Chocolate walnut cinnamon rolls baked in a muffin tin for easy portioning. No additional icing or glaze needed. The chocolate walnut filling packs these sweet rolls with a ton of flavor!
Here’s a cinnamon roll recipe good for those that are not too keen on cinnamon.
The addition of bittersweet chocolate slightly mutes the iconic cinnamon notes. Instead, you’re simply left with the warm inviting aroma of cinnamon.
Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls
Rather than bake these chocolate walnut cinnamon rolls in a large baking dish, I opted to bake them individually.
Muffin tins. They’re not just for muffins. You can use it to bake brownies, cheesecakes, cookies, even baked eggs. And my new favorite thing to make in muffin tins- sticky buns and cinnamon rolls!
The tin portions everything equally. The cinnamon rolls don’t go spreading all over the place. And there’s absolutely no mess when trying to divide and serve the baked cinnamon rolls.
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Hook Attachment : For ease and speed, use a stand mixer with a hook attachment. The dough may be mixed together by hand using a sturdy spatula and a bit of arm work.
- Mixing Bowl : Asides from the stand mixer mixing bowl, you will need one mixing bowl for stirring together chocolate walnut filling
- Kitchen Thermometer : Use a digital kitchen thermometer to ensure water is the correct temperature to activate the yeast. I personally use this Thermoworks Thermapen.
- Muffin Tin : This recipe uses a standard 12-well muffin pan.
- Kitchen Scale: For best results, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure out ingredients. Measuring by weight ensures consistent results. Alternatively, use volume measurements (cups and tablespoons).
Ingredients and Substitutions
Dough
- Active Dry Yeast: The most widely available yeast available on the market. It it primarily used by home bakers. Active dry yeast is sold as loose granules in envelope packets, jars, or bulk pouches.
- Instant Yeast, also labeled as quick-rise yeast, is a version of active dry yeast that can be added directly to the dough ingredients. It does not require rehydration before use.
- Milk: Use any milk of your choice including non-dairy milk alternatives. Or, sub in water.
- Coconut Oil: This recipes uses coconut oil instead of the standard softened butter. Room temperature coconut oil easily incorporates into the dough. It adds fat to the dough without adding additional water (like butter).
- Unrefined or virgin coconut oil will have a mild coconut flavor and coconut aroma.
- Refined coconut oil is almost flavorless.
- All-Purpose Flour: All recipes on this site were tested and created using King Arthur Baking Company all-purpose flour.
Filling
- Unsalted Butter: Butter provides the best flavor. For a non-dairy version, use coconut oil or other butter alternative option.
- Walnuts: Chocolate, walnuts, and cinnamon work well together. Alternatively, use your choice of nuts. Almonds, pecans, and peanuts are great alternatives.
- Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder. Recommended brands- Ghirardelli, Valrhona, or Trader Joe’s.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: Mini chips are easiest to roll into the dough. However, you may use chopped chocolate bars, standard chocolate morsels, or other flavor chips (peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips).
Taste and Flavor
Once baked, the chocolate walnut cinnamon rolls end up looking like muffins/popovers/snail brioche rolls.
The best part of these cinnamon rolls are the little pockets of melted chocolate throughout the dough.
The filling provides enough sweetness and flavor, making any icing or glaze unnecessary. Although, an iced latte, cup of coffee, or glass of milk would be very much welcome.
The cinnamon flavor is subtle, but you can definitely smell it when it’s baking. These rolls are best served warm.
Storage Instructions
Cool chocolate walnut cinnamon rolls to room temperature. Then, store in an airtight container for up to three days. Overtime, the rolls will stale and harden.
Reheat leftovers in the microwave. Place one roll on a microwave safe plate along with a cup of water. Heat for 30-45 seconds. The water helps to ensure the bread doesn’t get rubbery. Or, reheat in a toaster oven.
More Cinnamon Roll Recipes
Chocolate Walnut Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- ¼ cup warm water,, about 110 ℉
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast, (6 g)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup whole milk, (113 g) room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, (50 g)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt , or Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 large egg, , whisked
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, (30 g)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, (390 g)
Chocolate Walnut Filling:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (113 g), softened, room temp
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup toasted walnuts,, (170 g) roughly ground/finely chopped
- 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar, (75 g)
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, (10 g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips, (90 g), or chopped chocolate of choice
Instructions
- Sprinkle yeast over warm water. Add 1 tsp sugar and stir to combine. Let sit for 5-7 minutes to allow mixture to bubble and activate.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add dissolved yeast mixture, milk, remaining sugar, salt and egg. Once combined, add 1 cup of flour. Use the hook attachment to mix together. Add another cup of flour, follow with coconut oil. Add last cup of flour. Knead until dough is smooth and cleans the sides of the bowl. If dough is too sticky, add flour 1 Tbsp at a time until desired consistency is achieved.
- Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest at room temperature for 60 minutes.
- Chocolate Walnut Filling: Meanwhile, combine softened butter and vanilla paste. Stir together. It should resemble the consistency of mayonnaise. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix together ground walnuts, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured working surface. Roll dough into a 18 x 12-inch rectangle. Spread softened vanilla butter over dough, leaving a ¼-inch border around all sides. Sprinkle ground walnut mixture over butter. Top with mini chocolate chips. Gently press filling into dough.
- Roll dough into a tight log, starting with the long side. Slice log into 12 equal slices. Place cut slices into a lightly greased muffin tin. Cover with plastic wrap and let roll rest for 30-45 minutes at room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Remove plastic wrap and bake rolls for 28-30 minutes until golden brown and internal temperature of rolls hit 185℉. Let rolls sit in pan for 5 minutes before unmolding. Serve warm.
Notes
- Milk: Use any milk of your choice including non-dairy milk alternatives. Or, sub in water.
- Coconut Oil: This recipes uses coconut oil instead of the standard softened butter. Room temperature coconut oil easily incorporates into the dough. It adds fat to the dough without adding additional water (like butter).
- Unrefined or virgin coconut oil will have a mild coconut flavor and coconut aroma.
- Refined coconut oil is almost flavorless.
- All-Purpose Flour: All recipes on this site were tested and created using King Arthur Baking Company all-purpose flour.
- Walnuts: Chocolate, walnuts, and cinnamon work well together. Alternatively, use your choice of nuts. Almonds, pecans, and peanuts are great alternatives.
- Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder. Recommended brands- Ghirardelli, Valrhona, or Trader Joe’s.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: Mini chips are easiest to roll into the dough. However, you may use chopped chocolate bars, standard chocolate morsels, or other flavor chips (peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips).
- Reheat leftovers in the microwave. Place one roll on a microwave safe plate along with a cup of water. Heat for 30-45 seconds. The water helps to ensure the bread doesn’t get rubbery.
- Or, reheat in a toaster oven.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
What can be used in place of coconut oil? Family member with an allergy to coconut!
You can use equal amount of softened butter.
Hi there! Is there any way of incorporating nutella into this instead of choc chips? I love the muffin tin idea!!!
Hi Annie! Yes, you can spread Nutella instead of chocolate chips. Nutella dries a little bit in the oven, but it’ll still be tasty. Here’s a baked recipe I did using Nutella- https://www.thelittleepicurean.com/berry-nutella-swirl-bread/