Chocolate Peanut Butter Sweet Rolls
This one is for you chocolate peanut butter lovers out there! A drool worthy soft buttery dough that is all wrapped up with rich chocolate and drizzled with a peanut butter icing.
If you need a sweet roll to make you drool – this is the one! This rich sweet roll is the ultimate treat. Don’t let the swirl intimidate you – it’s easier than it looks! Something great about this roll recipe is that it can double as dinner rolls. Double the batch (or divide a single batch in half) and create half as dinner rolls and half as dessert. My dough for sweet rolls has a little more added sugar and butter, but when I’m using them for the same occasion, I just use the same dough for both! Double win!
Sweet Roll FAQ’s
Can I make this overnight?
Yes! You’ll make the dough, let it rise, and form into the rolls at night. Cover and refrigerate. In the morning let them get back to room temperature and rise, usually about 1 hour. You could also start in the morning for an all day rise in the fridge and then bake after dinner for a fresh hot chocolatey roll.
I’m new to using yeast – any tips?
Yes! Check out my working with yeast guide for some insights and tips!
Can I cut out the first rise if I’m short on time?
Yes! I love to make the dough, let it rise, form the rolls, and then let it rise again before putting in oven – so two rises. I’ve found it makes for a lighter, fluffier roll. However, I’ve cut out the first rise before, and they’ve still been a hit, so do that if you need to and your family will still devour them.
Can I make this into a mini cinnamon roll?
Yes! Mini buns are perfect for brunches and showers, or little kids. I do so by forming my rectangle to be a longer log and shorter width. This will make your twirl tighter and smaller by the time you roll it up. You’ll have one long skinnier log instead of a shorter fat one. Cut through the log in 1″ sections, and it’ll make the perfect mini cinnamon rolls!
Can I switch out the peanut butter glaze for a basic, classic icing?
Of course! If you want to keep the chocolate as the main star, I suggest this recipe for a basic light icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 TB butter (optional, just makes it slightly thicker)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 TB milk
Beat all ingredients together.
How to Form
There are endless ways you can form sweet rolls. Classic swirls, crescents, pull aparts, etc. When I was trying to figure out a fun way to form these chocolate peanut butter rolls, I came across Ciara’s vegan chocolate rolls and loved her gorgeous approach on the knots! I pulled from her amazing inspiration and used them for these. The pictures below will guide you in how to form knots, but feel free to form them how you’d like!
Divide dough into 2 sections. Roll out one section into a rectangle.
Spread an even layer of chocolate filling.
Fold the top half down to the center.
Fold the bottom half up.
Cut into about 1″ strips.
Twist.
Spiral it around.
Form into knot.
Rise & bake.
If you love sweet rolls, try out some of my other favorite variations!
Raspberry Sweet Rolls
Classic Cinnamon Rolls
Cranberry Orange Rolls
Orange Sweet Rolls
Chocolate Peanut Butter Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups whole milk (at about 110 degrees F) any other milk will do; fattier the bette
- 1 ½ TB instant yeast
- ½ cup sugar or honey
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp salt
- About 6 cups all purpose flour
Filling
- 3/4 cup butter (salted or unsalted is fine)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, or chocolate chips of choice
Glaze
- ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk + more to desired consistency
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Warm up milk to be warm to the touch (not hot, think baby bath water or about 110° F) Using a stand mixer* with a dough hook, combine the warm milk (not scalding hot, but warm to the touch), yeast, and sugar together. After a couple minutes, you should see the yeast starting to foam - that means its activating!
- Add your first 3 cups of flour and mix together. Once it's mostly incorporated, add softened butter, eggs, and salt. Continue to mix on low.
- Slowly add the additional 2 ½ cups of flour. In pouring your last cup, do so slowly, watching the dough. Add additional flour as needed, just a little at a time. When you've added enough flour, the dough will be soft and slightly sticky. It will also be pulling away from the bowl. You don't want a tough dough. Leave the mixer on for an additional 8-10 minutes to knead.
- Take your dough hook out, and cover the bowl to let the dough rest and rise for about 30-40 minutes.
- Filling: Melt together all of the filling ingredients over stovetop until melted and smooth. Set aside in the fridge or freezer to begin cooling as you roll out your dough.
- Assembly: When the dough has about doubled, punch it down and place on a clean, floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into about a 14x18 inch rectangle, making sure the dough is smooth and even in the corners. Spread an even layer of the filling.
- You can either roll as a classic roll or in the spirals as shown above. Follow the picture instructions shown in recipe above or follow instructions below for the classic roll:Tightly roll it up into a log, rolling up the longer end. Cut with a strand of floss into 1 inch sections and place in a greased jelly roll pan or baking pan, leaving about 1-2 inches in between so the rolls have room to grow. You should get about 16-20 rolls depending on how thick you make them. You can also make these into mini rolls by rolling out the dough longer instead of wider to yield smaller and more rolls.
- Rest & Bake: Overnight Instructions: Cover well with sprayed plastic wrap and let them rest in the fridge overnight. The next morning, preheat the oven to 350°F and let the rolls get back to room temperature and rise (usually takes about 1 hour). Baking immediately: Keep the rolls in a draft free place and let them rise until they've grown and the dough gets soft and puffy, usually about 25 minutes. While they're resting, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 16-20 minutes. I like to cover them with foil about half way through so they don't brown as much on top. They're done when the tops and bottoms are starting to get lightly golden and it doesn't look doughy.
- Glaze: Using a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and peanut butter first. Then add remaining glaze ingredients, adding additional milk as needed to create desired consistency. Gently drizzle glaze over warm sweet rolls. Best served warm.
- Storing: Store airtight for up to 5 days. You can freeze them, but I recommend freezing the rolls plain and adding the glaze day of for best results. Heat up slightly before serving for the ultimate gooey treat! Enjoy!
Hello,
I’m trying to make this today but noticed some of the instructions don’t go with this recipe… It says to melt the butter and chocolate but doesn’t say what else to do with the filling ingredients and it says to roll it up like a cinnamon roll.