Like a cinnamon roll, but with orange, chocolate, nuts, and warm spices! Top with an orange glaze or orange cream cheese frosting for the perfect cozy breakfast.
While it’s not unusual for me to think about food first thing in the morning, craving orange chocolate rolls this morning was a bit strange. Maybe it has something to do with these orange chocolate cookies that I made last week.
I used my classic cinnamon rolls recipe as the base for this recipe, and substituted the cinnamon filling with whatever my belly felt like.
I figured it couldn’t taste bad no matter what I put in there, so I threw in orange zest, chocolate, pistachios, hazelnuts, cardamom, and cinnamon.
Then I waited forever for the rolls to be ready, and when they were just about done baking the incredible aroma nearly drove me crazy.
But the wait was worth it. I finally got my first bite and they were almost everything I hoped for. The only thing missing was more orange and chocolate flavor.
So I made them again the second day and they were perfect—comforting, irresistible, and full of orange-flavor with gooey melty chocolate. It may look like there’s a lot of chocolate at first, but trust me, it’s not. At least not for me.
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Glaze or frosting, your choice!
The glaze is a must because it gives a strong boost to the orange flavor and is just too good to skip. Alternately, if you’re a cream cheese fanatic (like my husband), you can top them with an orange cream cheese frosting instead!
More Orange and Chocolate Treats You’ll Love
Orange Chocolate Rolls
Like a cinnamon roll, but with orange, chocolate, nuts, and warm spices! Top with an orange glaze or orange cream cheese frosting for the perfect cozy breakfast.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
- ¼ cup (½ stick/55 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 ¼ cups (450 g/16 oz) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- ¼ cup (50 g/1.7 oz) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons (6 g) instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
Filling:
- 7 tablespoons (100g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ⅔ cup (130 g/4.5 oz) granulated sugar
- zest from 2 medium oranges
- ⅔ cup (100g/3 oz) chopped dark chocolate
- pinch of ground cinnamon or cardamom, optional
- ⅓ cup chopped nuts like pistachios, hazelnuts, or pecans, optional
Glaze:
- 1 cup (115 g/4 oz) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (60g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature optional
- zest of ½ orange
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
Make the dough
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In a small saucepan (or using the microwave), heat milk and butter until melted and lukewarm to the touch (110F-115F, no more).
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Place flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix to combine, then stir in salt. Add egg and milk-butter mixture. Attach dough hook and mix on low speed for 3 minutes, until dough starts to come together.
Note: If the dough is too sticky and looks more like batter than dough, add a bit more flour, 2 tablespoons at a time. The dough should still be rather soft.
Increase mixer speed to medium-low and mix for another 10 minutes, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (it’s ok if it sticks to the bottom).
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Stop periodically to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 1.5-2 hours, until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough overnight; it will rise slowly and be ready for the next step by morning.
Make the filling
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In a small bowl, mix together sugar, orange zest, and cinnamon/cardamom.
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When dough has doubled in size, gently punch it to remove air. Roll dough into an 18×10 inch (45×25 cm) rectangle.
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Spread the entire surface of dough with butter, then sprinkle on the sugar mixture, chocolate, and nuts and press gently so it all sticks to the butter.
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Starting with the longest edge, roll up the dough to form a log and pinch to seal the seam. Cut into 12 equal sized pieces and place cut side-up on a greased 9×13-inch pan. Cover and let rest to rise for 1-1¼ hours, until almost doubled in size.
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Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350℉/175℃.
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Bake rolls for 25-30 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when the smell is irresistible, the tops have browned, and a skewer inserted into the dough comes out clean. If the rolls brown too quickly while baking, cover them loosely with aluminum foil. Allow rolls to cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the glaze
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Mix all glaze ingredients together, adding a little orange juice at a time until you reach the desired consistency (thick but pourable). Drizzle over rolls.
Note: If using cream cheese, warm it slightly in the microwave so it blends well.
Recipe Notes
Serving Instructions:
Serve immediately for best results. Rolls are excellent warm or at room temperature.
Storing Instructions:
Rolls are best the same day they’re made. You can freeze any leftovers and reheat them when ready to eat.
Tips & Tricks
Want to make your rolls extra soft? Try using the Tangzhong method!
fatimah says
yum! these look amazing! love the orange chocolate combo
Lisa says
I just made these today for the first time and they are incredible! I doubled the chocolate, and I thought it was the perfect amount. Thanks for a divine recipe!