Nothing beats the smell of Nutella Cinnamon Rolls baking in the oven! Fluffy, gooey and extra chocolaty, these rolls can be made with a homemade dough or using a canned crescent roll dough to speed up things.
Jump to:
Why bake these rolls
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.
These Nutella Rolls are:
- Delicious for breakfast, dessert or snack;
- Full of chocolate;
- You can choose between making them from scratch or using a premade dough!
Make chocolate your love language and bake these rolls today!
Looking for cinnamon rolls with 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
For the filling
Nutella. The star of this recipe, Nutella is my favorite chocolate spread to use for chocolate cinnamon rolls.
Cinnamon. Use ground cinnamon.
Brown sugar. It makes the roll gooey and sweeter. Use dark or light for this recipe.
Chocolate chips or chunks. It's optional, but it makes these rolls even more chocolaty! I love chopping my favorite chocolate bar and adding to the filling, but if you only got chocolate chips, they also work great!
You can make flavor variations using different chocolate chips or chunks:
- Dark chocolate chips: chocolate flavor will be stronger;
- Milk chocolate chips: rolls will be on the sweeter side;
- White chocolate chips: sweeter, and rolls will have a black and white inside;
- Peanut butter chocolate chips: gives you a Nutella peanut butter roll!
For the topping
Butter. It's part of the chocolate topping. Use unsalted.
Cocoa powder. I like to use 100% cocoa powder (either normal and dutch-processed). Hot chocolate powder will give you a sweeter, less on the chocolate side glaze.
Icing sugar. It needs to be icing sugar. Granulated or brown sugar won’t work as substitutes.
Vanilla extract. Choose a good vanilla extract for the best taste.
Water. Don't add more that the recipe asks for, or the glaze won’t set. Use hot water: it makes the cocoa bloom, and it makes the ingredients mix easier.
For the dough
This dough is made using simple ingredients:
- All-purpose flour;
- Butter (can be substituted for margarine);
- Sea salt;
- Granulated sugar;
- Milk (2% or 3.25%);
- Instant yeast;
If you want to try an orange flavored dough that works amazingly with chocolate (and is also vegan!), make the dough of these cinnamon orange rolls.
If you're using a premade dough, Pillsbury crescent rolls dough sheet works great for this recipe.
How to make it
We're starting with the homemade dough. If you're using premade dough, skip to step 5.
Step 1. In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, yeast and milk, mixing until dough is partially formed.
Step 2. Add room temperature butter, and using a stand mixer (on medium speed, dough hook), knead dough for 5 minutes.
You can use your hands to knead the dough. If doing so, knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Dough should feel soft and just a bit tacky.
Step 3. Place dough into a clean bowl, covering it with a plastic wrap or damp towel.
Step 4. Let dough rise for 1h30 in a warm spot. It should double in size.
Step 5. In a lightly floured surface, roll the dough open in a rectangular shape, about ¼ inch thick. If using premade dough, spread it open in a clean surface.
Step 6. Spread Nutella, cinnamon, brown sugar and chocolate chips/chunks 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.
Step 7. Roll the dough closed, pinching the edges to seal it shut. As you roll the dough, stretch it towards you and over so it stays tight and not floppy.
Step 8. Cut the dough with a sharp knife into 1 ½ inches rolls and place each roll into prepared baking pan, leaving some space between them.
Step 9. Cover the rolls and let them rise for about 45 minutes more, or until they look light and puffy.
Step 10. Bake rolls for 25 minutes, until they’re lightly golden at the top.
Step 11. Combine melted butter and cocoa powder.
Step 12. Add icing sugar, boiling water and vanilla extract.
Step 13. Stir until all ingredients are full combined, and the glaze is smooth with no hard lumps.
Step 14. Spread over the warm chocolate rolls with the help of a spatula or spoon.
Expert tips
Use a scale when baking. If making the dough from scratch, it's better to use weight instead of cups. 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.
If you're using cups: instead of adding the total amount of flour asked, add only 4 cups. Only add the remaining ¼ cup if the dough feels too sticky.
Slicing the chocolate 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.
For Nutella to be easier to spread, make sure it's not refrigerated. It's harder to work with cold Nutella, so if yours is stored in the fridge, let it resting over the counter for 30 minutes to get to room temperature.
Making ahead of time
You can make this dough ahead of time:
- Let the dough 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 step 5 of 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 the 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.
Storing and freezing
Always store chocolate rolls in an airtight container. They will last for about 3 to 4 days.
For leftovers, reheat each roll in the microwave for about 15 to 20 seconds.
You can freeze these Nutella cinnamon rolls. Use a freezer safe airtight container or bag. Freeze rolls as soon as they cool for the best result. They're god for about 3 months when frozen.
Thaw rolls in the refrigerator overnight, or on the counter for about 1 hour, then warm them up in the microwave.
📖 Recipe
Nutella Chocolate Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 ⅓ cup milk
- ½ cup butter room temperature
For the Filling
- ⅔ cup Nutella
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup brown sugar
For the Glaze
- 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 ½ cup icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon water hot
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, yeast and milk, mixing until dough is partially formed.
- If you're using cups instead of weights: instead of adding the total amount of flour asked, add only 4 cups. Only add the remaining ¼ cup if the dough feels too sticky.
- Add room temperature butter, and using a stand mixer (on medium speed, dough hook), knead dough for 5 minutes. You can use your hands to knead the dough. If doing so, knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Dough should feel soft and just a bit tacky.
- Place dough into a clean bowl, covering it with a plastic wrap or damp towel.
- Let dough rise for 1h30 in a warm spot. It should double in size.
- Line a 9x9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a lightly floured surface, roll the dough open in a rectangular shape, about ¼ inch thick. If using premade dough, spread it open in a clean surface.
- Spread Nutella, cinnamon, brown sugar and chocolate chips/chunks 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.
- Roll the dough closed, pinching the edges to seal it shut. As you roll the dough, 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 when ready to bake.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the rolls for 25 minutes, or until they’re lightly golden at the top.
- For the chocolate glaze, start by mixing melting the butter and cocoa powder until combined.
- Add icing sugar, hot water and vanilla extract, and mix until all ingredients are full combined. Glaze should be smooth, with no hard lumps.
- Spread chocolate glaze over warm chocolate rolls with the help of a spatula or spoon.
Video
Notes
- Dark chocolate chips: chocolate flavor will be stronger;
- Milk chocolate chips: rolls will be on the sweeter side;
- White chocolate chips: sweeter, and rolls will have a black and white inside;
- Peanut butter chocolate chips: gives you a Nutella peanut butter roll!
Leave a Reply