Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls – Deliciously soft and fluffy chocolate rolls filled with a sweet cinnamon sugar swirl and plenty of chocolate chips, then topped with a rich chocolate cream cheese icing. The ultimate indulgent homemade treat!
If you love cinnamon rolls and chocolate, these Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls are an absolute must-try! They have wonderfully soft, fluffy chocolate dough wrapped around a buttery cinnamon sugar filling, with plenty of chocolate chips tucked into every swirl. Each roll is finished with a generous layer of smooth chocolate cream cheese icing for an extra delicious treat.
These homemade rolls are perfect for a cosy weekend breakfast, a special brunch, or an indulgent afternoon treat with a warm cuppa. The dough is surprisingly easy to make, and although it needs a little time to rise, the results are well worth it! You can even prepare the rolls the night before, ready to bake fresh the following morning.
Looking for more delicious sweet roll recipes? Try my Easy Cinnamon Rolls, Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, or Bakewell Sweet Rolls.
Happy baking,
Marsha x
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 360 ml whole milk, warmed to 43°C (110°F)
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 14 g active dry yeast
- 115 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 780 g bread flour
- 50 g cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
For the Filling
- 115 g unsalted butter, partially melted
- 200 g light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 175 g chocolate chips
For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
- 113 g cream cheese, softened
- 28 g unsalted butter, melted
- 125 g icing/powdered sugar
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Dough
- In a large measuring jug, combine the warm milk, granulated sugar, and active dry yeast. Stir gently, then leave for about 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes foamy and bubbly.
- Pour the yeast mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, eggs, and egg yolk, and whisk until combined.
- Add the bread flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until a soft, sticky dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. The dough should feel soft and may stick briefly to your hands, but should pull away cleanly.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased large bowl and cover with clingfilm or a clean tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1–2 hours, or until doubled in size.
For the Filling
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the partially melted butter, light brown sugar, and ground cinnamon until well combined. Set aside.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, gently punch it down to release the air. Transfer it to a lightly floured surface.
- Roll the dough into a large rectangle, approximately 30 × 46cm (12 × 18 inches) and about 6mm (¼-inch) thick, with one of the longer sides facing you. Trim the edges if necessary to create a neat rectangle.
- Spread the cinnamon sugar filling evenly over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the filling.
- Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 equal strips, each approximately 3.8cm (1½ inches) wide. Roll up each strip tightly and arrange the rolls in a lightly greased 23 × 33cm (9 × 13-inch) baking dish.
- Cover the dish loosely with clingfilm or a clean tea towel and leave the rolls to rise in a warm place for another 30 minutes, until noticeably puffed up.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F/Gas 4.
- Remove the covering and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the rolls are set and the centres reach an internal temperature of 88–93°C (190–200°F).
- Place the baking dish on a wire rack and allow the rolls to cool slightly while preparing the icing.
For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and melted butter until smooth and combined.
- Add the icing sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth, creamy, and fully incorporated.
- Spread the icing evenly over the warm cinnamon rolls. Serve and enjoy!
I’d love to hear from you.
Comments
I attempted this and couldn’t get past the milk & yeast. Tried warming the milk and added the sugar & yeast and the yeast was a complete ball. How are you supposed to get the milk, sugar & yeast to mix
The yeast won’t completely combine into the milk and sugar, it will actually form on top. Once it’s activated, no need to stir back into the milk, just pour the yeast and milk into a large bowl and continue the recipe.
Dough never became elastic enough. It kept breaking. Followed the recipe exactly. I’ve made cinnamon rolls many times and I’ve never experienced this problem before. Not sure what happened? Had to throw it away.
Very good choc cin rolls ,I made half according to directions , the other half made with raspberry jam in the centre with white choc chips Yum.
This is a very rich treat! So yummy. Imagine the richest chocolate cake you ever ate….yum!!
This was yummy and so rich and decadent, I could only eat one at a time The texture is soft and fluffy, and the chocolate in the filling melted that it tasted like glaze inside the roll. I didn’t make the glaze anymore because it was sweet and rich enough. Great recipe, will be making this again!