! Assemble and cut the rolls, place them in the baking dish, then cover and refrigerate them before the second rise.

In the morning, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature and rise until they’re puffed and nearly doubled in size. Then bake and frost according to the recipe.

You can also make the chocolate cream cheese frosting the night before. Store it covered in the refrigerator, then let it come to room temperature while the rolls rise.

Nutrition