Chocolate Sugar Buns
These fluffy chocolate sugar buns are filled with a mocha chocolate filling, lathered in butter, and coated in sugar. They're the perfect way to change up your typical, go-to cinnamon rolls for a fun chocolatey twist.
Servings: 24 buns
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Buns
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water (somewhere between 105° to 115°)
- 1 (2.25-oz) packet active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 4 cups (583g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For the Chocolate-Mocha Filling
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 (4-oz) bar bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Generous pinch of kosher salt
For the Sugar Coating
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
For the Chocolate Buns
- Combine the water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes or until the yeast is slightly foamy (this is your sign that the yeast is alive. If this doens't happen, you need to get fresh yeast).
- Meanwhile, combine the milk, butter, and sugar in a small bowl and microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the butter is melted and it is warm to the touch (don't let it to get too hot - if this happens you may kill the yeast. Shoot for lukewarm).
- Add the warm milk mixture and eggs to the yeast/water mixture and whisk until everything is combined (whisking by hand here is more effective).
- Add the flour and salt, and beat on medium speed for 6 to 8 minutes. The dough should be slightly tacky and should stay attached to the hook when you pull it out of the bowl. It shouldn't be so sticky that it gets all over your hand when you touch it.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, and spray the bowl with cooking spray. Add the dough back to the oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until it's doubled in size.
For the Chocolate-Mocha Filling
- 30 mintues before the dough is finished rising, make the filling. Combine the butter, chocolate, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan, whisking until smooth.
- Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir every so often until the chocolate is fully melted and you're left with a relatively thick mixture.
- If it gets too thick while you're rolling out the dough, you can warm it up again or add a bit of milk or cream. You want it to be spreadable, not runny and not too thick.
- Punch the dough down using the fist of your hand (this will help expel some gases), and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 12x18-inch rectangle.
- Evenly spread the filling all over the dough using an offset spatula or a knife, leaving a 1/2-inch border on each side.
- Starting on one of the long ends, tightly roll the dough from end to end and gently press the edges together to seal.
- Cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch thick sections using a sharp knife or a stand of unscented dental floss. Place the rolls in 2 lightly greased muffin tins (this recipe makes about 24 buns, so you'll need 2 (12-cup) muffin tins or 1 (24-cup muffin tin).
- Cover the muffin tins with plastic wrap and let them rest in a warm spot until the rolls have doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the buns until they're golden brown and puffed up, about 20 to 25 minutes (Tip: make sure your oven racks are spaced a good bit apart becuase these rise quite a bit and you don't want them hitting another oven rack).
- Remove from the oven and cool completely on wire racks.
For the Sugar Coating
- Microwave the butter in a medium-sized bowl in 15-second intervals until completely melted. Place the sugar in a shallow bowl.
- Working 1-by-1, dip each bun in the butter and roll to coat completely. Then transfer to the sugar bowl and coat each bun in sugar. Transfer back to the wire rack. Serve these buns immediately.
Notes
If you want to make these overnight chocolate sugar buns, see the above section "Recipe FAQs" for information on how to do that.
For more information on storing these buns/making them ahead, check out the above section "Recipe FAQs."