Chestnut Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls

Surprise your loved ones on Christmas morning (or any morning) by making these delicious and oh-so-chocolatey cinnamon rolls!

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Rising Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Servings 12 rolls

Ingredients

Dough:

1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups full-fat coconut milk warm but not hot
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons oil plus more for greasing pan
2/3 cup sugar
4 1/4 cups flour plus more for work surface

Filling:

1/2 cup chestnut puree *see note
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 coconut oil melted
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup about 150g semi-sweet dark chocolate chips or chunks
Fudge layer for pan:
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup 1/2 stick vegan butter, softened (or more coconut oil)
1/4 coconut cream **see note
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup coconut cream **see note
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), dissolve yeast in milk and allow to sit for about 5 minutes until bubbly. Stir in sugar, oil, and salt until combined. Add flour a cup at a time until your dough comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of bowl. Cover bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and place in warm place to rise until doubled in size. (Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough overnight and have it ready for a quick breakfast. Just pull it out about an hour before you want to use it.)
Meanwhile, make your filling and prep your pan. Combine chestnut puree, sugar, cinnamon, coconut oil, cocoa, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
Now in a separate small bowl, combine the brown sugar, melted coconut oil, cream and cocoa and stir until smooth. Pour into a 13x9 inch glass pan (alternatively you can use 2 8x8 inch or 2 10-inch round cake pans) and spread to coat the bottom of pan(s).
Divide dough in half and roll out one half on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle, roughly 1/4 inch thick. Spread 1/2 of the chestnut filling in an even layer on top and sprinkle with 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Starting from the short end, roll it up until you have a log of sorts. Then using a sharp knife, cut into 6 (or 7 spirals if using a round pan) and place in prepared pan (spiral facing up). Repeat with other half of dough until you have 12 rolls. Cover pans and allow them to rise for about 1 hour until nearly doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Bake for 30 -40 minutes until edges start to brown. Remove pan(s) from oven and allow the to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
For the icing, whisk ingredients together in a medium bowl until thick and smooth. Serve on top of the warm rolls.

Recipe Notes

*Chestnuts or chestnut can be purchased whole or canned in puree from at specialty and gourmet food markets. Most places that carry them also sell them in puree form. However, if you prefer to use an alternative, I've used different nuts in their place many times. Replace the 1/2 cup of chestnut puree with about 1/3 cup finely ground nuts (any kind, I like almonds) plus 1 tablespoon arrowroot or corn starch.
**If you have trouble finding coconut cream at your local grocery store it's completely fine to use full-fat coconut milk and scrape the cream off of the top. Just be sure that it's cold enough to separate.