What to expect of The Best Homemade Chocolate Rolls Recipe? Fluffy rolls, cinnamon chocolate filling, chocolate cream cheese frosting, less than 45 minutes rising time and made from scratch. With video!
Cinnamon Rolls are one of my favorite weekend brunch situations.
Who doesn’t love weekends, right? I hope you are not trapped in a soul-sucking job where you just survive from weekend to weekend. I had this for many years, and it drove me crazy.
Others were shaking their heads when I told them that I quit my full-time job as a sales and retail director with the responsibility for over 2000 employees.
„But the money!“ or „Think of your career!“ were the sentences I heard the most.
- are easy to make
- require just 40 minutes rising time
- will satisfy your chocolate cravings
- are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert
- are super fluffy, soft, and beyond delicious
Are you eating rolls for breakfast or as a dessert?
If you make this Best Homemade Chocolate Rolls Recipe leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #alsothecrumbsplease on Instagram! Would love to see your snap!
You may also like Soft and Moist Chocolate Banana Muffins, Super Moist Banana Nut Muffins.
- 1 cup milk, lukewarm (240ml)
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar (50g)
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast (9g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (56g)
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (420-480g)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed (100g)
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (85g)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate bars chopped or chips (175g)
- 1/8 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (28g)
- 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened (56g)
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted (120g)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, spooned and leveled (21g)
- 1-2 tbsp milk
Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine milk, sugar, and yeast and stir to combine. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until it starts to get foamy on the surface.
Add eggs, butter, and salt and whisk to combine.
Replace whisk attachment and attach a dough hook. Add 3 1/2 cups flour and stir on medium-low speed until the dough comes together. The dough should be a bit sticky to touch but shouldn't stick to the bowl anymore. If it does stick to the sides of the bowl after a few minutes of kneading, add 1 tbsp of flour at the time (up to 4 cups in total) and mix on low speed until you reach this point. But don't add too much flour or your Chocolate Rolls will be dry.
NOTE: How much flour you need depends on the humidity and temperature where you live, as well as the size of the cups (not every cup is equal and as accurate as a kitchen scale). Make sure that you stay at around 4 cups maximum.
Then turn on medium speed and knead for about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl (brush a few drops of oil in a bowl or use a non-stick spray) and lightly grease the top of the dough. Cover loosely with a dry towel and let rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
Make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 200°F (100°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Roll dough into a 20x18 inch (50x45cm) rectangle. Spread the butter all over it, leaving a 1-inch (2,5cm) border at the long side where you end up rolling. Sprinkle sugar mixture and chocolate on top of the butter evenly. Roll-up long side tightly, cut into 12 equal-sized pieces and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Don't cover rolls. Turn off preheated oven and place rolls in the oven to rise for about 30 minutes, until doubled in size. Leave the wicket ajar.
Remove rolls from the oven, store at room temperature and preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for about 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. After 10-15 minutes of baking, place parchment paper on top of the rolls to prevent them from heavy browning.
Make the frosting: In a medium mixing bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Add powdered sugar and stir to combine. Stir in cocoa until well combined. Stir in 1 tbsp milk at the time until you reach the desired consistency. I added 2 tbsp.
Remove rolls from the oven, let cool for 5-10 minutes and spoon frosting on top of the rolls when they are still warm. I recommend eating the rolls warm. They will stay fresh and soft in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat leftover rolls in the microwave for about 20 seconds before serving.
Recipe Video
Recommendations
- Always use fresh ingredients for the best results.
- Use high-quality cocoa and chocolate.
- Don't add too much flour to chocolate rolls.
- Apply the frosting while the rolls are still warm so it melts some.
Substitutions
Can I Make These Chocolate Rolls Without Milk?
Yes, you can make these chocolate cinnamon rolls without milk. You can replace the milk with almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, or any other milk substitute that works for you. The flavor and texture may be slightly different, but this will still be the best cinnamon roll recipe!
I'm Out Of Light Brown Sugar, What Can I Use Instead?
If you find yourself out of light brown sugar, don't worry you can still make this chocolate roll recipe. If you have dark brown sugar on hand, just mix 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar with 1/4 cup of white sugar and use that.
Another option would be to take 3/4 tbsp or molasses and add it to 1/2 cup of white sugar and mix it well.
Tried this recipe and absolutely loved it! Thanks for making a great recipe!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you like it!
Hi any suggestions on what could be substituted for eggs?
I’m sorry, I’ve never tried rolls without eggs, so I can’t confidentially recommend a substitution.
Oh my goodness – These rolls are AMAZING!!!!!! Everyone couldn’t stop saying how delicious they were. I doubt the pan will last through the night! Perfect directions too! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Sherry! I’m happy that you guys love it as much as we do. Ha, it never survives longer than a day in our house though.
What size pan do you recommend if not to go with the 9×13 like you mentioned?
You can place them in a 9″ baking pan but then they don’t have that much place to rise. Alternatively, you can place them next to each other on a baking sheet.
Hi Sabine,
These rolls look so good! Would you think that proofing them in the fridge overnight would work? I’d like to make these the night before and have these ready to go in the AM to bake for breakfast!
Hi Nick,
Yes, absolutely. You can place them coin the fridge. The next morning, let them come to room temperature and then bake as described. Hope that helps!
Just made them and ate them, they are delicious! Never made a bread or something like that, that succeeded. Made cinnamon rolls once but they were very hard. Those are really fluffy and love the chocolate taste.
Thank you so much, Elise! I’m happy that you like them!
So delicious- was well worth temporarily pausing my diet..thank you Sabine!
Thank you so much, Filiz! I’m happy that it was worth it 🙂
This is going to be a very fine Monday – because we’ll be having these rolls for dinner 😀
That sounds awesome. I hope you like them!
Wow….it was a great experience to make them..but here in India the active yeast took good 20-25 minutes to rise and the proofing/rising the dough also took more time…the original taste/flavour of cinnamon was subdued by cocoa and chocolate ….but I am thankful to you for such a great recipe….
Thank you so much for your feedback! I did not know that there is such a difference. I’m happy that it turned out great.
Hello. Im a baking fan thanks for sharing this recipe. I have tried it but the rolls comes out with too much browning. Nice recipe, will try it again
Hi Angiela, I’m happy that you like this recipe. However, in the recipe, I recommend baking the rolls for about 20-25 minutes until they are lightly browned. Too prevent them from heavy browning, place a piece of parchment paper on top of the rolls to cover them after the first 10-15 minutes (it stands under point 5). This avoids heavy browning. Happy baking 🙂
Great recipe.
I made cinnamon cakes instead of chocolate. They came out very tender.
I’m not such a baking fan, but hey-you got me here!
Thank you so much, Orit! These rolls are my go-to recipe for almost every filling. Cinnamon is still one of the best. I’m happy that you like it 🙂
Hi! This recipe is awesome, thank you!! I have just one question: do you think is possible to freeze them? I’d like to make ahead for a bridal shower 🙂
Hi Sofia,
Thank you so much, I’m glad you like this recipe! It is possible to freeze the baked and unglazed rolls up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, glaze them and warm up in the microwave for about 20 seconds before serving. However, rolls are best eaten fresh.
Happy baking (:
Ok first and foremost, these look absolutely superb Sabine. That delicious chocolate frosting has me drooling. Second of all, good on you for making that decision. All those things that people said to you, I say to myself and I shouldn’t because I want to love every day too 🙂
Thank you so much, Marie! And sorry to cause you some serious cravings. (: It was one of the best decisions in my life. My motto is: When you can dream it, you can do it! Have a great day!