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A tray of Dark Chocolate Cherry Vegan Cinnamon Rolls.
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5 from 2 votes

Dark Chocolate Cherry Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

These absolutely divine dark chocolate cherry vegan cinnamon rolls with vegan cherry frosting will have you licking your plate! The perfect special breakfast or brunch! Easy to make!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Rise Time x21 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
Course: Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 9 cinnamon rolls
Calories: 638kcal
Author: Andrew Bernard

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • 3 ½ - 4 cups flour
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 package instant yeast (1 package = 2 ¼ tsp)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups dairy free chocolate milk (we like oat or almond-sub for non-chocolate if needed)
  • ¼ cup maple syrup (can sub same amount of agave or cane sugar)
  • ¼ cup vegan butter, melted but not hot

For the Filling

  • 3 cups dark red sweet cherries, pitted (measured after pitting)
  • ⅓ cup water
  • ⅓ cup vegan cane sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoon cornstarch (can sub with arrowroot powder)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract (sub for vanilla extract if nut allergy)

For the Frosting

  • ⅓ cup dark red sweet cherries, pitted (measured after pitting)
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened dairy free milk
  • ½ cup vegan butter
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract (sub for vanilla extract if nut allergy)

Instructions

For the Dark Chocolate Cherry Vegan Cinnamon Rolls Dough

  • In a stand mixer bowl, whisk together 3 ½ cups flour, cocoa powder, yeast, and salt. 
  • Then, add in the dairy free chocolate milk, vegan butter, and maple syrup. 
  • Let the stand mixer go until a dough ball has formed.
    *Sprinkle a little more flour in if needed to not be sticky and form a ball.  
  • Once ball is formed, grease the same bowl mixed in and place the dough ball back into the bowl. 
  • Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 60-90 minutes in a warm, draft free place until doubled.

For the Cherry Filling

  • About 30 minutes before dough is done rising, in a saucepan over medium heat, add the pitted cherries, water, sugar, lemon zest, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes.
  • Stir in almond extract. Let cool slightly before adding to dough.
  • Once dough has doubled in size, pull out the dough and lay it out on a lightly floured surface.  
  • Using a rolling pin, roll dough into an approximately 17×25″ rectangle that is ¼″ thick.  
  • Spread the cooled cherry filling evenly over the dough.
  • Carefully roll cinnamon rolls into log from the longest side up. One completely rolled, place seam side down. Cut into even sized pieces - 9 for larger cinnamon rolls (use a 9x9 pan) or more for smaller ones (12 in 9x13 pan). 
  • Place into a greased baking dish and cover. Let rise for another 30-45 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Once heated, place dish inside and bake in oven for 30-35 minutes.

For the Vegan Cherry Frosting

  • Add the cherries and dairy free milk to a blender and puree the cherries.
  • In a large bowl, cream the vegan butter together for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add 3 cups of powdered sugar. Beat together.
  • Add cherry puree and almond extract. Beat together again. 
  • Add in remaining cup of powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time, until desired consistency.
  • Remove cinnamon rolls from oven when done. Let cool for 10 minutes.
  • Spoon frosting across the top.

Notes

*See post for notes about Top 8 Allergy Free variation
**Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cinnamon roll | Calories: 638kcal | Carbohydrates: 124g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 411mg | Potassium: 402mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 77g | Vitamin A: 930IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 3mg