How To Make Chocolate Sweet Rolls with Vanilla Icing
These chocolate sweet rolls are incredibly decadent and rich… a chocolate lovers dream! Soft chocolate rolls filled with a delicious chocolate filling and then rolled up and baked until gooey. Topped with vanilla icing, they are a wonderful breakfast or even a late night treat! They come together easily with whole food, real ingredients you can feel good about.
Sweet Rolls
I have a definite sweet tooth. Every once in awhile, I am hit with a chocolate craving so intense that can only be satisfied with a rich chocolate dessert…something homemade and decadent. Now, I’ll confess, my usual go to for this is homemade brownies. Because, well, you can’t ever go wrong with brownies! But, every once in awhile, when I have the time, these chocolate sweet rolls do just the trick. They are absolutely divine…kind of like a delicious and unique twist on an Oreo cookie.
You must make them.
Let’s Get Started
First things first, get the dough rolling. It’s all about the dough! For sweet rolls, just keep in mind that you are making an enriched dough, which is made with ingredients like butter, milk, and eggs to keep it soft and pliable. Leaner doughs (like pizza dough) are made with less fat to get that nice crust we all love.
Ingredients
The chocolate dough requires a few simple ingredients:
- All purpose flour
- Butter
- Egg yolks
- Salt
- Honey
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Chocolate Sweet Rolls
- Activate the yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add active dry yeast, sugar, and 1/2 cup warm (around 110 degrees) milk. I use and like this food thermometer for measuring temperature. Mix well and let sit for 5-10 minutes until the yeast has bloomed.
- Once the yeast is activated, begin adding in the rest of the ingredients, minus the flour. Turn the mixer on medium-low speed to begin mixing together. You may have to pause the mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides of the bowl until all the ingredients are properly incorporated.
- Slowly add in the flour, about 1 cup at a time. I find that I usually use 3 cups of flour in this recipe, but it can vary slightly. Just keep in mind that this is a soft dough. It will come together, but will be slightly sticky/tacky. If you feel like the dough isn’t coming together enough, you can add in more flour, 1 tbsp at a time, until it is the right consistency. Just be careful not to add too much flour- you don’t want a dry dough!
- Once the dough is the right consistency, go ahead and let it knead for 6-8 minutes. You will know the dough is ready to rise when you poke it with your finger and it slowly bounces back.
- Lightly grease a small bowl with oil (I use avocado oil). Cover the dough and set it in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours.
Chocolate Sweet Roll Filling
While the dough is completing the first rise, go ahead and mix up the filling. You will need is softened butter, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. Oh, and some chocolate chips!
- In a small bowl, add 1 stick of softened butter, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 cup brown sugar. and 2 tsp of vanilla extract. Mix together until the ingredients are well incorporated. Set aside.
Roll, Fill, Rise and Bake!
Now that you’ve got a nice ball of risen dough, its time to get rolling!
- Begin by lightly dusting your counter with cocoa powder. Set your risen ball of dough on top.
- Using rolling pin, begin rolling out the dough until you have a rough rectangle shape, about 1/4 inch thick. Add the filling mixture on top of the dough, using an offset spatula to spread it out as evenly as possible. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the filling.
3. Starting with a short side, begin rolling the dough slowly, making sure to roll it as tight as you can.
4. Once you have your roll shaped, take a sharp knife and cut slices about an inch thick to create your rolls. Add the chocolate rolls to your preferred baking dish or pan and let rise for another 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once the rolls have risen and are ready to bake, bake them in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until slightly browned on top and cooked through.
6. While the rolls are baking, quickly whip up the vanilla icing. In a small bowl, add 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tbsp melted butter, 2 tsp vanilla extract, and just enough heavy cream to make the icing spreadable. Whisk together until well incorporated and then set aside.
6. Pull from the oven and cue angels singing.
Pour over the rolls and enjoy! I recommend a big glass of milk to go alongside them.
Tips for Success
- I use active dry yeast for the dough, but 1 packet of instant yeast works just fine too.
- The rise time of your dough can vary depending on how warm your house is. My house stays on the cooler side, so I will often will set my bowl in the laundry room near the dryer when it is running. I find the warm and humid environment works great for proofing dough! I have sometimes even been known to turn the dryer on for 5 minutes and let it run, and then pop my bowl of dough inside the dryer with the door cracked to let it proof.
- Make sure to use very soft butter for the filling. Hard butter will be impossible to spread, and melted butter will get absorbed into the dough. Soft butter is key.
How to Store
These sweet rolls can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and kept on the counter to enjoy for up to 3 days.
Can I Make Ahead of Time?
You absolutely can! These can be made a day ahead of time and popped into the fridge overnight to bake for breakfast the next morning. To prep them to bake in the morning, simply pull them out of the fridge and let them sit out on the counter to come to room temperature and rise for at least 30 minutes before putting them in the oven.
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Helpful Links
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Looking for More Favorite Recipes?
- Fudgy Einkorn Brownies
- Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Maple Pecan Granola
- Fluffy Einkorn Buttermilk Pancakes
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Chocolate Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 1 cup warm milk, divided
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 to 4 cups of all purpose flour *see note
- FILLING
- 1 stick of softened butter
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
VANILLA ICING
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- Heavy cream, enough to make icing pourable
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Begin by activating the yeast. To do this, add 1/2 cup of the warm milk to a small bowl. Add 2 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast (or 1 packet if using instant yeast) and 2 tsp of sugar. Stir gently and set aside for 5-10 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom. You will know its ready to add to your dough when the yeast mixture becomes bubbly and foamy.
- In the meantime, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add in the rest of your dough ingredients and begin to mix together. Add in the activated yeast and continue mixing for a few minutes, until dough comes together smoothly. As with most dough recipes, the amount of flour you will use in this recipe will vary. Add 3 cups of flour to begin, and if you think it needs more, add in slowly, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. Keep in mind this is a very soft dough. You want it to come together, but it will still be slightly sticky and tacky.
- Knead the dough on low speed for 5-6 minutes. You will know the dough is ready to rise when you poke it with your finger and it slowly bounces back.
- Once your dough is ready, oil a small bowl with a neutral flavored oil (I typically use avocado oil) and set dough in the bowl to begin rising. Cover and set in a warm spot to rise for 1-2 hours.
- In the meantime, prepare the filling. In a small bowl, add softened butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Mix together until all the ingredients are well incorporated and set aside.
- Once your dough has risen, dust your counter with a light sprinkle of cocoa powder and begin to roll it out into a rough rectangle shape, about 1/4 inch thick.
- Spread your filling evenly across the dough, topping with chocolate chips if desired.
- Beginning at the short end of the rectangle, slowly roll your dough towards you, rolling into a log shape. Roll the dough as tightly as you can and when you get to the end, pinch the edge into the main roll to create a seam.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1 inch sections to create the rolls.
- Add each roll to your pan or baking dish and let rise at least another 30 minutes before baking. I recommend leaving a little space in between each roll to allow them to rise further. If you plan to bake right away, bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned and cooked all the way through.
- To prepare icing, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream. I start with about 1/2 cup of cream and slowly add more, 1 tbsp at a time until the icing is easily spreadable/pourable. Pour the icing over the rolls when they are still warm, but not piping hot from the oven.
- Enjoy!
Notes
*The rise time of your dough can vary greatly depending on how warm your house is. I often will set my bowl in the laundry room near the dryer when it is running. I find the warm and humid environment works great for proofing dough.
