Oreo Cinnamon Rolls

I've posted a few times recently about using black cocoa in recipes after making Homemade Oreos for the first time. I decided to try Black Cocoa Cookies and have made those twice since then. Then my bravery hit a new high when I made Cinnamon Rolls, winding up with a delightful homemade version. But then I couldn't stop. What kind of cinnamon roll would I do next? Red Velvet? Banana Nut? And then just randomly one day, it hit me: black cocoa cinnamon rolls.

Black cocoa is very rich in flavor, and to me the best way to describe it is that it makes everything taste like an Oreo. It's like that book The Chocolate Touch, where the kid eats the magical chocolate and everything he eats tastes like chocolate. Except in this case, I can control it to be only items I put the magic cocoa in. I'm wielding so much power!

Making these required all the same steps as in Cinnamon Rolls, except this time I scaled back the flour 1/4 cup to try and prevent drying out the dough too much with the powdered cocoa.

First, I added some warm milk to my stand mixing bowl, then mixed in 2 eggs, softened butter, salt, and sugar. I then stirred in the flour and let the dough rest for about 5 minutes. When adding in the flour, I also sprinkled in a little cinnamon and nutmeg to add some flavor to the dough.

I then used the dough hook on my mixer to knead the dough for about 7 minutes, until the dough began to form into a ball. I then let the dough rise for about an hour in a warm spot.

The next step was rolling out the dough. To keep the dough from having white spots, I used cocoa powder instead of flour on the board. I rolled out the dough into a sheet about 24 x 15 inches in size. I began gently rolling up one of the long sides of the dough, gently folding the dough into a log shape. I rolled up the entire piece of dough into one log.

Finally, I divided the dough into even pieces. I find the easiest way to do this is to cut the entire log in half, then into quarters, and continue dividing equally until you've got 12 equal-sized rolls. I sprayed some baking spray in a large cake dish and placed the rolls in, then let them rise for another 20 minutes.

 

When I made cinnamon rolls last time, I poured some heavy cream over them before baking. This time, I was out of cream, so I used some 1% milk and poured it over the rolls. Higher fat would be better, but I didn't want to leave this out completely. The liquid gets soaked up during baking. I add a little milk or cream to chocolate chip cookies, too - it keeps them nice and soft.

They only took about 25 minutes but rose a bit more in the oven. I was relieved because they didn't look like they'd risen as much at first and thought my cocoa powder swap may have gone awry.

For the topping this time, I went a little different an made a cream cheese icing. I used one package of softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup of butter, and powdered sugar blended together using my mixer's whisk attachment.

I made plenty of frosting, so these little guys were frooooosted!

Glorious. As suspected, black cocoa was yet again the right addition to a recipe. And since I didn't increase the sugar, these were not too sweet. The only difference the cream cheese frosting made for me was that I stored the rolls in the oven instead of at room temperature. I do this because any time I use cream cheese, I don't feel comfortable leaving it sit out. Sugar is a preservative, so a little milk in a room temperature buttercream is fine, but I just would rather play it safe with cream cheese icing.

That didn't stop me from microwaving them before serving though, and I think that's the way a cinnamon roll is meant to be. The chocolate is just a next-level version. And I still need to make a red velvet version because I'm just starting to love looking at the colored dough swirled up like that.

Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)

1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)

2 eggs (at room temperature)

1/3 cup melted butter

4 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup black cocoa

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

For the filling:

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons cinnamon

For the frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

Heat 1 cup of milk in the microwave for about 1 minute. Add the warm milk to a stand mixing bowl then sprinkle the yeast over it. Add eggs, butter, salt, and sugar, then add the flour and cocoa. Stir gently until the ingredients are lightly combined. Set aside the dough to rest for 5 minutes. Using the dough hook or hands and a floured surface, knead the dough for 5-7 minutes, until the dough begins to form into a ball. Add up to 1/2 cup additional flour if the dough is too sticky. Remove the dough hook and cover the dough with a towel and place in a warm area for 30-45 minutes. Mix the filling ingredients together in a small bowl. On a floured surface (I used a little cocoa powder instead of flour), spread the dough out. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle about 24 x 15 inches in size. Spread the filling across the entire surface, then gently roll the dough up, working from the longer side - the goal is to make the most amount of rolls. Once rolled, slice in half, then quarters to keep the dough sections even. Continue slicing until you have 12 rolls. Place into a baking pan sprayed with baking spray, then allow the dough to rise for another 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pour heavy cream evenly over the rolls. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned. To make the frosting, add softened cream cheese and butter to a large mixing bowl and beat with the whisk attachment for 2-3 minutes, until creamy, then stir in vanilla. Add powdered sugar in gradually, then spread on top of warm rolls.

adapted from homemade cinnamon rolls