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Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls for the win! I never ever thought a basic cinnamon roll could be outdone until I tried them with chocolate! I’ll let you be the judge. So, take a look below and if you love cinnamon rolls, you just have to make them!

 chocolate cinnamon rolls image
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls, Yes!

​They honest to goodness remind me of the cinnamon buns from Cinnabon.  If you have never been to a Cinnabon and there’s one in your area, get you shoes on and track them down!  If you don’t live near a Cinnabon, keep reading and you won’t be disappointed.

cinnamon roll with rolls image
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

What are these Cinnamon Rolls Like

  • Difficulty – These are made with a yeast dough and have a rise time of more than two hours. I’d rate them as a medium difficulty.
  • Taste – A traditional cinnamon roll with a decadent chocolate filling.
  • Serving – This recipe makes 12 cinnamon rolls.
chocolate cinnamon rolls image
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

For the rolls:

  • 1/4 Cup whole milk
  • 1/4 Cup sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons butter melted
  • 1/4 Cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp active dry yeast
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 2 Cups flour

For the filling:

  • 3 Tablespoons butter melted
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 Cup brown sugar
  • 1 Cup semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks

For the Glaze:

  • 1 Cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
  • Chocolate shaving for garnish optional
 chocolate cinnamon rolls image
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Instructions

  1. In a saucepan set over high heat, bring the milk to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the sugar, salt and melted butter. Stir and remove from heat. Leave it until it is lukewarm.
  2. In a large bowl, add the yeast to the warm water. Stir and leave it for just a few minutes. When the milk has cooled enough, pour it into the yeast mixture along with 1/2 of the flour and the beaten egg. Stir to combine until you have a smooth batter. Mix in the rest of the flour. You should have a slightly sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and start to knead it. Do this until the dough becomes quite elastic and bounces back when pressed. Probably about 8 minutes or so. Put the dough back in the large bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Put the dough in a warm place to rise. It will be ready in about one or 1 1/2 hours.
  3. After the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out into a large rectangle. Mine was probably about 10 x 16 inches. Drizzle over the brown sugar mixture and spread it out over the dough. Evenly sprinkle over your chocolate chips or chunks. Roll it up and cut it into 12 slices. Grease a 10 x 10 inch baking dish. Place the rolls in the pan evenly spaced out. Cover them again and return them to a warm space to rise. About another hour.
  4. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20 – 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 10 minutes. While the rolls are cooling, make your glaze. Mix together the powered sugar, milk and vanilla. Pour it over the rolls. Garnish with chocolate shavings if desired.
  5. These are great hot straight out of the oven. Or, you can cover them, refrigerate and rewarm when you would like. They will keep for a couple of days.
chocolate cinnamon rolls image
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Notes about the Cinnamon Rolls

  • Double rise – These are not made in a hurry.  From start to finish you are looking at about three hours.  These are a double rise cinnamon roll recipe and that takes time
  • Looking for a Sticky Dough – It will be sticky.  I find the best way to work with sticky dough, is to flour your hands.  It works a treat and you will be able to manage your dough without adding more flour to it.  Also, when I am rolling out soft dough, I usually use the rolling pin to roll it up and flip it over to make sure it rolls out evenly. 
  • Baking Time – Well, these baked perfectly in just 20 minutes. Check them to see if they need a bit longer.  They will be golden and still soft to touch.  You don’t want to over bake them as this will dry them out.  So keep an eye on them.
  • Type of chocolate – I used semi sweet chocolate chunks in this recipe, but chocolate chips would work as well.  
  • Tips For Cutting the rolls – I usually lightly score the pastry before cutting it after they are rolled up.  Just to try and make them even.  As you can see below, I don’t do very well in that department…ha!  If you want to be a perfectionist, you could even use a ruler.  I’m not that fussy, so I usually just wing it. 
Chocolate cinnamon roll image
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

That really is about it for the Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls.  They are totally delicious and worth all the time while the dough is rising. 

If you happen to be on the hunt for a quicker treat for fall, check out my Traditional Mexican Buñuelos!

Happy baking friends.

chocolate cinnamon rolls image
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

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Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls for the win! I never ever thought a basic cinnamon roll could be outdone until I tried them with chocolate! I'll let you be the judge. So, take a look below and if you love cinnamon rolls, you just have to make them!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
rise time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 40 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: North American
Keyword: cinnamon, cinnamon rolls
Servings: 12 cinnamon rolls
Calories: 271kcal
Author: Julia Pinney

Ingredients

For the rolls:

  • 1/4 Cup whole milk
  • 1/4 Cup sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons butter melted
  • 1/4 Cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp active dry yeast
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 2 Cups flour

For the filling:

  • 3 Tablespoons butter melted
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 Cup brown sugar
  • 1 Cup semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks

For the Glaze:

  • 1 Cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
  • Chocolate shaving for garnish optional

Instructions

  • In a saucepan set over high heat, bring the milk to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the sugar, salt and melted butter. Stir and remove from heat. Leave it until it is lukewarm.
  • In a large bowl, add the yeast to the warm water. Stir and leave it for just a few minutes. When the milk has cooled enough, pour it into the yeast mixture along with 1/2 of the flour and the beaten egg. Stir to combine until you have a smooth batter. Mix in the rest of the flour. You should have a slightly sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and start to knead it. Do this until the dough becomes quite elastic and bounces back when pressed. Probably about 8 minutes or so. Put the dough back in the large bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Put the dough in a warm place to rise. It will be ready in about one or 1 1/2 hours.
  • After the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out into a large rectangle. Mine was probably about 10 x 16 inches. Drizzle over the brown sugar mixture and spread it out over the dough. Evenly sprinkle over your chocolate chips or chunks. Roll it up and cut it into 12 slices. Grease a 10 x 10 inch baking dish. Place the rolls in the pan evenly spaced out. Cover them again and return them to a warm space to rise. About another hour.
  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20 – 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 10 minutes. While the rolls are cooling, make your glaze. Mix together the powered sugar, milk and vanilla. Pour it over the rolls. Garnish with chocolate shavings if desired.
  • These are great hot straight out of the oven. Or, you can cover them, refrigerate and rewarm when you would like. They will keep for a couple of days.

*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Amount Per Serving (1 cinnamon roll)
Calories 271 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 30mg10%
Sodium 250mg11%
Potassium 145mg4%
Carbohydrates 48g16%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 19g21%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 184IU4%
Calcium 34mg3%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Thanks For Stopping By And Hope To See You Soon!

By on September 12th, 2018
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