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Murielle Banackissa
Chocolate hazelnut buns in a pan surrounded by whole hazelnuts

Chocolate Hazelnut Rolls

Print recipe
2 hours 30 mins Prep: 30 mins Cook: 30 mins Rising Time: 1 hour 30 mins
Serves 10

Fluffy, doughy and chocolatey, these vegan rolls are made with only 10 ingredients and are so good that they will be gone in the blink of an eye!

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
  • ¼ cup unsalted vegan butter
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 ¼ tsp instant dry active yeast (1/2 packet)
  • 2 cup ¼ + ¼ cup all-purpose flour , divided

Filling

  • ¼ cup + 2 tbsp runny natural hazelnut butter , divided
  • cup packed pitted dates
  • 2-3 tbsp maple syrup , optional
  • ¼ cup chopped dark chocolate

Recipe

  1. Step 1

    Add milk and butter to a large microwave safe bowl and microwave until the butter is melted.

  2. Step 2

    Add sugar and whisk to combine. The mixture should be warm and not hot. If you have a thermometer, aim for about 40ºC.

  3. Step 3

    Sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit to activate for 5 minutes. Mix using a wooden spoon.

  4. Step 4

    Add 2 1/4 cup of flour and salt and mix using your spoon. At this point the mixture will be very sticky and that is 100% normal.

  5. Step 5

    Cover with a clean towel and let rise for 1 hour in a warm environment.

  6. Step 6

    After one hour, incorporate the remaining 1/4 cup of flour using your wooden spoon.

  7. Step 7

    Grease a pie dish with melted butter or oil of choice, set aside.

  8. Step 8

    Add 1/4 cup of hazelnut butter along with dates into a bowl. Blend using an immersion blender. Add the two extra tablespoons and maple syrup, if using. Mix to combine and set aside.

  9. Step 9

    Flour a clean surface and transfer the dough onto it. Knead for about 5 minutes, adding a little more flour if necessary, until the dough no longer sticks to your surface.

  10. Step 10

    Roll out the dough into a rectangle of about 35 cm by 25 cm.

  11. Step 11

    Spread evenly the hazelnut filling onto the dough using the back of a spoon. Sprinkle chopped dark chocolate.

  12. Step 12

    Roll into a tight log. Place the seam down.

  13. Step 13

    Cut off the two extremities that might have a little less filling.

  14. Step 14

    Cut 10-12 slices of about 2.5 cm and place in the previously greased pie dish.

  15. Step 15

    With the extremities that you cut off, place them in a greased ramekin, drizzle some maple syrup and sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon.

  16. Step 16

    Cover both the pie dish and the ramekin with a clean towel and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes in a warm environment.

  17. Step 17

    Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Remove clean towel and bake rolls in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

  18. Step 18

    Let cool for 15 minutes and enjoy.

  19. Step 19

    The rolls stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days, covered. Warm up in the microwave before enjoying again.

Common Questions & Swaps

Recipe adapted from Tasty’s The Best Ever Vegan Cinnamon Rolls.

  • Can I use any plant based milk? I would stick to an unsweetened milk, but you can use anything from almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk, hemp milk, macadamia milk etc. Avoid canned coconut milk as it is a little too heavy.

  • Can I replace the sugar with another sweetener? I would say you can replace it with your granulated sweetener of choice without any issue. However, if you want to use a liquid sweetener you might have to adjust the quantity of flour slightly.

  • Can I make these buns with another flour? Probably. To be honest, I have not tested this recipe with any other flour, partly because in this case I was going for the traditional cinnamon buns – the ones that are soft and pillowy and doughy. And those ones tend to be made with AP flour.

  • I like my buns extra sweet, can I add extra sweetener? I would say you could add up to 3 tablespoons of maple syrup to the filling to make these extra sweet. Also, you could make a basic powdered sugar frosting and use it as a garnish like in the traditional rolls.

  • I don’t have hazelnut butter, can I use any other nut butter? I would say yes, as long as it is the natural kind and is runny. Just know that the flavour profile will be completely different.

 

Chocolate hazelnut buns in a pan surrounded by whole hazelnuts
Closeup of chocolate hazelnut rolls
Chocolate hazelnut roll in a baking dish
Chocolate hazelnut roll opened with interior texture showing