Someday, when my kids are grown, and our holiday traditions are a bit more fine tuned, I want to be that family that has our big feast over brunch.

It’s my favorite meal by far, and I’m never without endless inspiration for brunch menus full of fizzy drinks, egg bakes, different varieties of hash etc…. And of course there are all the pastries, coffee cakes, and sweet rolls. Are you in? Do you do a holiday brunch instead of dinner?

These beautiful chocolate-y swirled rolls were even more delicious than when I imagined. A true sucker for homemade cinnamon rolls, I didn’t know how these could compete. But, I had a vision of something chocolate babka inspired and these totally fit the bill.

They have a soft dough, with a swirl of bittersweet chocolate filling that was neither hard or totally gooey, kinda soft and semi melty. In short- almost a dessert but still an acceptable breakfast for a special occasion. Chocolate lovers these are the sweet rolls for you!

These come together just like cinnamon rolls, but instead of spreading cinnamon sugar onto butter-topped dough, finely chopped dark chocolate gets pressed onto the dough and rolled up. After rising and baking to perfection, the rolls get drizzled with a simple vanilla glaze and are ready to be enjoyed. (Ideally alongside a cup of hot coffee.)

Ingredients needed for Dark Chocolate Swirl Buns:

• All Purpose Flour
• Milk
• Large Egg
• Unsalted Butter
• Yeast
• Salt
• Chopped Dark or Semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla

Supplies needed for Dark Chocolate Buns:

• Large Bowl
• Small saucepan
• 9×13 baking pan or 12 muffin tin
• Plastic Wrap or clean kitchen towel
• Rolling Pin
• Wooden Spoon
• Sharp serrated knife or unflavored floss
• Wire Rack

The process:

Warm milk and butter and add to a large mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a spatula mix everything together until a shaggy dough forms. Then you can either attach your dough hook if using a stand mixer or knead by hand until dough is smooth. Cover dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for about 15 minutes while you prep your filling. Roll dough into a large rectangle on a lightly floured surface and spread with butter and chopped chocolate. Roll dough starting with the long side and cut into 12 equal-sized pieces. Place on a prepared baking sheet or muffin tins and let dough rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.

Bake rolls until golden brown, cool on a top with glaze and enjoy!

In the mood for traditional cinnamon rolls instead?

Try my 90 Minute Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls or Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

How to store Dark Chocolate Swirl Buns:

After they have cooled to room temperature you can store these buns in an airtight container for up to a week in the fridge or up to 3 days on the counter.

Want to make these extra chocolate-y? Add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder to the glaze mixture for a sweet chocolate icing!