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Get the coffee brewing and pull up a chair. Chocolate Hazelnut Cinnamon Rolls are ooey, gooey, and decadent, brimming with the warm, buttery flavor of hazelnuts in every bite.

Mornings just got a little sweeter! Sweet rolls are the perfect way to celebrate the weekend, or accompany an afternoon cup of tea. Whether they’re filled with blueberries like Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls or this celebration of the flavors of Nutella, they’re always a crowd pleaser. The best part, they come together with just a few simple steps and techniques.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Layers of Flavor – From the hazelnut flour in the dough itself to the crispy, crunchy pop of chopped hazelnuts on top, these sweet rolls are packed with a depth of flavor in every bite.
Texture – Adding mashed bananas to the sweet roll dough not only adds flavor but keeps these extremely tender and moist.
Simple Ingredients – This recipe utilizes baking staples like flour and yeast along with pantry staples like chocolate hazelnut spread. You probably have a lot of the ingredients already!

Ingredients

Chocolate Hazelnut Cinnamon Rolls require a few simple ingredients that come together for the perfect balance of flavor and texture. Sweet, but delicate, tender, with little pops of crunch, these will become a new favorite way to Sunday.

Butter – Keeps the rolls moist while also adding a rich flavor.
Honey – Helps feed the yeast and gives a delicate sweetness.
Oat Milk
Sugar
Warm Water – Helps activate the yeast.
Egg
Kosher Salt – Enhances all of the natural flavors of the ingredients.
Instant Active Yeast – Gives these rolls their pillowy soft texture.
Banana – Gives natural sweetness to the dough while also keeping it tender and moist.
Flour – AP flour or 1 to 1 baking flour such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour works just fine for this recipe.
Hazelnut Flour – Adds the buttery flavor of hazelnuts to every bite.
Chocolate Hazelnut Spread – Use your favorite. This is for both the filling and the topping.
Heavy Cream – Helps caramelize the bottom of the rolls slightly and give them incredible texture and puff.
Chopped Hazelnuts – The perfect crunchy topping for these chocolate hazelnut sweet rolls.

The Secret To Cinnamon Rolls

Introducing heavy cream to your cinnamon rolls is like adding a secret ingredient that takes them to the next level. The cream brings a luxurious tenderness to the rolls’ texture, making each bite soft, moist, and incredibly satisfying. As the rolls bake, the cream works its magic, creating a golden, slightly caramelized exterior that adds a subtle richness to every bite. It’s an insider’s tip to crafting cinnamon rolls that are not just good but exceptional.

How much do we add?

When pouring heavy cream into the pan for cinnamon rolls, you don’t need to entirely submerge the dough. The goal is to provide a generous amount to ensure moisture and flavor enhancement, but not so much that it drowns the dough. Aim to cover about 2/3 of the dough with the cream, leaving some parts exposed.

How to Make Chocolate Hazelnut Cinnamon Rolls

These sweet and nutty rolls come together in just a few simple steps. If you have never worked with a yeast dough before, this is a great place to start. If you are looking for a new twist on the classic cinnamon roll this is the recipe for you.

Time needed: 3 hours and 15 minutes

Hazelnut rolls are filled and topped with chocolate hazelnut spread for the ultimate bite.

Bloom
Add the yeast, warm water, honey, and half of the sugar to a bowl and mix to combine. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it is foamy and starting to bubble.
Scald
Add the oat milk, remaining sugar, butter, and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to cook until it scalds. The edges will begin to bubble but not come to a full boil. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Mix
Mix the banana and egg together with a mixer fit with a paddle. Add the yeast mixture. While the mixer is running slowly stream in the milk mixture. Continue to run the mixer and add 1/2 a cup of flour at a time until it’s completely incorporated.
Rise
Lightly dust the outside of the dough with flour and place it into an oiled bowl. Cover it with a towel and place it in a warm spot. Allow it to rise until it’s double its size, about an hour.
Roll
Lightly flour your work surface. Work the dough by carefully folding it eight time, careful not to press out all of the air bubbles. Roll it into a 9×12 rectangle. Spread the chocolate spread onto the dough and roll it into a log. Slice it into 9 rolls.
Second Rise
Place the rolls into a buttered 9×11 baking dish and cover them with plastic wrap and a towel. Allow them to rise for another hour.
Bake
Remove the plastic and towel and pour the heavy cream over the rolls. Allow them to bake for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven until golden brown. Let cool.
Finishing Touch
Spread more chocolate hazelnut spread over the top of the rolls and sprinkle on the chopped hazelnuts.

How to Make This Recipe Gluten Free

This recipe can be made with regular all purpose flour. It can also be made completely Gluten Free by using a 1 to 1 gluten free flour. The measurements will be the same.

How to Make This Recipe Dairy Free

This recipe can easily be made completely dairy free. Use your favorite dairy free chocolate hazelnut spread, dairy free butter, and plant based heavy cream in addition to the oat milk.

Storage

These chocolate hazelnut sweet rolls are a great make ahead dish! Keep them tightly sealed in an airtight container at room temperature and they will last for up to five days. You can also refrigerate them.

How to Measure Bananas

We’ve all made banana bread or seen recipes that call for half a cup or a cup of bananas. But how much do you actually need when it comes to measuring bananas themselves? When it comes to measuring bananas, a recipe can state whether it’s chopped, or mashed, as in most banana bread recipes. However, they both measure slightly differently! Keep in mind that when adding bananas to a recipe more banana doesn’t equal more flavor. Instead, it could leave you with a dense or mushy finished product. Instead, you want to use the ripest bananas possible for the most intense banana flavor.

Here is an easy guide to use the next time you need to measure out fresh banana for a recipe.

1/2 banana: 1/3 cup chopped | 1/4 cup mashed
1 banana: 2/3 cup chopped | 1/2 cup mashed
1-1/2 bananas: 1 cup chopped | 3/4 cup mashed
2 bananas: 1-1/3 cups chopped | 1 cup mashed
3 bananas: 2 cups chopped | 1-1/2 cups mashed
4 bananas: 2-2/3 cups chopped | 2 cups mashed

Top Tip for Chocolate Hazelnut Cinnamon Rolls

This yeast dough is fairly sticky. Make sure to grease your bowl when you do your first rise. When working with your dough you may need to lightly flour it as you’re folding it. Also make sure to lightly flour your work surface itself.