The smell of Chocolate Rolls baking is the ultimate comfort aroma! Soft and fluffy, these rolls are made with a simple vegan brioche dough, filled with a rich chocolate spread and glazed with a delicious icing.
Jump to:
My chocolate rolls are:
- Full of chocolate,
- Delicious for breakfast, dessert or an indulgent snack,
- Vegan!
Perfect for anytime and a blast with the little ones, this recipe comes with step-by-step photos, ingredient substitutions and a how to video.
Make chocolate your love language and bake these rolls today!
Looking for a different flavor? Check out my orange cinnamon rolls: vegan and gooey, you can choose between beautiful pink blood oranges or navel oranges when making.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Dough Ingredients
You can check a list of substitutions in the vegan brioche dough post.
If for any reason you don’t want to make the dough above vegan, these are the possible ingredient substitutions:
Vegan milk. Use dairy milk, 2%.
Vegan butter/margarine. Use dairy butter, unsalted.
Chocolate Filling
I use a vegan chocolate spread plus vegan chocolate chips for the filling. You can choose your favorite brand.
If making it vegan, don’t forget to always check the ingredients.
Cinnamon powder is optional.
Chocolate Glaze
Vegan butter. Use unsalted, and don’t forget to melt it for the glaze to work.
Cocoa Powder. Use 100% cocoa powder. Both normal and dutch-processed work for the recipe.
Powdered Sugar. It needs to be powdered sugar. Granulated or brown sugar won’t work as substitutes.
Vanilla extract. Enhances flavor. Choose a good vanilla extract for the best taste.
Water. Add the exact amount or the glaze won’t set properly. It needs to be hot: boiling water makes the cocoa bloom and mix easier with the ingredients.
How to Make It
Making these chocolate rolls is easy! Knead the dough properly and you’ve done the hardest part already.
Make the dough. Follow all instructions for making the dough. I recommend using my vegan brioche dough for this recipe, but you can use your favorite brioche dough recipe if you have one.
Opening the dough. After the first rise, you’ll need to roll the dough open. Do that on a clean surface, using a rolling pin or any clean bottle. Roll it open aiming for a rectangular shape.
- If you prefer more fluffy, bread-like chocolate rolls, open the dough to a ¾ inch thick. If you’re more into a chewy roll with lots of swirls, open the dough thin, rolling it into a ¼ inch thick.
Add filling. Spread the chosen chocolate filling with the help of a spoon or spatula. Do that evenly through all the dough but a margin of about 1 inch along the long side. Leaving that space with no spreading helps to seal the dough after rolling.
Add chocolate chips evenly through the dough. Same goes for cinnamon powder if you’re using.
Roll it closed. Roll the dough closed, pinching the edge to seal it shut. As you roll the dough, don’t forget to stretch it towards you and over so it stays tight and not floppy.
Slicing the rolls. Use a sharp knife, a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss for slicing the chocolate rolls. If using a knife, do so with sweeping motions and not sawing ones for the best result.
Second rise. Place chocolate rolls in a lined baking pan. Leave enough space between each roll to allow them to grow properly. ¼ inch between each is enough. Cover the rolls and let them rise for about 45 minutes more, or until they look light and puffy.
Baking. Bake rolls for 25 minutes, until they’re golden at the top. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes before starting with the glaze.
Making Chocolate Glaze
Don’t make this glaze ahead of time. Make it as soon as you’ll use it, as it set pretty quick.
- Melt vegan butter. Add cocoa powder, mixing until combined.
- Pour it over powdered sugar, stirring the mixture until some of the sugar is incorporated.
- Add boiling water and vanilla extract, and stir until all ingredients are full combined, and the glaze is smooth with no hard lumps.
- When ready, spread over the warm chocolate rolls with the help of a spatula or spoon.
- Serve rolls warm!
Making Sure You Don’t Get Dry Rolls
Even if you’re measuring the flour the right way when using cups, you can still get a bit more flour the recipe asks for.
Instead of adding the total amount of flour asked, add only 4 cups. Only use the remaining ¼ cup if the dough feels too sticky.
Making Ahead of Time
You can make this dough ahead of time. Making it the night before can be of great help, and will enhance the dough flavor as well.
How to do that:
- Follow the instructions for making the dough.
- Let it rise for about 1 hour in room temperature.
- Store dough it the fridge, making sure it’s well covered. You can store it overnight for up to 3 days.
- Proceed with the recipe when ready.
FAQ
Yes, you need to knead this dough. Kneading it will make sure it has enough gluten developed, ensuring a proper rising and texture.
No, I don’t recommend a food processor for making this dough. If you don’t have a stand mixer for kneading, do so by hand.
If you’re using active dry yeast, you’ll need to increase the amount a bit, as well as proof it before beginning. Use 2 ½ teaspoons of active dry yeast, and proof it using ⅓ cup of the lukewarm vegan milk asked for in the recipe along with 1 tablespoon of sugar.
To measure correctly your flour, spoon it into a measuring cup and use a knife to level it off. Never forget to level it off, and never add less than necessary to fill the cup completely.
Nutella is not vegan. It contains whey and skim milk, making it not suitable for a vegan diet.
Storing and Freezing
Always store chocolate rolls in an airthight container. Make sure the container is well shut. They will last around 3 days.
There’s no need to store inside the fridge.
Reheat them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds each to warm them back up, before eating.
You can freeze these cinnamon rolls. For that, you’ll need a freezer-safe airtight container or bag. Freeze rolls as soon as they cool for the best result. Seal the container/bag shut before freezing.
Thaw rolls in the refrigerator overnight, or on the counter for about 1 hour, then warm them up in the microwave.
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Rolls
The smell of Chocolate Rolls baking is the ultimate comfort aroma! Soft and fluffy, these rolls are made with a simple vegan brioche dough, filled with a rich chocolate spread and glazed with a delicious icing.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (535g)
- 1 teaspoon salt (6g)
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar (24g)
- 2 teaspoon instant yeast (6g)
- 1 ⅓ cup soy or oat milk, luckewarm (315ml)
- ½ cup vegan butter or margarine, room temperature (113g)
For the Filling
- About 1 cup vegan chocolate spread
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips or chunks
For the Glaze
- 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 3 1⁄2 melted vegan butter or margarine
- 1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon boiling water
Instructions
- Follow all instructions for making the dough here. I recommend using my vegan brioche dough for this recipe, but you can use your favorite brioche dough recipe if you have one.
- Let dough rise covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until it doubles.
- Line a 9x9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Deflate the dough. Roll the dough open on a clean surface, using a rolling pin or any clean bottle. Roll it open aiming for a rectangular shape.
- Evenly spread the vegan chocolate spread over the opened dough. Remember to leave a 1 inch margin along the long side to help when sealing the dough closed.
- Sprinkle cinnamon powder over it if using, and then do it with the chocolate chips.
- Roll the dough closed, pinching the edges to seal it shut. As you roll the dough, don’t forget to stretch it towards you and over so it stays tight and not floppy.
- Cut the dough into 1 ½ inches rolls and place each roll into prepared baking pan. Leave enough space between each one to allow them to grow properly - ¼ inch is more than enough.
- Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let them rise for 45 minutes. They will look light and puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the rolls for 25 minutes, until they’re lightly golden at the top.
Remove from oven and let them cool for 10 minutes before starting the glaze. - For the chocolate glaze, start by melting the vegan butter or margarine. Add cocoa powder, mixing until combined.
- Pour it over powdered sugar, stirring the mixture until some of the sugar is incorporated. Add boiling water and vanilla extract, and stir until all ingredients are full combined, and the glaze is smooth with no hard lumps.
- Spread it over the warm chocolate rolls with the help of a spatula or spoon.
- Serve rolls warm!
Notes
If you prefer fluffy, bread-like chocolate rolls, open the dough to a ¾ inch thick. If you’re more into a chewy roll with lots of swirls, open the dough thin, rolling it into a ¼ inch thick.
Use a sharp knife, a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss for slicing the chocolate rolls. If using a knife, do so with sweeping motions and not sawing ones for the best result.
Always store chocolate rolls in an airthight container. Make sure the container is well shut. They will last around 3 days.
Nutrition Information
Yield
9Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 646Total Fat 26gSaturated Fat 18gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 39mgSodium 390mgCarbohydrates 95gFiber 4gSugar 44gProtein 9g
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and/or brands used.
Leave a Reply