Hot Chocolate Sweet Rolls

Soft and pillowy dough made with hot cocoa, these Hot Chocolate Sweet Rolls are filled with a hot cocoa filling and topped with marshmallow crème for a cozy breakfast! With only one rise, these chocolate breakfast rolls are a must bake this holiday season!

If you’re looking for more sweet rolls, be sure to check out some of my other favorites like Quick One Rise Cinnamon Rolls From Scratch, Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls, or Small Batch Honey Butter Cinnamon Rolls.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

• Recipe Name: Hot Chocolate Sweet Rolls
• Ready In: 3 hours 50 minutes
• Makes: 8 sweet rolls
• Main Ingredients: instant yeast, all purpose flour, hot cocoa mix, marshmallow creme
• Flavor Profile: creamy hot chocolate filling inside pillow dough with marshmallow topping
• Dietary Info: no seed oils
• Difficulty: Medium
• Why You’ll Love It: fluffy, one-rise dough infused with rich hot cocoa flavor

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Holiday Spin: This recipe for Hot Chocolate Sweet Rolls puts a holiday spin on the classic cinnamon roll.
• Chocolate for Breakfast: These chocolate breakfast rolls are the best way to indulge on a special occasion!
• Cozy: Combine the cozy flavors of hot chocolate with comforting pillowy sweet rolls in this winter recipe!
• One Rise: While most sweet rolls have two rise times, my recipe just has one. This makes them easy to make the day of and enjoy or even easier to prep ahead.
• Prep Ahead: This is a great recipe to prep ahead of time for Christmas morning. You can make the whole recipe down to the step of placing the rolls in the dish. Instead of baking just cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove the rolls from the fridge while the oven preheats and you can bake them off the next morning.

Ingredients

• Yeast: I use active dry yeast. You can also use instant yeast if you’re short on time!
• Hot Chocolate Mix: I use Lake Champlain Organic Hot Chocolate Mix.
• Marshmallow Creme: I top these sweet rolls with Toonie Moonie organic marshmallow creme in place of traditional icing. This makes them not as sweet and also evokes that hot chocolate vibe!
• Dark Chocolate: I shave a little bit of Lake Champlain Organic Dark Chocolate on top as it melts into the marshmallow which makes an extra chocolatey topping!

*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.

Baker’s Tips

• Always use a digital food scale for the best results.
• Make sure to bloom the yeast to ensure it is bubbly before beginning the next step.
• Always use warm water when blooming yeast because water that’s too hot can kill the yeast. Water warmer than 120°F can kill yeast, so just use lukewarm water from the sink and skip your hot water faucet!
• I melt the butter and milk over the stovetop, but you could do this in the microwave if you prefer.
• Always be sure the dough has doubled in size before rolling it out. The visual sign is what you need to look for, no matter the time. The time is just an estimate.
• You can make these ahead of time by prepping everything the day before. Cover the cut rolls with plastic wrap to prevent drying out and store in the fridge overnight. Remove from the fridge while you preheat the oven, they may just take a few extra minutes when baking!
• If you don't want to top these with marshmallow, you can also do something a bit more savory like my Maple Cream Cheese Spread. Or you can go more traditional with my Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting.
• High Altitude — Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

How to Make Hot Chocolate Sweet Rolls

1. To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the yeast, ½ teaspoon cane sugar, and warm water. Stir to combine and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes or until bubbly.

2. In a medium pot over medium heat, add the butter and milk. Stir until completely melted, remove from heat.

3. Add the flour, hot chocolate mix, and salt to the mixing bowl in that order. Next, add the egg and milk mixture.

4. Knead on speed 2 to 4 for 5 minutes, until it's smooth.

5. Place the dough in a greased bowl, add cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

6. Let rise for 1 to 3 hours or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

7. To make the filling: In a bowl, add the butter, cane sugar, and hot chocolate.

8. Mix and stir to combine completely.

9. Generously flour your work surface.

10. Roll out the dough to a rectangle that is about 12 x 16-inches. Using a spatula spread the butter and cocoa mixture all over the rolled out dough.


11. Starting at the larger side, fold the dough over and start to roll the dough until it is completely rolled into a log.

12. Trim off each of the ends, then cut the dough log into 8 cinnamon rolls.

13. Place in a greased baking dish.


14. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the rolls to cool for about 10 minutes.

15. Spread the marshmallow creme on top of the rolls. Using a chocolate shaver, shave the dark chocolate bar on top of the rolls.

Make Ahead Instructions

You can easily make these Hot Chocolate Sweet Rolls ahead of time! You can prep everything down to putting them in the baking dish. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap tightly to prevent the rolls from drying out. Place in the fridge. When you preheat the oven the next morning, remove the rolls so they can come to room temperature. They may need a few more minutes in the oven if the dough is still cold.

Serving Ideas

These Hot Chocolate Sweet Rolls make an amazing brunch over the holidays! Serve with some of my other favorite holiday brunch recipes like:

• Enjoy with Peppermint Mocha Coffee Cake, Frosted Gingerbread Banana Bread, or Frosted Gingerbread Baked Donuts for a more sweet brunch spread.
• Add in some protein with Fluffy Scrambled Eggs With Sour Cream or Maple Turkey Breakfast Sausages.
• Make Healthy Gingerbread Granola With Olive Oil as another great make ahead holiday brunch recipe!

Hot Chocolate Sweet Rolls FAQ’s

More Cozy Winter Recipes

Mexican Hot Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Easy Hot Chocolate Dip

Chai Tea Hot Chocolate

Caramel Hot Cocoa