Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
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Chocolate lovers, you have got to try these chocolate cinnamon rolls! The chocolate dough is filled with a chocolate filling and packed with chocolate chips. These chocolate cinnamon buns are covered with a chocolate cinnamon frosting and so delicious!
There is nothing better than a still warm cinnamon roll. Except maybe for a still warm chocolate cinnamon roll! And if you haven’t made homemade cinnamon rolls before, I promise it’s easy!
Think of these as your classic cinnamon rolls meets all the chocolate. The dough has cocoa powder in it, while the filling has cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate chips! I’ve even made a delicious chocolate cinnamon frosting to go on top.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
- These cinnamon rolls are perfect for chocolate lovers!
- You can easily make these chocolate cinnamon buns dairy-free, so it’s great if you’re like me and have food allergies.
- This recipe makes 9 perfect cinnamon rolls, so it’s a great breakfast or brunch item to have for the holidays or when you’ve got people over.
Ingredients Needed
- Butter: You can use regular butter or dairy-free butter. Make sure it’s softened. I like to take the butter out of the fridge an hour or two before I start baking.
- Milk: Feel free to use regular whole milk or dairy-free milk.
- Chocolate Chips: I love using semisweet chocolate chips but you can also use milk chocolate chips.
- Cocoa Powder: I recommend using unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Egg: Just like the butter, take the egg out of the fridge an hour or two before you start baking. We want it to be room temperature! If you forgot, put the whole egg in a glass of lukewarm water for a few minutes.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Heat ⅔ cup of milk in the microwave so it feels warm but not hot (you want it to be 115°Fahrenheit). Add it to the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast over. Let it sit for 5 minutes, or until it begins to look foamy.
Step 2: Using the paddle attachment, mix in the egg, butter, and sugar on medium speed until almost combined.
Step 3: Add the cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Switch to the dough hook and mix for 5-7 minutes. It should be soft and not super sticky. If it is sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons more flour. If you aren’t using a mixer, knead for 10 minutes by hand on a floured surface.
Step 4: Lightly grease a large bowl. Form the cinnamon roll dough into a loose ball and place it into the bowl. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Step 5: While the dough rests, you can make your filling. Add the butter, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and brown sugar to a medium bowl and mix until combined. This can be done by hand or with a stand mixer or handheld mixer.
Step 6: After an hour, transfer the dough to a lightly floured countertop. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a 10×14-inch rectangle.
Step 7: Use an offset spatula to spread the filling over the dough, leaving a ½ border on the two shorter sides. Sprinkle over the chocolate chips.
Step 8: Starting on the long edge, roll the dough into a log. Cut off ½-1 inch of dough from each end and discard. Making sure the seam side of the log is down, use dental floss to cut the log into 9 even rolls.
Step 9: Transfer the rolls to a 9-inch round baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let them rise for 30 minutes.
Step 10: When you only have 10 minutes left, preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit or 180°Celsius.
Step 11: Pour ⅓ cup of heavy cream (or oat milk if making these rolls dairy-free) over the rolls and bake in the preheated oven for 20-27 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when you gently push a finger into the rolls and they spring back.
Step 12: In a medium bowl, mix all the chocolate cinnamon frosting ingredients together until combined. Spread the warm chocolate rolls and enjoy!
How to Slice Cinnamon Rolls
I know one tricky part of making cinnamon rolls is getting that perfect slice! I’ve found that using a knife can squish the dough down, so instead, let me share how I cut my cinnamon rolls – dental floss! Just use unflavored dental floss to cut the log into 9 equal pieces.
Expert Tips
- I always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out your ingredients, especially your flour! It’s so easy to add too much flour to your cinnamon rolls if you’re using measuring cups, and that’ll make them dry and dense.
- If you don’t have a kitchen scale, then make sure to use the scoop and level method to weigh out both your flour and cocoa powder.
- I’ve used a 9-inch round pan, but you can also use a square 8×8-inch pan.
- To make these chocolate cinnamon rolls dairy-free, just use dairy-free milk and butter. I recommend swapping out oat milk for the heavy cream!
- You’ll know the dough is ready to be rolled out when it has doubled in size. Depending on how warm your kitchen is, it might take longer than an hour!
Storage Instructions
I recommend enjoying these chocolate cinnamon rolls on the day that they’re made. You can store them covered at room temperature for 2 days or 4 days in the fridge. If storing in the fridge, I recommend microwaving them for a few seconds first.
More Brunch Recipes You’ll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Chocolate Cinnamon Dough
- ⅔ cup (167 ml) milk, (regular or dairy free)
- 1½ teaspoons quick-rise (instant) yeast or active dry yeast
- 1 egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup (53 g) butter, softened, (regular or dairy free)
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 2½ cup (313 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (22 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnnamon
- ⅓ cup (84 ml) heavy cream or oat milk – separated, (depending on whether making these dairy free) SEE NOTES
Chocolate Filling
- ¼ cup (53 g) butter, softened, (regular or dairy free)
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (11 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (100 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Cinnamon Frosting
- 2 Tablespoons (11 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 Tablespoons (80 g) butter, softened, (regular or dairy free)
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (32 ml) milk of choice, (regular or dairy free)
Instructions
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
- Heat ⅔ cup of milk in the microwave – it should be heated to 115℉ and feel warm but not hot. Add it to the bowl of a standing mixer, then sprinkle the yeast over top. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until it looks a bit foamy on top.
- Using the paddle attachment on the mixer (or a wooden spoon if not using a mixer), mix in the sugar, egg, and butter on medium speed until mostly combined (there will still be little pieces of butter – that's okay).
- Add in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Use the dough hook to mix for 5-7 minutes (scrape down the sides as needed). The dough should be soft and not too sticky. If the dough is sticky after 7 minutes, add 1-2 tablespoons more flour. If not using a mixer, knead the dough for 10 minutes by hand on a floured surface.
- Lightly grease a large bowl. Form the dough into a loose ball and transfer it to the greased bowl, then cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place and let it rise for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Chocolate Cinnamon Filling
- While the dough rests, add butter, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon to a medium bowl and mix until fully combined. You can do this with a standing mixer, hand mixer, or by hand with a wooden spoon if your butter is soft enough.
- After the dough has risen for 1 hour, transfer it to a lightly floured counter top. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle, around 10 inches wide by 14 inches long.
- Use an offset spatula to spread the filling over the dough, covering it entirely aside from a ½ inch on each of the two shorter sides. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over top of the filling.
- Starting on the long end, roll the dough into a log. Cut off ½-1 inch of dough from each end and discard. Make sure the seam side is down, then use un-flavored dental floss (or a serrated knife, but this will flatten the rolls a little) to cut the log into 9 even rolls.
- Transfer the rolls to a 9 inch round baking dish. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.
- With about 10 minutes left in the rising time, preheat the oven to 350℉ or 180℃.
- When the rolls have risen for 30 minutes, pour ⅓ cup of heavy cream (or oat milk if making these dairy free) over top of them and bake for 20-27 minutes. If you gently push your finger into the middle of one of the rolls, it should spring back when they're ready. This takes 25 minutes in my oven.
Chocolate Cinnamon Frosting
- In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients for the chocolate cinnamon frosting and mix together using a mixer until combined. Spread the frosting over the warm rolls and enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.