Do you know what’s better than cinnamon rolls? Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls. Chocolate Pumpkin Pecan Pie Cinnamon Rolls, to be more specific. I know it sounds like a mouth full, but it's a delicious mouth full!! These require a few different steps, but the dough is incredibly easy to make and while the dough is rising you are able to knock the other steps out of the way. I'm pretty sure this is how you should celebrate the morning before or after Thanksgiving or should be making an appearance on your dessert buffet for the holiday.
Okay, I'm not pretty sure, I am 100% positive this is how you should celebrate!! I know I have said it before, but I am not a huge fan of nuts in my desserts (despite my last recipe), but the key here is to candy the pecans! WOW are candied pecans good and really easy to make!
This recipe post is sponsored by Alter Eco Foods. I was compensated for my time, however all opinions are always my own. Thank you for supporting the brands I use and love so much!
I’ve partnered up with my friends at Alter Eco Foods to bring you these crazy delicious chocolate cinnamon rolls! They are fluffy, chocolatey and so so soft! The dough is rolled out and slathered with the most luscious chocolate pecan butter using my favorite baking chocolate, Alter Eco 85% Deep Dark Blackout Bar. The chopped chocolate bar melts directly into your pecans while blending making the smoothest and creamiest chocolate pecan butter. Don't forget to shave a little chocolate to top your cinnamon roll icing, because we need chocolate inside and out, right?! Right!
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CINNAMON ROLLS?
Make your dough by adding yeast, sugar and warm water in a stand mixer until it gets all nice and puffed up. Add warm milk, vegan butter, canned pumpkin (the key to soft rolls) and your egg giving it a good mix. Add your flour, 1 cup at a time, with your cinnamon and salt. Knead with the dough hook for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and forms a ball. Oil a clean bowl, add dough, cover with plastic, and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size.
While the dough rises, toast pecans and add it to a food processor to blend, then add your chopped Alter Eco 85% Deep Dark Blackout Bar, spices, and maple syrup. Make your candied pecans by toasting pecans in a pan, combining sugar, spices and water and coating the pecans until toasty. Don't forget to sprinkle with turbinado sugar for the best crunch! Roll out your dough, slather with the chocolate pecan butter and candied pecans. Roll up, slice and proof once more! Brush with vegan butter and turbinado sugar and bake off. Make the best cinnamon roll icing ever while baking!
CAN CINNAMON ROLLS BE MADE IN ADVANCE?
Sure can! I think they are better fresh out of the oven, because they are still gooey and warm. You can make ahead and heat in the microwave just a bit! Alternatively, you can make the dough 1 night ahead of time up until you slice them. Place raw dough rolls in your prepared pan and put in fridge, lightly covered. Before baking remove from fridge, place in a warm spot covered with a damp towel to let proof then bake off the same way.
I mean these are basically what dreams are made of if you ask me.
OTHER HOLIDAY TREATS YOU WILL LOVE:
- Vegan Maple Pumpkin Biscuits
- Spiced Butternut Cake with Cinnamon Cashew Cream Frosting
- Spiced Maple Glazed Apple and Whipped Feta Tart
If you make this easy cinnamon roll recipe please let me know by leaving a rating/review below! And make sure to sign up for so you never miss a new recipe and follow along on my Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more About to Sprout goodness!
Recipe
Chocolate Pumpkin Pecan Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls:
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water 110F bath water, not boiling
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar/any granulated sugar
- ¼ cup vegan butter melted + 2 tablespoons to brush on rolls before oven
- ½ cup warm non-dairy milk
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 egg room temp
- 3 - 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar/raw sugar for right before baking
Chocolate Pecan Pie Butter Filling:
- 2 cups pecans
- 1 Alter Eco 85% Deep Dark Blackout Bar coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Candied Pecans
- 1 cup pecans chopped into pieces
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar/any granulated sugar works!
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon turbinado/raw sugar
Cinnamon Roll Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted (don’t skip!!)
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 tablespoons non-dairy milk
Instructions
- To make the dough: Add yeast and sugar into a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Then add warm water and stir gently. Let sit until yeast has puffed up and foamy on top, about 10 minutes.
- To the bowl, add vegan butter, non-dairy milk, pumpkin, and egg. Give it a light stir with a spatula to just combine. Add in the flour, 1 cup at a time, cinnamon and salt. Knead the dough with the dough hook on low-medium about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and forms a ball. Remove the dough from the bowl and place in a clean oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Make the chocolate pecan butter: Preheat oven to 325F and evenly spread out pecans on a lined pan. Bake for about 6 minutes, tossing once and watching closely so they don’t burn. Remove from oven and cool for 1 minute, then add into a food processor. Process pecans until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. Add in chopped Alter Eco 85% Deep Dark Blackout Bar and process until the chocolate has melted. Add cocoa powder, spices and maple syrup and pulse until just combined. Taste for sweetness and add 1-teaspoon maple syrup and pulse to just combine. Don’t pulse too long or the oil will separate and the butter will seize up. Add pecan butter to jar until ready to use in cinnamon buns.
- Make candied Pecans: In a small bowl, stir together coconut sugar, spices, and water until combined. In a small pan over medium-high heat, add pecans. Stir constantly for 2 minutes until they become fragrant. Reduce heat to medium and add cinnamon sugar mixture. Constantly stir to coat all pecans. Transfer mixture onto parchment paper and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Cool to room temperature until the coating is hard and crunchy.
- Generously grease a 9×13 inch baking dish or an 8-inch cake pan with vegan butter or parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surfaced, roll the dough into a rectangle (about 9×24 inches). Spread all of your chocolate pecan pie butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle a little less then half of your candied pecans over the pecan butter. Feel free to add as little or as many inside the dough.
- Starting with the long edge closest to you, carefully roll the dough into a log, keeping it tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edge to seal the dough off. Using a sharp knife, cut dough log into 10 smaller rolls or 8 large rolls. About 1 inch thick is what I prefer!
- Place rolls in your prepared pan and cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size again, about 30 minutes.
- Make icing: In a bowl, combine powdered sugar, vegan butter, vanilla and non-dairy milk until smooth and set aside until ready to ice buns.
- Preheat oven to 350 and just before baking buns, brush with additional melted vegan butter and a sprinkle of turbinado sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden. I prefer to bake on the lower end because I like a gooey, slightly under baked center
- Remove from oven and let cool slightly, then top with icing, candied pecans and shaved Alter Eco 85% Deep Dark Blackout Bar! Enjoy!
Notes
PIN TO SAVE FOR LATER!
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