Chocolate Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
There is a bakery in my hometown, the sweetest corner in town, every time I go there I have to get a Chocolate Covered Honey Bun with Nuts. Yes, its a mouth full to say but it is also a mouthful of the most delicious treat you have ever had. So decadent it is hard to eat in one sitting but find your self breaking off piece after piece throughout the day. These cinnamon rolls are my interpretation of the delicious hunny buns of my hometown.
“Decadent Chocolate filling adds a special touch to already delicious cinnamon rolls ”
For this recipe, I used a 1 hour cinnamon roll dough. This means no waiting for hours for your dough to rise. I'm impatient, 30 minutes is all these babies need to rise and thats about all I can take. The faster timing for this dough makes for an easier and a little bit lazier morning. These would be a great special treat for Christmas morning or really any morning. If you want to sleep in longer you can pop these rolls in the fridge after rolling them the night before and let them rise there overnight. Then, all you need to do is pop them in the oven in the morning. Add a little more cooking time when you start with chilled rolls. You should cook them just until they reach a light golden brown.
This recipe makes 8 chocolate pecan cinnamon rolls. These giant rolls are filled with butter, sugar, cinnamon, semi sweet chocolate, and pecan pieces. Topped with a sugary glaze and because you can never have too much chocolate, they are drizzled with chocolate too.
Chocolate Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Chocolate Cinnamon and Pecan Filling
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips; finely chopped
- 1/2 cup pecans; finely chopped
Yeast Dough
- 1 1/4 cup whole milk; divided
- 4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; divided
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
Sugar Glaze
- 2 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk
*More melted chocolate for drizzling
Filling:
Combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in bowl. Stir in melted butter and vanilla extract and set aside. Mix in chopped chocolate and pecans. Set aside while you prepare the dough.
Dough:
Butter a 9-inch round cake pan or oval cast iron baker.
In a small heat proof bowl heat ¼ cup of the milk in the microwave until 110 degrees (about 15 to 20 seconds). Then, stir in yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar and let sit until bubbly.
Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 5 teaspoons of sugar together in large bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter, yeast mixture, and remaining 1 cup of milk until dough forms. Then, transfer dough to a floured counter and knead until smooth ball forms, about 2 minutes.
Roll dough into a 12 by 9 inch rectangle, with long side parallel to counter edge. Brush dough all over with 2 tablespoons melted butter, leaving ½-inch border on far edge. Sprinkle dough evenly with filling, then press filling firmly into dough. Loosen dough from counter and roll away from you into a tight log and pinch seam to seal.
Roll log seam side down and cut into 8 equal pieces. Stand buns on end and gently re-form ends that were pinched during cutting. Place 1 bun in center of prepared pan and others around perimeter of pan, seam sides facing in. Brush tops of buns with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Cover buns loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F.
After rising, bake buns until edges are well browned, 23 to 25 minutes. Loosen buns from sides of pan with paring knife and let cool for 5 minutes. Invert large plate over cake pan and flip plate and pan upside down; remove pan and parchment. Reinvert buns onto wire rack, set wire rack inside parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, and let cool for 5 minutes.
Glaze:
After cooling for 5 minutes, whisk in milk to confectioners sugar until smooth. Pour glaze evenly over tops of buns, spreading with spatula to cover.
And because you can never have too much chocolate, drizzle the top of the cinnamon rolls with a little melted chocolate.
