Whether you slowly unwrap this feather-soft sweet roll to reveal the rich chocolate filling or jump right in and take a huge bite, the buttery dark chocolate layer will surprise you with its bold flavor and subtle sweetness, balancing perfectly with the roll.
It’s hard to actually describe the flavor of these pastries. My husband thought I’d added coffee (I didn’t) and the closest thing I could compare it to was brownie batter (my favorite) though not as sweet. And they aren’t gooey!
I made my rolls heart-shaped for Valentine’s Day. If you want to create heart rolls but don’t happen to have 24 mini heart pans (I know, I know) you can put the rounds in one large heart-shaped cake pan. If you don’t have a heart pan, bake them just like cinnamon rolls in a large baking pan, glaze them, and add Valentine sprinkles. Improvise!
And, of course, these are great for other occasions. Who doesn’t like chocolate? A few chocolate jimmies look very nice and kind of advertise what’s inside, so no one is expecting cinnamon.
This roll recipe really is easy. It’s time-consuming because it has to rise twice, but seriously, there’s nothing hard about it at all.
| Chocolate-Filled Sweet Rolls | Print |
- DOUGH:
- ¾ cup milk (I use whole milk)
- ¼ cup shortening
- ¼ cup butter
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup very warm water
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- ⅓ cup plus ½ teaspoon sugar, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 5 - 5½ cups all-purpose flour
- FILLING:
- 7 ounces dark chocolate
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter
- ½ cup sugar
- GLAZE:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- DOUGH: In a small pan over medium-low heat, combine milk, shortening, and butter. Stir occasionally until shortening and butter are melted. Remove from heat and stir in buttermilk.
- In a small cup, combine warm water, yeast, and ½ teaspoon of the sugar. Let it sit until bubbly (about 5 minutes).
- In a large bowl (a sturdy stand mixer is best) combine the milk mixture, yeast mixture, eggs, and ⅓ cup sugar. Switch to a dough hook, if you have one.
- Slowly add 5 cups of flour and the salt. Mix well. The dough should come cleanly away from the side of the bowl. If it doesn't - or is sticky to the touch - add the remaining ½ cup flour. Continue to use the mixer to knead the dough for 5 minutes. If kneading by hand, place dough on floured surface and knead for 7 minutes.
- Place dough in greased bowl, cover, and allow it to rise until doubled . . . about an hour.
- Prepare pans: If using small mini-pans, spray with an oil/flour baking spray. If using a 11x15-inch baking pan, spray lightly and line the bottom with parchment.
- FILLING: In a small saucepan over lowest heat (or in a microwave, in 15-second increments) melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring well.
- Working with half of the dough at a time, roll out to 9x15 inches on a lightly floured surface, with the long side facing you.
- Spread half of the chocolate mixture over the dough. Sprinkle evenly with ¼ cup sugar.
- Beginning with the long edge facing you, roll the dough up. Use a sharp knife to cut 12 equal pieces. (They will each be a little more than 1 inch.)
- Place in prepared pan(s) and repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Heat oven to 400 F. Bake rolls for approximately 20 minutes, or until rich golden brown. While still warm, glaze with the following:
- GLAZE: Combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Adjust if necessary, using powdered sugar or milk, to create a fairly thin glaze. Brush over warm rolls and sprinkle with decorations if desired.
Bubbly yeast! If yours doesn’t do this, check the date on the package.
Once kneaded this dough is so silky soft and elastic!
Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover it. Wait for it . . .
Look at this beautiful dough 1 hour later!
Melt very dark chocolate (use the good stuff!) and butter together.
Roll it out, cover with chocolate and sugar (trust me . . . it’s not too sweet) and roll it up.
Place slices of rolled dough into individual mini pans OR in one large baking pan.
Bake, glaze, and gussy them up with some sprinkles!
I loved these so much I’m getting up at 5:00 AM on Valentine’s Day to make them again. I’m taking them to my weekly weight-loss meeting, bwa ha ha. Guess who’s going after the monthly pot for the most weight lost. Oh, sweet sabotage!
You know what’s coming now, right? Green. Lots and lots of GREEN. And probably booze. Stay tuned.
Lorinda