Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls – Deliciously soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls that are loaded with chocolate flavour, and generously filled with a cinnamon sugar swirl. 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 filled with a sweet cinnamon sugar swirl.

The filling is also studded with chocolate chips, and the rolls are topped with a chocolate cream cheese icing.

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 Fudgy Brownie Cookies.

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 Dough:

• Whole milk: Warmed to about 43C/110F. Full-fat milk is best for the richest-tasting cinnamon rolls.
• Granulated sugar: To feed the yeast and sweeten the dough.
• Dry active yeast: You’ll need 4 and 1/2 teaspoons (14g or 2 sachets).
• Unsalted butter: Melted and cooled to room temperature.
• Large eggs + egg yolk: The extra egg yolk adds moisture and richness to the rolls.
• Bread flour: Makes for the softest, fluffiest rolls!
• Cocoa powder: I love and use Dr. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder.
• Salt

For the filling:

• Unsalted butter: Partially melted. Not melting the butter completely results in a more spreadable filling without being runny.
• 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: Melted.
• Icing/powdered sugar
• Cocoa powder
• Vanilla extract

How to make Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

To make these rolls, simply grab a large measuring jug and stir together the milk, sugar, and yeast. Set aside and allow the yeast to foam and bubble up – about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, add the milk mixture, butter, eggs, and yolk, and whisk until combined.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, and mix until a sticky dough forms.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth, elastic, and tacky. Your hand will stick to the dough when kneading, but should come off completely clean.

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

TIP: Preheat the oven to 43C/110F. Once heated, turn the oven off. Place the covered dough inside, and allow to rise in this warm environment.

For the filling, grab a medium 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 well floured surface.

Roll out to a large rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick, making sure the long side is facing towards you. Slice off the edges to make a 12 x 18 inch rectangle.

Spread the filling all over the dough, then sprinkle on the chocolate chips.

Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into twelve 1.5-inch-wide strips. Roll up each strip and place them into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan.

Cover with clingfilm or a tea towel, and leave to rise again in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas 4.

Remove the clingfilm/tea towel and bake the rolls for 30 – 35 minutes, or until golden brown on top and the internal temperature of the rolls reach 88C – 93C (190F – 200F).

Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack whilst preparing the topping.

In a medium mixing bowl, 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 icing evenly over the cinnamon rolls.

Serve warm and enjoy!

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.

These Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls are:

• deliciously soft and fluffy
• super quick and easy to throw together
• loaded with chocolate flavour
• filled with a cinnamon sugar swirl
• topped with a chocolate cream cheese icing

How long will these chocolate cinnamon rolls last? Leftovers can be stored, covered tightly, in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can I freeze these cinnamon rolls? Yes, baked rolls also freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. If desired, warm up before serving.

You can also make these cinnamon rolls ahead of time! Cut into strips, roll up, 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 30 minutes 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 #simplybakeblog. I’d love to see!

Try these bread recipes next!

• Bakewell Sweet Rolls
• Monkey Bread
• Chocolate and Orange Hot Cross Buns
• Easy Cinnamon Rolls

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Originally Published: November, 2019 | Updated: July, 2024