Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Forget plain cinnamon rolls — these Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Rolls are a Christmas dream! The rich, soft and fluffy chocolate bread rolls have a gooey cinnamon sugar and orange zest filling. They’re coated with a luxurious milk chocolate orange cream cheese frosting and finished with sprinkles for a festive finish and cute pop of colour.

This recipe is kindly sponsored by Menier Chocolate

Ingredients For Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Gather these ingredients to make the chocolate bread dough

• Unsalted butter: Adds richness and a buttery flavour to the dough.
• Whole milk: Provides moisture and richness to the dough, contributing to the soft texture found in cinnamon rolls.
• Fast-action dried yeast: Helps the dough rise and have a light and fluffy texture. Fast-action dried yeast makes this recipe quick to make. Each sachet weighs 11g and can be poured straight into the mixture.
• Eggs: Contribute to the structure and richness of the dough, creating a soft and moist texture. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. We add an extra egg yolk to make the dog extra tender and rich.
• Strong white bread flour: Provides the structure for the cinnamon rolls, resulting in a soft and fluffy texture. You can use plain flour if you don’t have any bread flour available.
• Cocoa powder: Infuses the dough with a deep chocolate flavour, creating a rich and decadent base for the rolls. Menier 100% Cocoa Powder is my go-to for a deep, rich and intense chocolate flavour.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavours in this rcipe.

Ingredients for the orange cinnamon sugar filling:

• Unsalted butter: Worked into the dough to enhance the buttery flavour and create a melted, gooey, cinnamon sugar filling in each swirl.
• Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness and a caramel-like flavour to the filling.
• Cinnamon: An essential in cinnamon rolls! This helps to infuse the rolls with warm, aromatic spice, creating a flavourful and fragrant filling.
• Orange Zest: Introduces citrusy brightness to the filling, creating a delicious balance with the chocolate and cinnamon. Choose an orange with firm, unblemished skin if you can.

Ingredients for the chocolate orange cream cheese frosting:

• Milk chocolate: Provides a luscious chocolatey richness to the frosting. My go-to is Menier Milk Chocolate.
• Full-fat cream cheese: Adds creaminess and tanginess to the frosting, balancing the sweetness and complementing the overall taste.
• Icing sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting, creating a smooth and spreadable consistency.
• Fresh orange juice: Infuses the frosting with vibrant citrus flavour.

Prove the Dough Twice

Letting cinnamon roll dough prove twice is like giving it a double dose of magic! The first round of proving allows the yeast to work wonders, creating those airy pockets and giving the dough a chance to rise, resulting in a soft and fluffy texture. Then, after shaping the rolls, the second proving lets everything settle and develop even more flavour, ensuring that each roll is pure deliciousness. Yeast loves to be warm and cosy, so place your dough/rolls in the warmest place in your house during both proving stages. You’ll know your dough has finished proving when it’s doubled in size and springs back when pressed. A handy tip is to take before and after phootgraphs in the same spot so you can compare.

Recipe Success Tips

• Proper yeast activation: to properly activate the yeast the milk needs to be exactly 40°C/110°F. It helps to use a thermometer to get a precise temperature reading. If you don’t have a thermometer, try testing the temperature of the milk using your finger, it should feel like warm bath water.
• Quality ingredients: Use high-quality chocolate such as Menier 100% Cocoa Powder and Menier Milk Chocolate, fresh oranges, and whole milk to enhance the overall flavour of the rolls.
• Choose a warm proving spot: Yeast loves to be warm and cosy, so place your dough/rolls in the warmest place in your house during both proving stages. This could be in the airing cupboard, next to a radiator, or in a proving drawer if you’re lucky enough to have one! Find the perfect place and call it your proving spot from here on out.
• Work the filling into the dough: Use the back of a spoon or your fingertips to massage the butter and cinnamon filling into the dough. This will make sure the filling stays put once the dough is rolled and sliced, but also infuse the dough with the flavours.
• Roll tightly: This gives the rolls a beautiful swirl and prevents the filling from leaking out during baking. Roll from the short edge to get the best swirls with maximum chocolate orange flavour per bite.

Prep-ahead for Christmas Morning

Let’s face it, no-one has time to bake cinnamon rolls from scratch on Christmas morning! That being said, wouldn’t it be a treat to start of your day with a fresh batch of these rolls. Good news, you can prep this recipe ahead of time. Here’s how:

Fill and shape the rolls on Christmas Eve and place them in your baking tray. Cover the tray tightly with clingfilm and pop in the fridge overnight. Then on Christmas morning, take the rolls out of the fridge, let them come to room temperature for about 30 minutes, then bake! This time-saving hack means you can wake up on Christmas morning to warm and fresh chocolate orange cinnamon rolls!

Freezing these Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Rolls

For the freshest cinnamon roll experience, it’s best to freeze these chocolate orange cinnamon rolls halfway through the baking time. Let me explain:

Follow the recipe as usual all the way up until the cinnamon rolls go into the oven. Instead of baking them for the full time (18-20 minutes), you’ll part bake them for 10 minutes so that the rolls have fully expanded and risen. This makes sure the dough has properly proved and risen, resulting in a soft and fluffy texture. Allow the rolls to cool completely before wrapping them in clingfilm and freezing for up to 4 weeks.

To defrost, take the cinnamon rolls out of the freezer and leave them in the fridge to thaw overnight. The next morning, simply bake the rolls for a further 10-15 minutes and ta-dah you have fresh and delicious chocolate orange cinnamon rolls!

Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Forget plain cinnamon rolls — these Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Rolls are a Christmas dream! The rich, soft and fluffy chocolate bread rolls have a gooey cinnamon sugar and orange zest filling. They're coated with a luxurious milk chocolate orange cream cheese frosting and finished with sprinkles for a festive finish and cute pop of colour.

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Prep: 4 hours hours

Cook: 20 minutes minutes

Total: 4 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 10

Ingredients

For the chocolate dough:

• 60 grams Unsalted butter
• 220 millilitres Whole milk
• 1 packet (11 grams) Fast-action dried yeast
• 50 grams Caster sugar
• 1 medium Egg room temperature
• 1 medium Egg yolk room temperature
• 460 grams Strong white bread flour plus more for dusting
• 50 grams Cocoa powder I used Menier 100% Cocoa Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt

For the orange cinnamon sugar filling:

• 60 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 120 grams light brown sugar/muscovado sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 large Orange zest only

For the chocolate orange cream cheese frosting:

• 50 grams Milk chocolate I use Menier Swiss Milk Chocolate
• 75 grams Full-fat cream cheese room temperature
• 50 grams Icing sugar
• 1 large Orange juice only (you can use up the orange that was zested for the filling)

Instructions

Start by making the chocolate dough:

• Measure the butter into a bowl and microwave for 60 seconds until fully melted. Set aside and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
  60 grams Unsalted butter
• Measure the milk into a jug and microwave for 60 seconds. The milk needs to be 40ºC/110ºF to activate the yeast. No thermometer? Test the temperature by dipping your finger into the milk – it should feel like warm bathwater.
  220 millilitres Whole milk
• Pour the warm milk into a large bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit for 1 minute.
  1 packet (11 grams) Fast-action dried yeast
• Add the melted butter, sugar, whole egg and egg yolk. Use a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients together.
  50 grams Caster sugar, 1 medium Egg, 1 medium Egg yolk
• In a separate bowl, stir the flour, cocoa powder and salt together. Add these to the other ingredients and work the mixture into a rough dough.
  460 grams Strong white bread flour, 50 grams Cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon Salt
• Using a dough hook on your mixer, knead the dough on medium speed for 6-8 minutes. The dough should be smooth, and springy to the touch and the bowl should be clean. If the dough sticks to the bottom of the bowl, sprinkle in a tablespoon of flour. No electric mixer? Just tip the dough into a floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes.
• Lift the dough out and lightly brush the inside of the bowl with oil. Place the dough back inside and cover with cling film.
• Leave the dough to prove for 60-90 minutes in the warmest area of your house. The dough should have doubled in size.
  

Add the filing and shape the dough:

• Roll the dough out into a 14×9 inch rectangle.
• Rub the softened butter into the dough, leaving a 1cm margin around the edge.
  60 grams unsalted butter
• Stir the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl then scatter on top and work it into the butter.
  120 grams light brown sugar/muscovado sugar, 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Use a zester to zest the orange over the cinnamon sugar.
  1 large Orange
• Starting from the short edge, tightly roll up the dough. Use your hands to squish the sides together so the roll is compact.
  
• Trim off the very end pieces (they won't have much filling) and then cut the roll into 1.5 inch sections (you should get 10 rolls in total).
• Place in the baking tin, cover and leave to prove for another 40-60 minutes until risen and sitting snug in the tin.
  

Bake and decorate:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and firm around the edges. Leave the rolls to cool while you make the frosting.
• To make the frosting, first chop the milk chocolate into small chunks and place in a bowl. Microwave for 45-60 seconds until melted. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool.
  50 grams Milk chocolate
• Beat the cream cheese and icing sugar together, then fold in the cooled melted chocolate to make a creamy frosting.
  75 grams Full-fat cream cheese, 50 grams Icing sugar, 1 large Orange
  
• Spoon the frosting on top of the rolls and leave to cool for another 20 minutes.
  
• Finish with Christmas sprinkles for a festive touch, then tuck in and enjoy!
  

Video

Notes

These chocolate orange cinnamon rolls are best enjoyed fresh but they will keep for 2-3 days when covered and stored in the fridge. You can warm the rolls in the oven for 5 minutes to freshen them up.