Soft pumpkin dough rolled up with cinnamon sugar and chopped chocolate, then finished with a rich chocolate frosting. These chocolate pumpkin cinnamon rolls is the pumpkin dessert for people who don’t like pumpkin!
Adding this to my collection for pumpkin skeptics. This isn’t meant to taste like pumpkin pie or pumpkin ice cream. The pumpkin puree in the dough has two purposes. First, the pumpkin puree keeps the dough soft and moist. Second, it provides that nice golden orange color that makes these sweet rolls look like they belong on an autumn inspired table spread. What you actually taste in these rolls- warm sweet cinnamon and chocolate, lots of chocolate.
This recipe is built on the same soft, bakery style dough I use in my cardamom pumpkin rolls. I simply swapped out the cardamom for chocolate! And traded in the cream cheese frosting for a fudgy chocolate one. If you’ve made cinnamon rolls before, you already have the skills and know how for this seasonal pumpkin version!
Recipe Highlights
- Soft, Pillowy Rolls : Pumpkin puree adds moisture to the dough without strong pumpkin flavor.
- Chocolate Two Ways: Chopped chocolate baked into the filled plus a chocolate frosting topping.
- Make-Ahead Options : Dough can be made night before so you can have fresh rolls ready in the morning. Or, freezer option!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Canned Pumpkin Puree : use plain canned pumpkin puree, not “pumpkin pie filling” which has added sugar and spices. I have not tested this with fresh pumpkin puree. Stick with the canned stuff for consistency.
- Chocolate: I recommend roughly chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate bar for the filling. The irregular pieces melt into pockets and streaks. The large chocolate bars at Trader Joe’s are perfect for this! Chocolate chips are fine, if that’s what you have on hand.
- Cocoa Powder: Natural or Dutch-process both work.
- Butter: Make sure it’s room temperature! Cold butter won’t incorporated into the dough easily, plus it doesn’t spread evenly for the filling.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Storage
Room temperature: Unfrosted rolls keep well covered for 24 hours. Once frosted, enjoy within 10-12 hours for best texture.
Refrigerator: Store leftover frosted rolls in the fridge in a covered container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Bake rolls as directed, then cool completely. Keep unfrosted. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or reheat in the microwave (see directions below).
Make-Ahead Option
Rest overnight: Prepare the dough through assembly (slice and roll). Cover and refrigerate overnight (instead of doing the second rise at room temp). The following morning, let rolls come to room temperature (about 45 minutes to an hour). Then, baked as directed.
Reheating Tips
From room temp or refrigerated: Gently warm in toaster oven on the lowest setting. Or, microwave individual roll for 10-25 seconds alongside a small cup of water.
Frozen: Microwave frozen individual rolls for 45-60 seconds alongside a small cup of water to keep them from drying out.
Chocolate Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Pumpkin Dough:
- 114 g warm water (½ cup), about 110℉
- 7 g active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoon)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 80 g milk (⅓ cup)
- 70 g brown sugar (⅓ cup), light or dark, packed
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1 large egg yolk, room temp
- 120 g canned pumpkin puree (½ cup)
- 585 g all purpose flour (4 ½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 85 g unsalted butter (6 Tbsp), room temp, cut into tablespoons
Filling:
- 75 g unsalted butter (⅓ cup), softened, room temp
- 28 g canned pumpkin puree (2 Tbsp)
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ cup)
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 115 g chopped chocolate (4 oz), preferable bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
Quick Chocolate Frosting:
- 170 g confectioners sugar
- 25 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp milk
Instructions
Dough:
- Activate yeast. Sprinkle yeast over warm water, stir in teaspoon for sugar. Let sit until foamy, about 5-7 minutes.
- Mix dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together yeast mixture, milk, brown sugar, egg, egg yolk, and pumpkin puree. Use dough hook attachment and gradually mix in flour and salt (reserve about 1 cup of flour). Continue to knead on low speed while adding softened butter one tablespoon at a time. Add remianing 1 cup flour and knead until sough is smooth and pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
- First rise. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for about an hour until doubled.
- Roll it out. Punch down dough and roll into a 20×14-inch rectangle.
Filling:
- Fill it. In a small bowl, mix together softened butter and pumpkin puree until smooth Add in sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and salt. Spread mixture over the entire surface of rolled out dough. Sprinkle chopped chocolate on top.
- Slice and roll. Measuring at the long side, divide dough into 12 equal strips (about 1 ½-inches wide). Roll dough into a spiral. Arrange in a greased 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Second rise. Cover. Let rest for 30-45 minutes at room temperature until rolls are puffy. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350℉.
- Bake. Uncover. Place rolls in the center rack of preheated oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating midway, until golden on top and internal temperature registers at least 185℉. Cool 10 minutes before frosting.
Frosting:
- Frost. Sift together confections sugar and cocoa powder. Add salt and milk. Stir until smooth and thick. Spread generously over warm rolls.
Notes
- Best enjoyed warm.
- Unfrosted rolls keep well covered at room temperature for 24 hours. Once frosted, enjoyed within 10-12 hours for best texture.
- Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a toaster oven. Or, reheat in the microwave for 15-20 second intervals alongside a small cup of water to keep rolls from drying out (or getting gummy).
- See blog post for make-ahead option.
- Recommend using chocolate block bar (Trader Joe’s has great options). Chocolate chips work, but they will create uniform chip shapes instead of irregular pockets of gooey chocolate.
- Use any kind of dairy milk or milk alternative.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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