Citrus, cinnamon and chocolate come together in these fluffy homemade Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Rolls that will bring the sleepiest of heads out of their beds in the morning!
Soft Cinnamon Rolls with Chocolate and Orange Zest
Oh, ya know, just over here baking up some pillowy soft cinnamon rolls filled with melty chocolate & the fresh zest of an orange with a simple, sweet orange juice glaze. These Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Rolls are a big deal, y’all! Like blow-your-mind delicious and so easy to make. From scratch! You can do it! And then you’ll wanna do it over and over and over again.
Chocolate + Orange = Bliss!
These cinnamon rolls were inspired by one of the best cinnamon rolls we’ve ever eaten when we were bakery hopping in Ventura, California last fall. The combo of chocolate and orange won me over in cinnamon roll form and I’ve been dreaming about it ever since. It’s a shame it took me so long to recreate it, but my shame is all our gain because these rolls are the real deal.
Super soft dough, buttery sweet cinnamon filling, oozing with rich chocolate and the tang of orange in every bite. I just die over how delicious they are.
Ingredients and Supplies
(see recipe card at the bottom of this post for measurements and details. To learn more about specific baking ingredients and how they function in baking recipes, reference my Complete Guide to Baking Ingredients)
Ingredients:
- Whole milk
- Active dry yeast
- Granulated sugar
- Large egg
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Orange zest
- Chocolate chips (I use dark chocolate chips)
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh squeezed orange juice
Supplies:
How to Make Orange Cinnamon Rolls
- Warm milk on the stovetop or in the microwave to 110°F.
- In a large bowl, stir together the yeast and sugar. Gently pour the warm milk over the sugar and yeast. Allow to proof, about 10 minutes.
- Whisk in the beaten egg and melted butter.
- Stir in the flour and salt with a wooden spoon until a smooth wet dough is formed. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- The dough will be wet at first but just watch as it fluffs up when it sets in a warm place for an hour.
- For the filling, add melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to a small bowl.
- Mix until well combined.
- Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface. Using a well-floured rolling pin, roll dough to a 15×20-inch rectangle.
- With a spatula, spread filling mixture evenly over dough almost to the edges.
- Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons orange zest and chocolate chips.
- Beginning at the 20-inch side, roll the dough up tightly.
- Pinch the edge against the side of the roll, sealing it.
- Using a serrated knife, cut roll into 12 1-1/2 inch slices, discarding the very ends that have little filling in them.
- Place the slices, cut side down, slightly apart in a buttered 13×9-inch baking pan.
- Place the pan in the oven and turn the oven to 350°F. The rolls will rise as the oven preheats. Bake until rolls are lightly browned on top, about 25 minutes total.
- Check the rolls after 15 minutes of baking and if they’re already lightly browned on top, cover them with foil and let them continue to bake until baked all the way through. Let rolls rest in the pan while you prepare the glaze.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth and of drizzling consistency. If the glaze is too thin, add additional powdered sugar. If the glaze is too thick, add additional orange juice.
- Drizzle glaze over warm rolls. Garnish with 1 tablespoon orange zest. Serve.
Storage and Reheating
Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat for 5-10 minutes in a warm oven or for about 30 seconds in the microwave.
If you make these Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Rolls, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. If you’re on Facebook, be sure to join my Friends of The BakerMama group to connect and share all the fun and yummy recipes of mine that you make! 
I just love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the ideas I share. Enjoy!
xoxo,
Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Dough Rising Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Yield: 12
- Category: Breakfast
Description
Citrus, cinnamon and chocolate come together in these fluffy homemade Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Rolls that will bring the sleepiest of heads out of their beds in the morning!
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 cup warm whole milk (110°F degrees)
- 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast (2–1/4 teaspoons)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled
- 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Filling:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 cup chocolate chips (I use dark chocolate chips)
Glaze:
- 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest, for garnishing
Instructions
- Warm milk on the stovetop or in the microwave to 110°F.
- In a large bowl, stir together the yeast and sugar. Gently pour the warm milk over the sugar and yeast. Allow to proof, about 10 minutes.
- Whisk in the beaten egg and melted butter. Stir in the flour and salt with a wooden spoon until a smooth wet dough is formed. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface. Using a well-floured rolling pin, roll dough to a 15×20-inch rectangle.
- For the filling, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until well combined. With a spatula, spread filling mixture evenly over dough almost to the edges. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons orange zest and then the chocolate chips.
- Beginning at the 20-inch side, roll the dough up tightly and pinch the edge against the side of the roll. Using a serrated knife, cut the roll into 12 slices, roughly 1.5 inch cuts, discarding the very ends that have little filling in them.
- Place the roll slices, cut side down, slightly apart in a buttered 13×9-inch baking pan.
- Place the pan in the oven and turn the oven to 350°F. The rolls will rise as the oven preheats. Bake until rolls are lightly browned on top, about 25 minutes total. Check the rolls after 15 minutes of baking and if they’re already lightly browned on top, cover them with foil and let them continue to bake until baked all the way through. Let rolls rest in the pan while you prepare the glaze.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth and of drizzling consistency. If the glaze is too thin, add additional powdered sugar. If the glaze is too thick, add additional orange juice.
- Drizzle glaze over warm rolls. Garnish with 1 tablespoon orange zest. Serve and Enjoy!
Hello! I tried the recipe yesterday and while it tasted delicious, the dough was sloppy and did not hold up while shaped ( it could not roll without the help of a spatula holding it up) and while it baked. Any advice?
Thanks.
Hi Athena! Did you let the dough rise until it was doubled in size? That is important and can sometimes take longer than an hour depending on the humidity and temperature of the room it is rising in. It could also be that your yeast was old or that it was not fully activated? I also recommend rolling the dough out on a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin so you might have needed more flour when rolling it out so it would roll and hold better. I hope this helps and that you’re able to try them again with better success.
Needed a good couple of extra tbsp of flour to make the dough remotely workable and not so sloppy. But taste was epic!
Mine looked ugly because they were spaced farther apart even though I used a 9×13 inch pan and the dough was a bit tricky to work with but the taste was yum. Thank you.