Easy Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

How to make homemade chocolate cinnamon rolls, soft chocolate rolls dough with a buttery cinnamon chocolate flavored filling mixture, and a delicious chocolate glaze on top! A triple dose of chocolate in this highly satisfying treat.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Ingredients you need
• How to make Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
• Serving Suggestions
• Tips for this recipe
• Storage instructions
• Variations & Substitutions
• Recipe Questions
• More Cinnamon Roll Recipes
• Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Chocolate cinnamon rolls take the classic recipe to the next level, featuring a gooey brioche dough loaded with a buttery, cinnamon-flavored brown sugar mixture and crowned with a luscious cream cheese icing!

I already love the cinnamon rolls recipe so much that I couldn't resist trying out this very chocolatey version! A triple dose of chocolate in this sweet roll that will surely be enjoyed by all chocolate lovers 🍫.

A perfect combination of chocolate-flavored cinnamon rolls buns with a flavored cinnamon chocolate filling and its sweet and easy chocolate glaze.

Craving for more chocolate desserts? Give these a try, Chocolate crêpes, Triple chocolate brownies and chocolate birthday cake.

Ingredients you need

You need these ingredients to make these hot chocolate cinnamon rolls:

• Chocolate bread dough: A mixture of all-purpose flour (or bread flour) with unsweetened cocoa powder and bitter, one egg, whole or 2% milk, unsalted butter, active dry yeast or instant yeast, granulated sugar and salt.
• Chocolate cinnamon sugar filling: Powdered or light brown sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder or melted chocolate chips, ground cinnamon, melted butter or softened butter and vanilla extract.
• Chocolate glaze: Unsweetened cocoa powder, powdered sugar, heavy cream or milk.

How to make Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Here are some quick visual instructions. Don't forget that full recipe instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the recipe card below!

Chocolate roll dough

• Rehydrate the yeast by mixing it with the warm milk and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. (instant yeast can be used directly with dry ingredients, active dry yeast must be rehydrated)
• Place dry ingredients, flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in the large mixing bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
• Then while leaving the mixer running at medium speed, add the other ingredients. Add the egg, melted butter, warm milk, and yeast mixture.
• Knead for about 3 minutes until you have a sticky dough that comes away from the sides and has a soft texture.
• Cover with a clean cloth or plastic wrap and let it rise for about 1h30 to 2 hours until it doubles in size.

Cinnamon chocolate filling

• Place all ingredients, brown sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and cinnamon ground in a medium-sized bowl.
• Mix with a fork until the mixture is homogeneous.

Fill the brioche dough

• Roll out chocolate cinnamon roll dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface or on parchment paper.
• Form a large rectangle about 0.3 - 0.5 mm thick.
• Spread the softened butter over the entire surface of the dough using an angled spatula or spoon,
• Pour in the chocolate cinnamon mixture and spread it over the entire surface with your hands or a spoon to make it stick to the butter.

Shape the rolls

• Gently and tightly roll up the edges of the dough lengthwise to form a long sausage on a lightly floured surface.
• Cut out equal-sized pieces of dough (about 9 to 11 pieces) using a large knife.

Baking

• Place them on a baking dish (like a lasagna dish), making sure to space them out from each other and from the edges.
• Let them grow a second time at room temperature for about 30 minutes to 1 hour until they swell a little.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C and bake the chocolate cinnamon rolls for about 20 minutes. Until they are well puffed up.
• Let them cool down a bit your baked rolls.

Chocolate glaze for cinnamon rolls

• Place all ingredients, powdered sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder and heavy cream in a small bowl.
• Mix with a spoon until you have a smooth, even glaze.
• Pour chocolate glaze over the baked warm rolls and spread with the back of a tablespoon to cover the entire surface.

Serving Suggestions

Treat your friends and family with these brioche buns served on a plate with one of these toppings:

• Fresh fruit such as raspberries or strawberries and a little chantilly.
• Hot chocolate sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• A scoop of vanilla ice cream and crushed pecans.
• A drizzle of salted butter caramel with caramelized cinnamon apples.

Storage instructions

Room temperature: Chocolate cinnamon rolls can be stored for about 1 week at room temperature, covered with a cloth or in an airtight container. You can slightly reheat it in the microwave to give it some softness.

Freeze: Or you can keep this chocolate cinnamon roll even longer, up to 3 months in the freezer in preservation bags. Allow to defrost gently at room temperature, or use your microwave's defrost function.

Recipe Questions

How to make cinnamon rolls ahead of time (overnight process)?

Get a head start by preparing the dough the day before and letting it rise the first time in the fridge or on the second rise. Then all you have to do is bake the brioche.

This technique, known as cold slow fermentation, allows the yeast to work more slowly, which enhances flavor development even further.

In addition to helping you better manage your time in the preparation (as we know making brioche at home is a lengthy process), this technique also yields a softer and much easier-to-handle brioche.

Is chocolate and cinnamon good together?

Cinnamon goes perfectly with many other flavors including chocolate. It comes slightly perfumed the flavor of chocolate.

How do you keep cinnamon rolls moist?

The key to keeping the cinnamon rolls moist is to reduce the cooking time, the more they are cooked the less moist they will be.

How do you get cinnamon rolls to rise?

The cinnamon rolls should rest at room temperature or slightly warm under a tea towel to let the yeast rise. The dough can also rise in the refrigerator but it will take longer, about one night.

More Cinnamon Roll Recipes

I hope you love these chocolate cinnamon buns. If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Happy Baking!

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