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If it’s breakfast or dessert you’re looking for, these Strawberry and Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls are delicious any time of day! Soft, enriched dough is filled with strawberry, chocolate, and cinnamon sugar to make 4 cinnamon rolls. And topping off the rolls is a creamy strawberry cream cheese frosting.
Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls
Sometimes you just want a cinnamon roll, and sometimes you don’t want 24 of them sitting around. Or, maybe you do. But no judgement here. 🙂 What we may agree on is that homemade cinnamon rolls are the best. Especially when they are slathered in a creamy frosting.
And this small batch of cinnamon rolls are no exception to that. This recipe yields 4 soft cinnamon rolls. The dough for cinnamon rolls is an enriched dough. Which means it contains dairy, fat, and sugar.
Each cinnamon roll has a generous cinnamon-brown sugar filling, with the added bonus of freeze dried strawberries. Freeze-dried strawberries, you say? One of my favorite baking staples. More on that below …
Strawberry and Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon rolls are a great canvas for different flavors. I mean, an enriched dough begs for creative flavors! Though, strawberry and chocolate are not revolutionary, but the way we get the strawberry flavor into the cinnamon rolls may be.
We are using freeze-dried strawberries. These little pieces of fruit have had all of the moisture removed. Which is great for baking because most times we don’t want to impart anymore moisture than necessary in a recipe.
We grind the freeze-dried strawberries into a powder – using a blender or food processor – and then mix them with the cinnamon-brown sugar blend. And because strawberries go with chocolate just like peanut butter goes with jelly, we are adding some rough chopped chocolate chips to the mix.
The result is a filling that melts when baked. The center of the cinnamon rolls are gooey, and the strawberry powder mixed with the cinnamon-brown sugar makes a jam-like filling. Yum.
What You Need To Make Strawberry and Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Dough Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Yeast – Active or Instant will work. I use Active in this recipe, which requires it to bloom in liquid before using. If you choose to use Instant, no blooming is required and it can go in with the dry ingredients.
- Milk – I recommend whole milk, but 2% will work fine.
- Granulated sugar
- Butter – Melted and cooled slightly.
- Egg yolk – Adds to the richness of the dough.
Filling Ingredients
- Freeze-dried strawberries – You could also try different flavors of freeze-dried fruit. You can typically find it in the dried fruits/nuts aisle at your grocery.
- Granulated sugar – We are only using this to help grind the strawberries into powder.
- Light brown sugar – I prefer light brown sugar because there is already enough flavor in the filling. You could certainly swap in dark brown sugar if you want a pronounced molasses flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon
- Chocolate chips – I used dark chocolate chips, but you can use any flavor you like.
- Butter – At room temperature and spread on top of the dough – it helps the filling stick, and adds to the gooeyness of the rolls.
Frosting Ingredients
- Cream cheese – HAS to be at room temperature to whip up smooth.
- Butter – Room temperature to whip smooth.
- Freeze-dried strawberries – We have to have a strawberry frosting to bring home the strawberry flavor!
- Powdered sugar – Wouldn’t be a frosting without it!
Baking Equipment
- 6-Inch round cake pan – If you don’t have one, you could also use a 6-Inch square pan, or a small 7×5-Inch casserole dish.
- Mixing bowls
- Blender or food processor – To grind up the freeze-dried strawberries.
Tips For Making A Small Batch Of Cinnamon Rolls
- The cinnamon rolls can be made ahead of time – Follow the recipe up to the point of the second proof. Once you have rolled them up, place them in the pan, cover, and refrigerate. In the morning, take them out of the fridge for their second proof. I recommend at least 60 minutes for their second proof, since they will be cold.
- The recipe can be doubled – The bake time will need to be extended – likely about 5-8 minutes.
- Try different filling flavors – Freeze-dried fruit comes in a variety of flavors – raspberry, mango, peaches, apple, and blueberry.
- Enjoy the day they are baked – As with most baked goods, these cinnamon rolls taste the best the day they are baked.
- Great breakfast for Valentine’s Day – Naturally, the strawberry and chocolate make these cinnamon rolls the perfect Valentine’s Day breakfast!
More Small Batch Breakfast Recipes
- Caramel Apple Sweet Rolls
- Apple Pumpkin Muffins with Crumb Topping
- Easy Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Homemade Flaky Croissants
- Mini Cherry Coffee Cake
- Homemade Bagels
Strawberry and Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1/4 cup milk, warm (2% or whole milk)
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature and beaten
Strawberry and Chocolate Filling
- 1/3 cup freeze dried strawberries, ground to powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2-3 tablespoons dark chocolate chips, rough chopped (more or less to taste)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup freeze dried strawberries, ground to powder (ground to powder)
Instructions
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, add the milk and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until the yeast 'proofs' and gets foamy.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture, beaten egg yolk, and melted butter and stir with a wooden spoon. Stir the dough until all ingredients are combined and the dough starts to come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be sticky, but if it is too sticky, you can sprinkle in more flour, a teaspoon at a time.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough and your hands with flour. The dough will be sticky and we want to knead it past the sticky stage until it becomes smooth and elastic – about 5 minutes. You will know the dough has been kneaded enough when you poke it with you finger and it bounces back. Shape into a ball and place in a bowl that has been lightly greased with cooking spray. I use a large Tupperware bowl so I can see the dough through the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for the dough to rise for 60-90 minutes, or until it has doubled in size.
Strawberry and Chocolate Filling
- While the dough is proofing, make the filling – In a blender or food processor, add the freeze dried strawberries and the 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Pulse until the strawberries are ground to a powder.
- In a small bowl, add the ground strawberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped chocolate chips. Stir to combine and set aside.
Shaping the Rolls
- Spray the cake pan with cooking spray.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough into approximately a 5×8-inch rectangle – with the long side facing you. Spread the room temperature butter over the dough. Sprinkle the strawberry chocolate mix on top – leaving a small border on the top of the dough.
- With the long side of the dough closest to you, roll the cinnamon roll as tightly as possible, without stretching it, and gently pinch the seam end closed. Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into 4 equal rolls and place the rolls in the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle any filling that fell out on top of the cinnamon rolls.
- Cover the cinnamon rolls with a dry kitchen towel and let rise again in a warm place, for 30 minutes.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- While the rolls are proofing, make the cream cheese frosting – In a small mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and ground strawberries. Use a hand held mixer to beat the frosting until smooth and creamy. Note – If you find the frosting too thick, add a splash of milk or heavy cream.
- Preheat the oven to 400F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
- Bake for 15 – 17 minutes, or until the tops are golden and the center of the rolls no longer look doughy. Cool the rolls in the pan set on a wire cooking rack and allow to cool slightly before frosting and serving. Enjoy!
RECIPE NOTES
- The cinnamon rolls can be made ahead of time – Follow the recipe up to the point of the second proof. Once you have rolled them up, place them in the pan, cover, and refrigerate. In the morning, take them out of the fridge for their second proof. I recommend at least 60 minutes for their second proof, since they will be cold.
- The recipe can be doubled – The bake time will need to be extended – likely about 5-8 minutes.
- Try different filling flavors – Freeze-dried fruit comes in a variety of flavors – raspberry, mango, peaches, apple, and blueberry.
- Enjoy the day they are baked – As with most baked goods, these cinnamon rolls taste the best the day they are baked.
about the author ...
I'm Erin and I'm all about desserts - and a little bit of butter!
I've tested, written, and photographed hundreds of recipes on my website. Here you'll find the tastiest small batch gluten free and traditional desserts - all homemade, all simple, and all for you!
These cinnamon rolls look absolutely delicious and beautiful! I love the combination of strawberry and chocolate. I can’t wait to try this!
Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy them!
Hi, I would love to bake 12 of these in a 9 x 13 Pyrex. Any idea of how long I should bake for? Help would be greatly appreciated! They look scrumptious!!!
Hi Walker – For a regular size batch, the bake time will be around 25-30 minutes. I do have a recipe on the blog for a regular size batch of cinnamon rolls if you are looking for one – https://butterandbliss.net/maple-glazed-cinnamon-rolls/
And for the filling, I would recommend just tripling the ingredients. Hope you enjoy them!