There is something so magical about waking up on a slow holiday morning and pulling a pan of chocolate chip cinnamon rolls out of the oven. The smell alone is worth getting out of bed for, and the combination of melty chocolate chips swirled into a soft, pillowy cinnamon roll is honestly one of my favorite things I make all year. If you are someone who loves a good baked breakfast treat, you are absolutely going to want to bookmark this one alongside my Chocolate Chip Streusel Skillet Breakfast Cake and my Swedish Cinnamon Rolls for serious morning inspiration. And if you ever find yourself short on time but still craving that fresh-baked cinnamon roll experience, my Shortcut Cinnamon Rolls will save the day every single time.
Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls at a Glance
- 🕒 Total Time: 3 hours (30 min active, 2 hours rise, 25 min bake)
- 👪 Servings: 12 rolls
- 🍝 Cuisine Type: American breakfast / Holiday brunch
- 🧂 Flavor Profile: Buttery, soft yeasted dough with brown-sugar cinnamon filling, mini chocolate chips, and a vanilla milk glaze
- 📖 Dietary Info: Contains gluten, dairy, and egg; vegetarian
- 📦 Storage Notes: Best the day they're baked; rolls hold 2 days at room temp covered, or freeze unbaked rolls after the second rise for up to 1 month and bake from frozen with 5 extra minutes
- ⭐Why You'll Love It: A Christmas-morning cinnamon roll you can prep the night before and slide into the oven while the coffee's brewing. Mini chocolate chips melt into pockets through the swirl, the brown-sugar filling caramelizes into the dough, and the vanilla glaze hits while the rolls are still warm. The make-ahead part is the whole game.
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Growing up we never did Cinnamon Rolls of any sort - but Thomas swears by them. My family was more of a wake up super early, run to the tree, rip open all the presents and then have breakfast. Thomas on the other hand, he would rather have breakfast, maybe a coffee, take his time and THEN open presents. He's an alien. Who can wait that long. Anyways, the recipe below can be prepped ahead so you can make the night before and then bake off the morning of so you're basically making everyone happy! Happy Holidays guys! xoxo 
Substitutions & Swaps
🍫 Chocolate
- Mini chocolate chips - The default; small enough to distribute evenly through the swirl without weighing down the dough
- Chopped dark chocolate (60-70%) - More cocoa hit, less sweet, melts into glossy pockets instead of holding shape
- White chocolate chips - Skews more sweet and almost custardy against the cinnamon, especially with the vanilla glaze
- Cocoa nibs - For a less-sweet version with crunch; pair with extra brown sugar in the filling to balance
🌿 Spice in the Filling
- Saigon cinnamon - Hotter and more assertive than standard cassia, my pick when chocolate is in play because it doesn't get drowned out
- Ceylon cinnamon - Softer, more floral, makes the rolls read as more refined and less sticky-bun
- Cardamom (half cinnamon, half cardamom) - Pushes the rolls toward Scandinavian territory; works beautifully with chocolate
- Pumpkin pie spice - Use for fall mornings; nutmeg and clove come through against the brown sugar
🥛 Glaze
- Cream cheese glaze - 4 oz softened cream cheese + 1 cup powdered sugar + 2 tablespoon milk; richer, tangier, holds its shape on a warm roll
- Espresso glaze - 2 teaspoon instant espresso into the milk before mixing; the coffee note is gorgeous against chocolate
- Maple glaze - Swap powdered sugar for ½ cup maple syrup + ½ cup powdered sugar; less sweet, more breakfast-y
- Bourbon glaze - 1 tablespoon bourbon in place of milk; for the adults at the brunch table
🌾 Dough
- Bread flour - Higher protein gives a chewier, more stretched roll; cuts the pillowy quality slightly but holds the swirl better
- Brioche dough - If you have a trusted brioche recipe, use it; the extra eggs and butter make the rolls feel like dessert more than breakfast
- Whole milk + heavy cream (split 50/50) - Richer dough; particularly good if you're making them for a special-occasion brunch and want a softer crumb
🍫🌀🥛 Tips & Tricks for the Best Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls
Soft, chocolatey, prep-ahead-friendly cinnamon rolls that make Christmas morning effortless
- Warm your milk to 105-110°F, no hotter. Above 115°F you start killing the yeast and the dough won't rise. A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out.
- Bloom your yeast before mixing. Combine warm milk, a pinch of sugar, and the yeast and wait 5 minutes for foam. No foam means dead yeast and a doorstop. Start over before you commit the rest of the ingredients.
- Roll the dough into a tight, even rectangle. Aim for 16x12 inches and rotate 90° between rolls so the gluten relaxes evenly. Uneven thickness means uneven proof and lopsided rolls.
- Spread melted butter to the edges, not the seam. Leave a 1-inch dry strip along the far long edge so the seam seals when you roll it up. Otherwise the filling leaks out during the bake.
- Use unflavored dental floss to slice the log. Slip it under, cross over the top, and pull. A knife squishes the dough and ruins the spiral; floss gives you twelve clean coins.
- Cold-proof overnight for Christmas morning. After slicing, cover and refrigerate up to 18 hours. Pull them out 45 minutes before baking to come up to room temp and finish their second rise. This is the move.
- Bake until the center reads 190°F internally. Visual cues lie on yeasted dough - a thermometer in the middle roll tells you when the dough is set without underbaking. Pull at 190 and the residual heat finishes them.
- Glaze while warm but not hot. 5 minutes out of the oven is the sweet spot - the glaze melts into the swirls but doesn't slide off the top. Hot rolls drink the glaze; cold rolls fight it.
- Mini chips beat regular chips here. Standard chips weigh down the dough and tear the swirl. Stick to mini or chop dark chocolate fine.
- Bake in a snug pan, not a sheet tray. A 9x13 or two 9-inch round pans force the rolls to push against each other as they rise. That's how you get the soft tear-apart sides.
Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls FAQs
What are chocolate chip cinnamon rolls?
Chocolate chip cinnamon rolls are a yeasted American breakfast pastry made by rolling enriched dough with a brown sugar and cinnamon filling and mini chocolate chips, baking the spirals until pillowy, and finishing with a vanilla milk glaze. They're a chocolate-forward variant of the classic cinnamon roll, common on holiday breakfast tables.
Can I make chocolate chip cinnamon rolls the night before?
Yes, and that's the whole point of this recipe. Assemble and slice the rolls, place them in the baking pan, cover, and refrigerate up to 18 hours. Pull them out 45 minutes before baking so they finish their second rise at room temp.
Why did my cinnamon rolls not rise?
The most common cause is dead yeast - either expired or killed by milk that was too hot when you bloomed it. Milk needs to be 105-110°F. If your yeast didn't foam during the bloom, the dough won't rise no matter how long you wait.
Can I freeze chocolate chip cinnamon rolls?
Freeze the assembled, sliced rolls after the second rise, before baking - wrap the pan tightly and freeze up to 1 month. Bake from frozen with about 5 extra minutes added to the bake time. Freezing baked-and-glazed rolls makes the glaze weep when defrosting; skip it.
What chocolate chips work best in cinnamon rolls?
Mini chocolate chips are the right call - they distribute evenly through the swirl without tearing the dough or weighing it down. Standard-size chips create dense pockets and disrupt the spiral. If you want a darker flavor, chop a 60-70% dark chocolate bar fine instead.
How do I know when cinnamon rolls are done baking?
The center of the middle roll should register 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. Visual cues on yeasted dough are unreliable - golden tops can lie when the centers are still raw. Pull at 190 and let residual heat finish the bake.
Can I make chocolate chip cinnamon rolls without yeast?
Yes - use a quick-rise biscuit-style dough with baking powder instead of yeast (my Shortcut Cinnamon Rolls use this method). The texture is denser and more biscuit-y rather than pillowy, but you skip the 2-hour proof entirely.
Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast ¼-ounce envelope
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- Nonstick spray or vegetable oil for the bowl
For Filling
- 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick, melted
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 5 to 6 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
Instructions
- Warm milk in a small pot over medium heat until it’s warm to the touch but not yet simmering (110 degrees). Add 2 tablespoons sugar and the yeast, whisking to dissolve and break up any clumps. Let sit until it’s slightly foamy and starting to bubble, about 2 to 5 minutes. If it doesn't bubble, discard and start again with a new package of yeast.
- Meanwhile, combine flour, the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder and the salt in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly to combine.
- Add milk mixture, followed by the egg and, with a wooden spoon or the mixer on low, stir to combine, just to eliminate any obviously dry or wet spots. If using the mixer, you may need to scrape the dough off the paddle. Add melted butter and continue to stir until a shaggy lump of dough forms, again scraping down the paddle and helping things along with your hands if necessary to combine.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, or keep in the mixing bowl and change to the dough hook attachment. Knead dough until it’s smooth, shiny and elastic, about 4 or 5 minutes.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with nonstick spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free area. Let sit until the dough has about doubled in size, about 2 hours.
- Punch dough down to release any air that has built up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator and chill the dough for at least an hour.
- Once dough is chilled, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll to a 16 x 10-inch rectangle. The rolled dough will be about ¼- to ⅓-inch thick.
- Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Brush surface of the dough with half of the melted butter and sprinkle brown sugar mixture in an even layer, and sprinkle the mini chocolate chips on top, patting to make sure it’s sticking. Drizzle with remaining butter.
- Starting at the end closest to you (the long side of the dough), roll dough up into a tight coil, pressing lightly as you roll to make sure there are no gaps between the dough and the filling.
- Cut log into nine even pieces, about 1 ¾-inch thick. Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and arrange dough in three rows of three pieces each, with the spiral facing upward and with space in between each piece. (At this point, the rolls can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight, if you'd like.)
- Cover rolls lightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free area until the rolls have puffed (they won't quite double, but they will be noticeably fluffier and closer to touching) and spring back slightly when pressed with your finger, about 1 hour. (If you refrigerated the rolls overnight, this may take 1 ½ to 2 hours.)
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place rolls in oven and bake until they are golden brown and fluffy and the sugar has started to bubble up around the edges, caramelizing on the sides of the buns, about 32 to 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze: combine confectioners' sugar and milk and whisk until it is thick but can still be drizzled, like a thinner frosting. (If the glaze is still too thick, thin with more milk by the teaspoonful to get desired consistency.) Keep in mind the glaze is to be applied while buns are warm, and it will thin out upon contact, so it’s best to err on the thicker side.
- Once rolls are out of the oven, drizzle with the powdered sugar glaze and let cool slightly in the pan before digging in.
Notes
- Warm your milk to 105-110°F, no hotter. Above 115°F you start killing the yeast and the dough won't rise. A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out.
- Bloom your yeast before mixing. Combine warm milk, a pinch of sugar, and the yeast and wait 5 minutes for foam. No foam means dead yeast and a doorstop. Start over before you commit the rest of the ingredients.
- Roll the dough into a tight, even rectangle. Aim for 16x12 inches and rotate 90° between rolls so the gluten relaxes evenly. Uneven thickness means uneven proof and lopsided rolls.
- Spread melted butter to the edges, not the seam. Leave a 1-inch dry strip along the far long edge so the seam seals when you roll it up. Otherwise the filling leaks out during the bake.
- Use unflavored dental floss to slice the log. Slip it under, cross over the top, and pull. A knife squishes the dough and ruins the spiral; floss gives you twelve clean coins.
- Cold-proof overnight for Christmas morning. After slicing, cover and refrigerate up to 18 hours. Pull them out 45 minutes before baking to come up to room temp and finish their second rise. This is the move.
- Bake until the center reads 190°F internally. Visual cues lie on yeasted dough - a thermometer in the middle roll tells you when the dough is set without underbaking. Pull at 190 and the residual heat finishes them.
- Glaze while warm but not hot. 5 minutes out of the oven is the sweet spot - the glaze melts into the swirls but doesn't slide off the top. Hot rolls drink the glaze; cold rolls fight it.
- Mini chips beat regular chips here. Standard chips weigh down the dough and tear the swirl. Stick to mini or chop dark chocolate fine.
- Bake in a snug pan, not a sheet tray. A 9x13 or two 9-inch round pans force the rolls to push against each other as they rise. That's how you get the soft tear-apart sides.
If I want to triple the recipe, do I need to adjust the rest time for the dough to rise and/or chill?
TBH I havent ever tested it tripled but my guess would be no, the times remain generally the same!
Can we sub gluten free all purpose flour?
haven't tested it to be GF but I would guess a cup4cup or something of the sort, would work
Can you sub almond milk?
absolutely
Hi Gaby! What can I use to substitute the egg?
I haven't tested this recipe with an egg substitute so I can't say for sure!
Looks Yummy!
How would you go about freezing these?
Thanks
Looking forward to trying this.
This sounds like a scrumptious Christmas morning treat! A perfect tradition.