Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls – Deliciously soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls that are loaded with chocolate flavour, and stuffed generously with a cinnamon sugar filling. The BEST chocolate cinnamon rolls!

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls for chocolate lovers – who knew the classic recipe could get any better??

These cinnamon rolls are incredibly soft and fluffy, they’re loaded with chocolate flavour, and generously stuffed with a sweet cinnamon sugar filling.

The filling is also studded with chocolate chips, and the rolls are topped with a chocolate cream cheese frosting. I suppose you could actually call these TRIPLE chocolate cinnamon rolls!

Looking for more chocolate recipes? Check out my Chocolate Sheet Cake, Double Chocolate Muffins, and my White Chocolate Raspberry Tart.

Ingredients you’ll need

Here’s a list of ingredients you’ll need to make these rolls. You can find my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list with their amounts.

For the bread:

• Plain/all-purpose flour
• Cocoa powder: I love and use Dr. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder.
• Instant fast-action yeast: You’ll need 2 and 1/4 teaspoons, which is 7g or 1 sachet.
• Caster/granulated sugar
• Salt
• Whole milk: Warm.
• Unsalted butter: Melted.
• Large egg
• Vanilla extract

For the filling:

• Unsalted butter: Melted.
• Light brown sugar
• Ground cinnamon: You’ll need 2 whole tablespoons.
• Chocolate chips: You can use milk, dark, or semi-sweet.

For the frosting:

• Cream cheese: Softened to room temperature.
• Unsalted butter: Softened to room temperature.
• Icing/powdered sugar
• Cocoa powder
• Vanilla extract

How to make Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

To make these rolls, grab a large mixing bowl, and whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, yeast, sugar, and salt.

Make a well in the centre, and add in the milk, butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix well, then bring everything together with your hands to form a sticky dough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and knead for about 5 minutes or until smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky.

Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with clingfilm, and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 – 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

TIP: To create this warm place for the dough, preheat the oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1. Once heated, turn the oven off. Place the covered dough inside, and allow to rise. The dough will rise quicker than if you left it on the counter.

For the filling, grab a smaller mixing bowl, and mix together the butter, sugar, and cinnamon until combined. Set aside.

Once the dough has doubled in size, gently deflate with your fist, and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a rectangle that’s approximately 20 by 12-inches (about 1/4 inch thick).

Spread the filling all over the dough. Top with the chocolate chips, then starting from a long end, roll up to form a tight log.

Cut into 12 even rolls (or 15 smaller rolls), and place them into a greased 9×13-inch baking tray. Cover with clingfilm, and leave to rise again in a warm place for 1 – 2 more hours.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Bake the rolls for 25 – 30 minutes, or until firm to the touch and cooked through. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack whilst making the topping.

For the topping, mix together the cream cheese and butter until combined. Add the icing sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined.

Spread the frosting over the warm cinnamon rolls. Serve warm or allow to cool completely.

The printable recipe card with the FULL list of ingredients and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.

NOTE: For best results, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup measurements.

Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough, and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.

Tips & tricks for this recipe

Here are a few tips and tricks for making these rolls.

• Make sure you use instant fast-action yeast. It can be mixed right into the dry ingredients, and does not need to be dissolved in warm water before use.
• Add enough flour to form a sticky, but manageable dough. I found 4 cups (500g) to be just right. Remember, we’ll be kneading the dough after to make it more smooth and elastic.
• I use whole milk in this recipe, but if desired, you can use your preferred type of milk.
• This recipe can make 12 big rolls, and up to 15 smaller rolls. It all depends on how you slice up your dough log. There is no wrong way, as long as the rolls are near enough the same size.

These Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls are:

• deliciously soft and fluffy
• super quick and easy to throw together
• loaded with chocolate flavour
• stuffed with a cinnamon sugar filling
• topped with a chocolate cream cheese frosting

How long will these cinnamon rolls last? These rolls can be stored, covered tightly, in the fridge for up to 1 week. If desired, warm up before serving.

Can I freeze these rolls? Yes, they also freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Make ahead of time, and bake on the day you serve them: Cut into rolls and place into the prepared pan as instructed, then cover with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let the rolls rise in a warm place for 1 – 2 hours before baking.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and hashtag it #marshasbakingaddiction. I’d love to see!

Try these bread recipes next!

• Bakewell Sweet Rolls
• Monkey Bread
• Chocolate and Orange Hot Cross Buns
• Maple Pecan Bread Wreath by Domestic Gothess

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