Decadent triple chocolate cinnamon rolls feature delightfully rich chocolate flavor in every layer. Sweet brown sugar chocolate filling clings to layers of pillow soft chocolate dough. And to top it off, you can choose between chocolate cream cheese frosting, espresso glaze, or both as the perfect finishing touch to these rich rolls. These cinnamon rolls are an indulgent breakfast treat perfect for crisp fall mornings or the upcoming holidays!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Chocolatey flavor in every layer (dough, filling, and frosting) makes these rolls supremely decadent.
- Make-ahead friendly recipe. You can prepare them the night before and just pop them in the oven the next morning.
- Two frosting/glaze options (chocolate cream cheese frosting or espresso glaze) give you the flexibility to choose one or the other or both!
- Customizable to your tastes. You can choose the intensity of the chocolatey flavor by using natural or Dutch process cocoa powder. Choose between dark, milk, or semi-sweet chocolate. And finish with chocolate frosting or espresso glaze (or go classic cream cheese frosting).
Ingredients
- Whole milk – for the base of the dough and for thinning the frosting and/or glaze. Make sure the milk is warmed to 100F for the dough to activate the yeast properly.
- Sugar – this recipe calls for granulated sugar in the dough to feed the yeast, brown sugar in the filling to add richer depth, and powdered sugar to thicken the frosting/glaze.
- Yeast – to give the dough its pillowy soft, thick layers. Use dry active yeast.
- Butter – used in all 3 layers to add rich flavor. We opted for Country Crock plant-based olive oil butter to reduce the fat content and it worked just as well as regular butter.
- Eggs – binding agent in the dough that enhances the texture.
- Cocoa powder – you can use either natural cocoa or Dutch process cocoa in this recipe (we opt for a combination of both!) to make intensely chocolate dough, filling, and frosting.
- Flour – to give the dough its gluten structure for beautiful lift and thick, fluffy layers.
- Chocolate – chopped chocolate or chocolate chips work for the filling. We prefer dark chocolate chips, but you can use milk or semi-sweet chocolate as well.
- Cinnamon – it may seem weird pairing cinnamon and chocolate, but it gives these rolls a hint of basic cinnamon rolls.
- Espresso powder – deepens the intensity of the chocolate flavor in the filling. Also is the key ingredient in the espresso glaze.
- Vanilla – touch of sweetness.
- Salt – to enhance all the other flavors in the rolls.
- Cream cheese – we use 1/3 less fat cream cheese to make an indulgent chocolate frosting with less fat content than regular cream cheese.
Tips for Making Triple Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
- Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic and springs back when you apply pressure to prevent over-kneading, which creates dense rolls. If you are using a dough hook, pause every few minutes to test the texture to prevent over-kneading.
- Warm the milk before adding the yeast to properly activate the dry active yeast and achieve proper rising in both the first and second proof.
- Use a ruler or tape measure to roll your dough to the designated 22″x14″ rectangle and to cut the rolled log into roughly equally sized rolls.
- Use dental floss to cut the rolls, instead of a knife, to prevent squishing the rolls.
- Cool the cinnamon rolls at least 10 minutes before frosting. The frosting will be a little melty, so if you prefer a more thick and stiff frosting, cool longer.
How to Make Triple Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Whisk the warm milk, 2 Tbsp sugar, and the yeast together in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes, or until a foam forms on the top.
Add the remaining 2 Tbsp sugar, butter, eggs, salt, cocoa powder, and 1 cup of flour. Mix on medium speed for 1 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the remaining flour and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms. The dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook. Knead the dough on medium-low speed for 6-8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Pause every few minutes to check the consistency. Add flour a few tablespoons at a time if the dough is still sticky and continue kneading.
1st Rise: add the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and rise in a warm area for 2 hours, or until the dough is roughly double in size.
Lightly grease a 9″x13″ baking dish. Roll out the dough to a roughly 22″x14″ rectangle. If you have trouble rolling out the dough, let it rest for 5-10 minutes to let the gluten relax and try again.
Filling: mix the brown sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and espresso powder in a small bowl. Spread the butter onto the rectangle of dough. Sprinkle the filling over the butter, followed by the chopped chocolate.
Form the Rolls: tightly roll the dough into a 22″ long roll. Cut the dough in half and in half again, making 4 smaller rolls. Cut the 4 smaller rolls into thirds to make 12 large rolls. For 16 smaller rolls, cut the 4 smaller rolls in half and then half again.
2nd Rise: cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm area for 1 hour, or until roughly double in size.
Bake: preheat the oven to 350℉. Bake the rolls for 22-26 minutes. Baking time may vary depending on how gooey or baked you like your cinnamon rolls. Cover the rolls loosely with foil about 15 minutes into baking to prevent them from browning too quickly o the top. Once done, cool the rolls in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
Frost the rolls: while the rolls cool, make the chocolate frosting and/or espresso glaze. Frost the rolls and drizzle the glaze over the top of the rolls, if desired. Serve and enjoy!
How to Store
Store leftover chocolate cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. To freeze, wrap unfrosted cinnamon rolls tightly in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe airtight container in the freezer for 1 month.
Recipe Variations
- Cocoa – use natural process cocoa for a lighter chocolate flavor or Dutch process cocoa for an intensely dark chocolate flavor.
- Chocolate – dark, semi-sweet, milk or even white chocolate can be used in the filling.
- Frosting/glaze – we like to use a combination of chocolate cream cheese frosting and espresso glaze for these rolls, but feel free to use a classic vanilla cream cheese frosting or basic powdered sugar glaze instead.
- Yeast – this recipe uses active dry yeast, but you can substitute instant yeast 1:1 to speed up the rise time. Note: we prefer active dry yeast and have NOT tried this recipe using instant yeast.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are several reasons why your cinnamon rolls may not be fluffy, but the most common reason is that the dough did not rise long enough. Another reason may be that you did not properly activate your yeast (it needs warm liquid and sugar to activate) or your yeast is expired, causing the dough to not rise properly. And lastly, you may have kneaded the dough too long, overworking the gluten structure (this is easier to do when using a dough hook in a mixer than kneading by hand).
You can use either active dry yeast or instant yeast in cinnamon rolls. Active dry yeast requires the yeast to be activated in warm water with sugar, while instant yeast can be added right into the dough. Instant yeast also cuts down on the rise time required.
Roll cinnamon rolls tightly for the beautiful visible spirals.
Yes, place cinnamon rolls a few inches apart in the baking dish. They will expand as they undergo the second proof and again when they are cooked, filling in the space that is there.
Yes, you can roll and cut the cinnamon rolls and arrange them in the pan. Then cover them with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight. Take the cinnamon rolls out 1-2 hours before you’re ready to bake them to come to room temperature and finish proofing.
Check out our other breakfast treat recipes
- Chocolate chunk banana muffins
- Coffee rolls
- Chocolate chip banana bread
- Chocolate zucchini muffins
- Chocolate banana muffins
Let us know what you think about our recipe for triple chocolate cinnamon rolls by dropping a comment, star rating, and/or sharing on Pinterest/social media! We really appreciate your help in sharing and rating our recipes, as it allows us to continue to bring delicious and healthy recipes to our community!
Triple Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- stand mixer, with dough hook attachment
- 9×13 rectangular baking pan
Ingredients
Chocolate Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1 c whole milk, warmed to 100℉
- 4 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 4 Tbsp plant-based or unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ c cocoa powder
- 3½ c all purpose flour, plus more for kneading
Chocolate Espresso Filling
- 4 Tbsp plant-based or unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ c light or dark brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp natural or Dutch process cocoa powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp espresso powder
- ½ c semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (or sub mini chocolate chips)
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 oz ⅓ less fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tbsp plant-based or unsalted butter, softened
- ¾-1 c powdered sugar
- ¼ c Dutch process or regular cocoa powder
- 1 tsp whole milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Espresso Glaze
- 3 Tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1-1½ c powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk the warm milk, 2 Tbsp sugar, and the yeast together in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes, or until a foam forms on the top.
- Add the remaining 2 Tbsp sugar, butter, eggs, salt, cocoa powder, and 1 cup of flour. Mix on medium speed for 1 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the remaining flour and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms. The dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook. Knead the dough on medium-low speed for 6-8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Pause every few minutes to check the consistency. Add flour a few tablespoons at a time if the dough is still sticky and continue kneading.
- 1st Rise: add the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and rise in a warm area for 2 hours, or until the dough is roughly double in size.
- Lightly grease a 9"x13" baking dish. Roll out the dough to a roughly 22"x14" rectangle (this doesn't have to be super precise!). If you have trouble rolling out the dough, let it rest for 5-10 minutes to let the gluten relax and try again.
- Filling: mix the brown sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and espresso powder in a small bowl. Spread the butter onto the rectangle of dough. Sprinkle the filling over the butter, followed by the chopped chocolate.
- Form the Rolls: tightly roll the dough into a 22" long roll. Cut the dough in half and in half again, making 4 smaller rolls. Cut the 4 smaller rolls into thirds to make 12 large rolls. For 16 smaller rolls, cut the 4 smaller rolls in half and then half again.
- 2nd Rise: cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm area for 1 hour, or until roughly double in size.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 350℉. Bake the rolls for 22-26 minutes. Bake time may vary depending on how gooey or baked you like your cinnamon rolls. Cover the rolls loosely with foil about 15 minutes into baking to prevent them from browning too quickly o the top. Once done, cool the rolls in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
- Frost the rolls: while the rolls cool, make the chocolate frosting and/or espresso glaze. Frost the rolls and drizzle the glaze over the top of the rolls, if desired. Serve and enjoy!
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