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Single chocolate cinnamon roll on a plate.

Gooey Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

These gooey chocolate cinnamon rolls are made with fluffy and soft dough that is filled with a rich chocolate filling and topped with a silky smooth chocolate cream cheese icing.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rise time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 rolls
Calories 477 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

For the dough

  • 5 cups Flour AP or bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon Instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • cup Granulated sugar
  • 1 ¼ cups Milk
  • ¼ cup Butter melted and cooled, unsalted
  • 2 Eggs

For the chocolate filling

  • 3 oz Butter unsalted, room temp
  • 3 tablespoon Cocoa powder
  • ½ cup Powder sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 5.3 oz Dark chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon optional

For the chocolate cream cheese glaze

  • ¼ cup Butter unsalted, room temp
  • 4.2 oz Cream cheese room temp
  • ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups Powdered sugar
  • cup Cocoa powder

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, dry yeast, and granulated sugar. Mix with a spoon until combined. Add the salt, and mix until combined.
  • Add the eggs, room-temperature milk, and cooled melted butter. Start mixing on low until the dough forms.
  • Increase the speed to medium and mix for at least 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and silky.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until it’s doubled in size (or even tripled in size).

Make the chocolate filling

  • In a small mixing bowl, add the butter, dark chocolate, powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder, and microwave for 1 ½ minutes or until it's melted.
  • Mix with a spoon until well combined and until the butter and dark chocolate are completely melted.
  • Punch the dough down and transfer it to a clean floured surface. Sprinkle flour generously on the dough and roll it into a ¼-inch thick rectangle, making sure that the bottom of the dough doesn’t stick to the surface.
  • Spread an even layer of the chocolate filling on the rolled dough.
  • Roll the dough tightly into a log and pinch the edges of the dough to keep the roll sealed tightly. Use a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss and cut the rolls into 12 even rolls.
  • Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan, cover with a towel, and let the rolls rise until doubled in size.
  • Remove the towel, and bake the rolls in a 180c (350f) oven for 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the rolls are a bit browned. Don't overbake these so they won't dry out.

Make the chocolate cream cheese frosting

  • In a medium-sized bowl, add the softened cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. Mix with a spoon or a tiny whisk until creamy and smooth.
  • Top the warm rolls with the cream cheese glaze and serve!

Notes

  • Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and milk. This step ensures that your dough mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
  • Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
  • Don't overheat your milk! Overheating your milk is one of the most common mistakes in making cinnamon rolls. If you heat your milk over 110f, it might kill your yeast and stop your dough from rising.
  • Make sure that your ingredients are fresh! Make sure that your flour and yeast are fresh and not expired. This step ensures that you will have great dough to work with.
  • Be patient! Let the dough rise at least until it doubles its size. The more the dough rises, the more fluffy the cinnamon rolls will be.
  • Make sure that your yeast isn’t expired. You can check if your yeast is expired by mixing a teaspoon of dry yeast with ¼ cup of room temperature water, waiting 10 minutes, and if the yeast has bubbles in it and it puffed a bit, your yeast is alive and good, if there are no bubbles in your yeast mixture, your yeast is probably expired.

Nutrition

Calories: 477kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 10gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 404mgPotassium: 271mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 633IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 5mg
Keyword Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls, chocolate rolls, Chocolate sweet Rolls
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