Soft, pillowy, deeply chocolatey rolls swirled with creamy peanut butter, loaded with chopped Reese's, and finished with a rich chocolate cream cheese icing and a golden drizzle of melted peanut butter, these Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls are the kind of thing you pull from the oven and immediately call everyone into the kitchen. I made these for the first time on a rainy Saturday when I couldn't stop thinking about that combination of chocolate and peanut butter, and honestly, the hardest part was waiting for them to cool enough to ice.
If you love big, indulgent baked treats, you'll also want to check out these French Silk Brownies and this showstopper Berries and Cream Cake for your next baking weekend.These are bakery-style sweet rolls with that tall, gooey center pull and a filling that actually stays inside the swirl. If you've ever made Peanut Butter Butterfinger Pie, you know how good that chocolate-peanut butter pairing gets when you lean all the way in. These rolls do exactly that.
Why You'll Love These Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls
These Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls have a soft, pillowy chocolate dough with a deep cocoa flavor, a creamy peanut butter filling that spreads like a dream, and little pockets of melty Reese's tucked into every swirl. The heavy cream poured around the rolls before baking keeps the centers gooey and tender in a way that's hard to explain until you taste it.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls Ingredients
- How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls
- Substitutions and Swaps
- Equipment For Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls
- Storage Tips For Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls
- Expert Tips
- FAQ
- Related
- Pairing
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls
Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls Ingredients
Here's a look at the key ingredients and why each one matters.
See Recipe Card Below This Post For Ingredient Quantities
Chocolate Dough
- Milk: Warmed to 110°F to activate the yeast without killing it. This is the base of your dough.
- Active dry yeast: Gives the rolls their lift and that soft, pillowy texture. Letting it sit until bubbly confirms it's alive and working.
- Eggs: Two large eggs help bind the dough and add richness and moisture.
- Unsalted butter: Room-temperature butter blends into the dough smoothly, creating a tender, slightly rich crumb.
- All-purpose flour: The structure of the dough. Spoon and level it into your measuring cup, or use a scale, to avoid packing in too much.
- Dutch process cocoa powder: Gives the dough its deep chocolate color and flavor. Dutch process is less acidic and blends smoothly.
- White granulated sugar: Adds just enough sweetness and helps feed the yeast during the rise.
- Salt: Balances all the sweetness and deepens the chocolate flavor.
Peanut Butter Filling
- Peanut butter: Creamy or crunchy both work here. Warming it briefly in the microwave makes it spreadable without tearing the dough.
- White granulated sugar: Stirs into the warm peanut butter and gives the filling a little bite of sweetness.
- Mini Reese's, chopped: Scattered over the filling, these melt slightly during baking and create little pockets of fudgy peanut butter candy throughout each roll.
- Heavy cream: Poured around the edges of the rolls before baking, it steams up inside the pan and keeps the centers incredibly soft and gooey.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
- Unsalted butter: Room temperature, beaten with the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
- Cream cheese: Adds that slight tang that keeps the icing from being cloying. Room temperature is important here.
- Powdered sugar: Sifted to prevent lumps, this gives the icing its body and sweetness.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Sifted in with the powdered sugar for a deep chocolate flavor in the icing.
- Peanut butter, melted: Drizzled over the top at the very end for that classic chocolate-peanut butter look and an extra hit of flavor.
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls
Rich chocolate dough, creamy peanut butter filling, and a drizzle of melted peanut butter on top. Here's how it all comes together.
Chocolate Dough
Activate the yeast: Warm 1 cup of milk to 110°F in the microwave, about 45 seconds. Stir in the 2¼ teaspoons of active dry yeast and add a pinch of sugar over the top. Let it sit for 10 minutes. It should get bubbly and smell yeasty. If nothing happens, your yeast may be old.
Mix the dry ingredients: Sift 4 cups of all-purpose flour and ½ cup of Dutch process cocoa powder together into a large mixing bowl. Add ¼ cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt and give it a quick stir.
Build the dough: Add the yeast mixture, 10 tablespoons of room-temperature cubed butter, and 2 lightly beaten eggs to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed with the dough hook until everything comes together, then increase to medium speed and knead for 5 minutes. The dough will be soft and a little tacky, that's exactly right.
First rise: Preheat your oven to 200°F, then turn it off. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray, add the dough, cover with a kitchen towel, and set it in the warm oven with the door cracked open slightly. Let it rise for 1 hour, or until it's doubled in size. Your kitchen will smell amazing.
Peanut Butter Filling
Prep the Reese's: While the dough rises, chop 1¼ cups of mini Reese's into small pieces and set aside.
Roll the dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an 18 x 20-inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick.
Make the filling: Microwave 1¼ cups of peanut butter for 15 seconds until soft. Stir in ½ cup of granulated sugar until combined.
Fill and top: Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly over the dough using an offset spatula, all the way to the edges. Scatter the chopped Reese's evenly over the filling.
Roll it up: Starting from the short side, roll the dough tightly into a log. Use a serrated knife with light sawing motions to trim the ends, then cut into 12 equal rolls.
Second rise: Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray and arrange the rolls inside. Cover with a kitchen towel and let them rest for 20 minutes.
Add the cream and bake: Preheat your oven to 375°F. Pour the ½ cup of heavy cream around the edges of the rolls, letting it settle into the pan. Bake for 28 to 33 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden or the centers reach 160°F internally.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
Beat the base: Using a hand mixer, beat 4 tablespoons of room-temperature butter and 4 ounces of room-temperature cream cheese on high speed for 1 minute until smooth and creamy.
Add the sugar and cocoa: Add the 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of sifted cocoa powder. Beat on low first until combined, then increase to high until the icing is smooth, fluffy, and a little lighter in color.
Ice and drizzle: Dollop and spread the icing over the warm rolls while they're still in the pan. Melt ¼ cup of peanut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds and drizzle it over the top in slow, sweeping lines. Serve warm.
Substitutions and Swaps
Peanut butter: Almond butter or sunflower seed butter both work as swaps if needed. The flavor will shift slightly but the rolls will still bake beautifully.
Mini Reese's: You can swap for roughly chopped peanut butter cups in any size, or use peanut butter chips scattered through the filling instead.
Milk: Whole milk gives the richest dough, but 2% works. Non-dairy milks like oat milk can also be used, just make sure to warm them to 110°F.
Dutch process cocoa: Natural unsweetened cocoa can be used in a pinch. The color will be lighter and the flavor slightly different, but still delicious.
Cream cheese: Full-fat cream cheese gives the best icing, but reduced-fat works fine here.
Equipment For Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Small mixing bowl
- Large mixing bowl
- Fine mesh sieve (for sifting)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Microwave-safe bowl
- Rolling pin
- Offset icing spatula
- Serrated knife
- 9x13-inch baking pan
- Nonstick baking spray
- Kitchen towel
- Hand mixer
- Spoon
Storage Tips For Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls
Room temperature: Store leftover Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. They're best gently rewarmed in the microwave for about 20 seconds before eating.
Refrigerator: Keep them covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Warm before serving.
Freezer: Freeze baked and un-iced rolls individually wrapped for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm in the oven at 325°F, then add fresh icing.
Overnight option: Prepare the Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls through the slicing and pan-arranging step. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, take them out while the oven preheats, then pour the cream and bake as directed.
Expert Tips
Don't skip the windowpane test by hand. If you're kneading by hand, stretch a small piece of dough gently between your fingers. When it stretches thin enough to let light through without tearing, the gluten is ready.
Room temperature dairy makes a real difference. Cold butter and eggs don't incorporate as smoothly. Pull your butter, eggs, and cream cheese out about 2 hours before you plan to bake.
Watch your yeast temperature. Milk that's too hot will kill the yeast. Too cool and it won't activate properly. 110°F is the sweet spot, warm but not hot against the inside of your wrist.
Roll tight but not aggressive. A snug roll keeps the swirl nice and neat when you slice. Too much force and the filling squeezes out the sides.
Use a serrated knife and let it do the work. Pressing straight down with a sharp knife compresses the Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls. A gentle sawing motion keeps the shape.
FAQ
How do you make chocolate peanut butter rolls from scratch?
Make a cocoa yeast dough, let it rise, roll it out, spread on a peanut butter filling, scatter chopped Reese's, roll into a log, slice, and bake. Icing goes on warm.
Can chocolate rolls be made overnight?
Yes! Slice, pan, cover with foil, and refrigerate. The next morning, pour the cream and bake as directed. Easy and stress-free.
Why do you pour heavy cream over cinnamon rolls before baking?
It steams inside the pan and keeps the Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls incredibly soft and gooey. Don't skip it.
What is the best frosting for chocolate cinnamon rolls?
Chocolate cream cheese icing. The tang from the cream cheese balances the sweet dough, and the peanut butter drizzle on top ties it all together.
Related
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls
Chocolate Peanut Butter Rolls
Ingredients
Method
- Warm the milk to about 110°F, stir in the yeast with a small pinch of sugar, and let it stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer until evenly mixed.
- Add the yeast mixture, eggs, softened butter, and dry ingredients together, then knead with the dough hook until a smooth, soft dough forms, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- While the dough rises, chop the peanut butter cups into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.
- Roll the risen dough on a lightly floured surface into an approximately 18x20-inch rectangle about ¼ inch thick.
- Warm the peanut butter just enough to loosen it, stir in the granulated sugar until smooth, then spread the mixture evenly over the dough.
- Scatter the chopped peanut butter cups evenly across the peanut butter layer.
- Starting from the short edge, tightly roll the dough into a log and slice into 12 equal rolls with a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss.
- Arrange the rolls in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish, cover, and let them rise for about 20 minutes while the oven preheats to 375°F.
- Pour the heavy cream around the edges of the rolls without pouring directly over the tops.
- Bake for 28-33 minutes, or until the centers reach about 190°F and the tops are lightly set.
- Beat the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth, then mix in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla until fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the warm rolls, drizzle with the melted peanut butter, and serve while still warm.
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