Christmas morning alert! These chocolate rolls with cream cheese frosting are to die for. They are super soft, gooey and decadent and they are perfect for a brunch of after-dinner dessert. If you like cinnamon rolls, then you will definitely want to try these chocolate rolls.
What you need to make chocolate rolls
- A large baking dish – a 9×13 dish will work well, or anything that’s slightly bigger is fine. Here’s the white baking dish that I have from Williams Sonoma that is perfect for this.
- A large mixing bowl – what you might use to make a cake. Anything large enough let some dough rise.
- Measuring cups – I like to go rogue most of the time, but for this recipe, I stick to the measurements and I always get consistent rolls.
- Smaller bowl – like a bowl you might eat cereal in. This is big enough to make your chocolate filling in.
- Rolling pin – necessary to roll out our dough!
Tips for making the chocolate rolls
- You can use active yeast or instant yeast – Either will work for this recipe. I like to use a packet of Fleischmann’s brand. If you use active yeast, you will need to let the yeast sit in a bowl of warm milk for at least 5 minutes to activate it. For instant yeast, it can sit in warm milk for only a minute or two.
- Knead the dough until it feels elastic – to knead the dough, just push and pull it in the bowl for a good five minutes. If the dough is sticking to the bowl or your fingers, sprinkle some more flour into the bowl and knead it into your dough (up to 1/4th cup more). The dough should be elastic and sort of bouncy feeling.
- Let your dough RISE – don’t skip! It’s annoying I know. But letting your dough rest will result in pillowy, plush rolls. Cover the dough with a towel and set a timer!
- Sprinkle your surface and rolling pin with flour – you do NOT want your dough sticking to the counter when you roll it out. Be sure to add a generous sprinkle to the counter top, to the top of your dough, and to your rolling pin to play it safe!
- You can just stir together the chocolate filling in a bowl – be sure to chop up your chocolate into small chunks, and then stir it in with your brown sugar, butter and cocoa butter. Nothing too complicated! Be sure to use dark chocolate or semi sweet (don’t use milk chocolate unless you really want to).
- Make a border with your chocolate filling – The worst part of the roll are the very ends, because they are thin, have less dough and don’t form a proper roll. So, I cut off the ends! And therefore, I don’t spread the chocolate filling all the way to the ends because it will go to waste. So leave a 1-2 inch border on both ends bare.
- Take the chill off of the heavy cream – the cream is PERTINENT and the key to getting the rolls to be puffy and moist. Just pop it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds so it is warm but not hot. Then spoon the cream over all the rolls before you pop them in the oven.
Make the cream cheese frosting (if you want)
Listen, I don’t think these rolls technically need frosting, but they do taste good with it! The chocolate filling is gooey so you can forego, but if you want to make frosting, I recommend a simple cream cheese frosting with butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Just stir it all together in a bowl. Or, you can whip your whipped cream with a mixer first and then add in the butter and sugar.
How to store your chocolate rolls
Cover the baking dish with foil and leave at room temperature. DO NOT frost all of the rolls at once. Only frost the rolls you are immediately eating. The frosting will dry up and coagulate and it just won’t be that good. So keep your frosting in a covered bowl or Tupperware and refrigerate. The rolls can sit out for up to 2 days before they should be refrigerated. But try to consume within 3-4 days before they dry out! You can put the frosting in the microwave for 10 seconds if you want it to heat up a bit.
Other recipes to try
If you liked these chocolate rolls, try out some of these recipes:
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Chocolate Rolls
These chocolate rolls are super gooey, soft and perfect for chocolate lovers. Just like cinnamon rolls, these are perfect for the holidays, but they are stuffed with extra filling, so frosting is optional!
Servings: 14 rolls
Calories: 400kcal
Cost: $30
Equipment
- a 9×13 baking dish or larger
- large mixing bowl
- Rolling Pin
- a counter top
- measuring cups
- small bowl
Ingredients
For the rolls
- 1 cup milk warmed (whole milk or oat milk)
- 2¼ tsps active yeast or instant yeast, like Fleischmann's
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup heavy cream warm
The chocolate filling
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chopped
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
Optional cream cheese frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of warm whole milk into a large mixing bowl (Shoot for about 100℉ milk). Sprinkle the yeast on top of the milk. If using instant yeast, let the yeast sit for about 1 minute. If using active yeast, let it sit for at least 5 minutes before moving on, or up to 30 minute minute. You should see the yeast bubbling in the milk.1 cup milk, 2¼ tsps active yeast
- Add in the eggs, unsalted butter, salt and granulated sugar. Then add the flour. With a rubber spoon or spatula, mix together the ingredients until just combined. Let the mixture rest for about 5 minutes to allow the liquid to absorb into the flour. It will look crumbly at this point.2 eggs, 1 tsp salt, ½ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup unsalted butter, 4 cups all-purpose flour
- Knead the dough for five minutes, making sure to scrape the sides as you go. You may need to add ¼ cup more flour to ensure that the dough is the right consistency. It should be stretchy but not sticky (it will not cling to your fingers or the bowl very much). The dough should feel somewhat elastic and bouncy. Leave the dough in the bowl and cover it up with a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm area for 30 minutes to an hour.
- While the dough is rising, prep the filling. In a small bowl, combine the unsalted butter, brown sugar, dark chocolate, cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Stir until combined. The chopped chocolate may begin to melt.2 tbsp cocoa powder, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup dark chocolate, ½ tsp vanilla extract, ½ cup unsalted butter
- Once 30 minutes have elapsed, sprinkle a counter top or flat surface with some flour and place your dough on it. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a long rectangle, around 24×12, or slightly shorter. The dough should be thick enough still to roll up.
- Spread the chocolate filling all over the dough, but leave the north and south edges of the rectangle without filling, since they will be cut off.
- Carefully roll the dough up, from one long end to the other. You should end the roll with the seam facing down.
- Cut off the first inch or so from both ends of the roll (because they don't have filling and are too small). then divide the remaining roll into 14 smaller rolls with a knife.
- Grease your 9×13 dish with butter or oil. Space out your rolls in the dish. They may be messy and might need some reshaping – that is okay. Cover the dish with a towel and let the rolls rise for 20-40 more minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Before putting the rolls in the oven, pour the warm heavy cream over the dish, getting each roll wet.½ cup heavy cream
- Bake the rolls in the oven (uncovered) in the center rack for 20 minutes. They should be just slightly brown and the pan will look a bit bubbly and wet from the cream.
- While the rolls are baking or cooling, make the frosting. Combine the softened cream cheese, melted butter, powdered sugar and ½ tsp of vanilla extract in a bowl. Mix together with a spoon until everything is incorporated. Serve on top of a hot roll!4 oz cream cheese, ⅓ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup powdered sugar, ½ tsp vanilla extract
Nathan Fleischer
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