Back in the bakeries I worked at, we couldn’t keep up with the demand for our chocolate rolls—warm, gooey, and packed with rich cocoa and cinnamon, I watched them disappear every morning!
Lucky for you, these outrageously rich chocolate sweet rolls bring that same bakery-quality to your own kitchen! Soft buttery homemade dough, a brown sugar chocolate filling, and a silky chocolate hazelnut glaze. Perfectly plush and ridiculously gooey, they’re like a classic Cinnabon cinnamon roll but with the ultimate chocolate flavor…no bakery trip needed!
Maybe chocolate’s not your thing…did you know you can also make cinnamon rolls with fruit filling? My raspberry blackberry cinnamon rolls have the same soft and fluffy dough as this recipe but are filled with homemade fruit jam!
Let’s Make Them!
1
Make the tangzhong. This step is so simple, whisk together bread flour and water until it forms a paste. I learned this technique in pastry school. It results in perfectly soft and fluffy rolls every time!
2
Combine the wet and dry ingredients. The dough will look rough and be slightly dry until the next step.
3
Knead until smooth and elastic. Mix in the butter, then continue kneading until the dough looks smooth and feels tacky.
4
Rest for 30 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rest.
5
Roll out the dough and spread the chocolate filling across it. Make sure to roll the dough to an even thickness for uniform baking and perfectly shaped rolls!
6
Cut twelve strips, then roll them up! Instead of slicing with a knife or dental floss, I like to roll each piece to create professional-looking cinnamon rolls!
I am obsessed with anything chocolate, and if you are too, you have to try my ultra gooey cookies and cream cinnamon rolls. They are just as chocolatey as this recipe but with a rich Oreo flavor instead!
7
Arrange the rolls in the baking pan. Leave some room in between them so they can rise!
8
Once doubled in size, bake! For extra gooey centers, bake just until the center rolls reach 180°F on a thermometer.
9
Make the rich chocolate icing. You can always top them with a more classic cream cheese frosting like I use on top of my chocolate chip cookie dough rolls, instead!
10
Frost the tops of the rolls while still warm. Garnish the tops with chocolate curls or chocolate pearls, or enjoy as is!
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments; I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you’re there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Fluffy Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls with Nutella Icing
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Tangzhong
- 1/4 cup bread flour
- 3/4 cup water
For the Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 3 2/3 cups bread flour, *See notes below for measuring*
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup heavy cream, room temperature
- 1/3 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- Tangzhong from above
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cool room temperature
For the Chocolate Filling
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
- 3 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
For the Chocolate Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the water and flour. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is a paste-like slurry. Scrape it into a bowl and set it aside until ready to use.1/4 cup (32 g) bread flour, 3/4 cup (155 g) water
- In a stand mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt until combined. Add the cream, milk, egg, vanilla, and tangzhong to the bowl. Knead on low speed for 2 minutes until it forms a rough dough ball.3 2/3 cups (485 g) bread flour, 1/3 cup (66 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons instant yeast, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1/3 cup (78 g) heavy cream, 1/3 cup (78 g) whole milk, 1 (50 g) large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract, Tangzhong from above
- With the mixer running on low, add the softened butter ½ tablespoon at a time, letting it fully incorporate into the dough before adding more. Then continue kneading for another 10 minutes or until the dough looks smooth and elastic.6 tablespoons (54 g) unsalted butter
- Remove the dough from the bowl and pull the sides down into the bottom center to create a smooth round ball. Place it back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.
- Combine the butter, brown sugar, nutella, cocoa powder, and salt until smooth.1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 2/3 cup (133 g) light brown sugar, 1/4 cup (75 g) chocolate hazelnut spread, 3 tablespoons (18 g) dark cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- Place the dough on a floured surface and sprinkle more flour on top. Roll it out into a 21×15 inch rectangle, with the longest side closest to you. Dollop the cocoa filling across the surface of the dough, then use an offset spatula to gently spread it across, leaving a 1/2-inch border clean at the top.
- Use a pizza cutter to cut 12, 1 3/4 inch strips. Roll each strip away from you, then carefully transfer them to a parchment-lined 9×13 baking pan.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set it aside to rise for 1-2 hours or until the rolls double in size. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 F/162 C.
- Bake the rolls for 25-35 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown.
- While the rolls are baking, make the chocolate frosting. Whisk together the powdered sugar, nutella, milk, and vanilla until smooth.1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, 1/4 cup (75 g) chocolate hazelnut spread, 1/4 cup (56 g) whole milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- Let the pan cool on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes, then pour the icing over the tops. Garnish with chocolate pearls, shavings, or sprinkles and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below & tag @cambreabakes on social!
Love this recipe. I was wondering if you have tried using sourdough instead or have a suggestion on how to substitute the yeast with sourdough.
Thanks!!
Hi Phil! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. I have personally never used sourdough in my cinnamon rolls before, but I would try leaving out the yeast and adding 1/3-1 cup of sourdough discard. You may need to compensate with more flour if the dough is too wet. Let me know how they turn out if you try it!
These rolls are amazing! I love the filling, but the dough is unbelievably good! I don’t consider myself an inexperienced baker, but this is by far the best dough I’ve ever made. It’s so soft, flavorful, and easy to work with… I’m going to use it in a hundred different combinations!
I love to hear that, I’m excited to hear what flavor you try next! 🙂
Took these to the office and they were gone in 10 minutes! So good!