Chocolate Rolls

5 from 1 vote

These chocolate rolls are made with an easy sweet dough, then spread with a chocolate filling and chopped chocolate. After baking they are topped with a chocolate glaze!

Prep Time45

Cook Time30

Rising Time2 15

Total Time3 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 456kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

Dough:

4-4 ½ cups (480 - 540 g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar divided
1 cup (240 ml) milk lukewarm (about 120-130°F)
2 large eggs room temperature
6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter softened, cut into tablespoons

For the filling:

½ cup (113 g, 1 stick) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
½ cup (64 g) powdered sugar
¼ cup (21 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chopped

For the glaze:

1 cup (113 g) powdered sugar
¼ cup (21 g) Dutch cocoa powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 Tablespoons milk (or heavy cream)

Instructions

Make the dough

Make dough. In a bowl of your stand mixer with a paddle attachment, stir together the flour (start with 4 cups), yeast, sugar and salt. Add in the eggs and milk and stir to combine. Then add in the softened butter a few pieces at a time and stir to combine until a shaggy dough comes together. Dough will be very sticky and shaggy at this point - do not add more flour at this point. 4-4 ½ cups (480 - 540 g) all-purpose flour 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar 1 cup (240 ml) milk 2 large eggs 6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
Knead the dough. Fit the mixer with a dough hook attachment, and knead on low speed for 8-10 minutes. If the dough is super sticky, add additional flour a little at a time if needed. I always use 4 ½ cups of flour total. If you are kneading the dough by hand, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for longer (12-15 minutes by hand). Dough will be sticky at first, and get less sticky as you knead, so I add extra flour a tablespoon at a time if needed. The dough should still be slightly sticky to the touch but feel smooth and elastic.
Let the dough rise. Lightly grease a large bowl, and place dough into the bowl, turning once to coat. Cover the bowl and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If you're using active dry yeast, the rise time will take longer.
Prepare Pan. Grease a 9x13 baking pan with non stick spray or butter.

Assemble the rolls

Make filling. Place butter, sugar, cocoa, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat until combined. It should be a very soft paste that you will be able to spread easily. ½ cup (113 g, 1 stick) unsalted butter ½ cup (64 g) powdered sugar ¼ cup (21 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Roll out the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll out the dough into a 18x12 inches rectangle.
Spread filling. Spread the dough with the softened butter mixture leaving about a ½-inch border at the top long edge. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the butter, pressing down lightly to adhere. 4 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
Cut rolls. Starting on the long edge with filling, roll up the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the dough to seal. Using a serrated knife cut the log into 12 equal rolls. You can also cut the rolls using a piece of thread or unflavored dental floss, which I find gives the cleanest cuts. I place a long piece of thread underneath the dough, bring up the thread on each side, criss cross it, and then pull the thread through the dough so it cuts right through leaving the spiral intact. Place rolls into pan spiral side up. Cover the baking dish and let rise in a warm, draft free place for 45 minutes until the rolls are slightly puffy, and nearly doubled in size. If you used active dry yeast, the second rise time will be near 75 minutes.

Bake and glaze the rolls.

Bake rolls. Near the end of the second rise time, position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Bake rolls in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Let cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then spread glaze on.
Make the glaze. In a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla and milk. Adjust the consistency if needed by adding a bit more milk. Spread on top of the cinnamon rolls. 1 cup (113 g) powdered sugar ¼ cup (21 g) Dutch cocoa powder ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 3-4 Tablespoons milk (or heavy cream)

Notes

Storage: Store leftover rolls covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. Warm before serving for best texture. If you do decide to top with a cream cheese version always store in the refrigerator.
Make-ahead: You can assemble the rolls, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, let them sit at room temperature for about 45–60 minutes before baking.
Milk: Warm the milk to about 120–130°F. It should feel warm to the touch but not hot. I recommend and use whole milk.
Instant yeast: You can use active dry yeast instead, but plan for longer rise times. For active dry yeast I only heat the milk to 110oF.
Unsalted butter: Make sure it’s not hotter than 110°F for the dough so it doesn’t harm the yeast. You can also use salted butter. Just reduce the added salt. For the filling you want soft butter so it’s easy to spread onto the dough without tearing it.
All-purpose flour: Spoon and level for best results. Start with the lower amount and add more only if needed. For any bread recipe I highly recommend a kitchen scale and to weigh your flour.
Salt - I like fine sea salt but a kosher salt also works. I don’t prefer table salt for the flavor and since it’s so fine in texture I would use a little less.
Dutch-process cocoa powder: Gives the filling and glaze deeper chocolate flavor. Natural cocoa powder works if needed.
Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped: Chopping the chocolate helps it melt into the filling as the rolls bake. I don’t recommend chocolate chips as they hold their shape but you could try quality chocolate chips. Mini chocolate chips would work best.

Nutrition