A spring twist to cinnamon rolls. These strawberry rolls filled with a chocolate and strawberry filling are soft, bouncy and delightful. Freeze dried strawberries are blitzed into a sugar and used in the filling and frosting.
Strawberry Sugar Is Magic
The children on Tiktok got mad at me when I said Billy and I invented strawberry sugar. But I kinda think we did. Sorry!! We made it years ago and put them on these beignets and they were magic. We thought we were geniuses. Maybe we didn’t…but maybe we did.
To make the strawberry sugar, you’ll need freeze-dried strawberries, regular sugar and a high-powered blender. Think Vitamix, BlendTec or Ninja. All of these blenders will do the trick.
How to Make Strawberry Chocolate Rolls
- Start by activating the yeast. I usually use Instant but I was all out so I activated my dry active yeast in the milk until it was all foamy.
- Then mix in the eggs, flour and salt. You want to knead it until it mostly comes together and then add in the butter. I like to knead this on medium-speed for about 5 minutes.
- Grease a bowl with cooking spray and transfer the dough to it. Let it rise in a warm area for about 1 hour. It should increase in volume by 50%.
- Meanwhile, let’s make the strawberry powdered sugar. Combine the sugar and freeze dried strawberries in a blender. You’ll want to use a high-powered blender to make sure it really combines and turns into a pulverized strawberry sugar. Blend it for about 1 minute. Remove it and measure out 1/2 cup (this will be for the frosting).
- Make the filling by combining all of the filling ingredients and beat it until it forms a paste. Roll the dough into a rectangle that measures 15”x 22” and then smother the chocolate filling onto the dough. It may seem like there’s not enough but it should be a super thin layer. Sprinkle the remaining strawberry powdered sugar on top of the chocolate filling.
- Roll up the dough starting furthest away from you, going toward you. And then pinch the seam together.
- Using a sharp serrated knife OR a piece of floss, cut the rolls into a 1 1/2-inch pieces. Butter or grease any baking dish. You can use one or you can use several.
- Transfer the rolls, cut side up, to the baking dish. Allow to rise for about 1 hour, until they’ve proofed by 50%.
- Transfer to the oven to bake for about 18-20 minutes.
How to Make the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make the frosting by beating together the cream cheese and butter. And then add in the strawberry sugar, vanilla, heavy cream and pinch of salt. I like to beat it for a full minutes so it’s super fluffy!
Tips and Tricks
- Instant yeast – You can use instant yeast with this recipe. To do so, simply whisk it with the flour and salt. Instant yeast is added to the dry ingredients while active dry yeast should be activated.
- Freeze dried strawberries – You can find freeze dried fruit (including strawberries) at most grocery stores in the dried fruit and nut sections.
- To Make these Ahead – Make the dough and let it proof in the fridge overnight. You can also make the filling and let it stand at room temp until you’re ready to use it.
If you make these Strawberry Rolls, let me know on Instagram!
Looking for more recipes? Here are some favorites:
Strawberry Rolls
A spring twist to cinnamon rolls. These strawberry rolls filled with a chocolate and strawberry filling are soft, bouncy and delightful. Freeze dried strawberries are blitzed into a sugar and used in the filling and frosting.
Serving Size:
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1/3 cup lukewarm milk (79ml)
- 1 packet active dry yeast (7g/2 1/2 teaspoons) (*see below for instructions with instant yeast)
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g)
Strawberry Sugar:
- 3/4 cup freeze dried strawberries
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
Filling
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (57g)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (25g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (57g) at room temperature
- 3/4 cup reserved strawberry sugar (recipe above)
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
To Make the Dough:
- To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (alternatively, you can do this in a large bowl by hand), mix together the mil and active dry yeast. Allow to activate and get all foamy, about 8 minutes.
- Crack in the eggs and mix using a dough hook. If the egg yolks don’t break up, feel free to grab a fork and mix it all up until combined. Pour in the flour and salt. Mix together until mostly combined and then add in the cubed butter, one cube at a time until it comes together. Knead for about 5 minutes by hand or in the machine. The dough will be slightly sticky—that’s ok! Grease a bowl with oil or cooking spray and transfer the dough to the bowl, spraying or coating the top.
- Cover with a lid or clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes. It should be soft and supple; it’ll have risen by 50%.
To Make the Strawberry Sugar:
- You’ll need a high-powered blender for this. Think a BlendTec, Ninja or Vitamix. Add the freeze-dried strawberries and sugar to the blender. Blend on high for about 1 minute. It should end up looking like pink-colored powdered sugar.Let it settle before removing the top of the blender bc it will create a “smoke”. We’ll be using this for the filling and the frosting. Remove 3/4 cup of strawberry sugar and set aside. We'll be using this amount of 3/4 of a cup for the frosting.
To Make the Filling:
- To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (with the paddle attachment) or using a medium bowl and a fork, add the butter, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt. Mix until it forms a paste that’s completely combined.
To Assemble the Rolls:
- Lightly flour your work surface and remove the dough from the bowl and place the dough into the center. Lightly flour your rolling pin and roll the dough into a 1/8-inch thick rectangle that measures 15“x22“ If it’s not a perfect rectangle, that’s totally ok.
- Add the filling to the rectangle of dough, spreading it out into an even very thin layer, stopping from about 1/2-inch from the edges. Sprinkle the remaining/reserved strawberry sugar on top of the smoothed out chocolate.
- Roll the dough farthest from you, going toward you.
- Using a serrated knife OR a piece of unflavored floss, trim off the ends. And then cut the log of dough into 12 equal pieces. Mine measured about to be 1 1/2-inches long. Transfer to a greased 9×13-inch baking pan or baking sheet. You can also use multiple baking dishes. Whichever works best for you.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for an additional 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until puffy and lightly golden brown.
To Make the Cream Cheese Icing:
- To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (or a large bowl) with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and the butter until smooth. Next, add the reserved 3/4 cup strawberry sugar, vanilla, pinch of kosher salt and heavy cream. Beat for a full 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
To Serve:
- When the rolls come out of the oven, pour the half or ALL of the icing over the rolls and smother the with the icing.
Notes
Tips and Tricks:
- Instant yeast – You can use instant yeast with this recipe. To do so, simply whisk it with the flour and salt. Instant yeast is added to the dry ingredients while active dry yeast should be activated.
- Freeze dried strawberries – You can find freeze dried fruit (including strawberries) at most grocery stores in the dried fruit and nut sections.
- To Make these Ahead – Make the dough and let it proof in the fridge overnight. You can also make the filling and let it stand at room temp until you’re ready to use it.
Nutrition
Calories: 409kcal (20%) | Carbohydrates: 54g (18%) | Protein: 4g (8%) | Fat: 20g (31%) | Saturated Fat: 12g (75%) | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg (18%) | Sodium: 228mg (10%) | Potassium: 278mg (8%) | Fiber: 3g (13%) | Sugar: 25g (28%) | Vitamin A: 618IU (12%) | Vitamin C: 181mg (219%) | Calcium: 25mg (3%) | Iron: 5mg (28%)
Once I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. As a novice baker It was a bit intimidating because I don’t work with dough very often. I followed along as best I could, they came out looking so pretty but the texture was so wrong. I’m not sure why mine looked perfectly golden brown but were crunchy and… not what you would want in a sweet roll. I wanted to love them so bad!! Will definitely be trying more recipes from your blog because they all just look Incredible!!
Hello Adrianna, all you butter is 57g, the 1/2 coup and 1/4 cup too. Love your recipes, thanks for sharing
fixed now – thank you!
Made these and they’re great! I added a little kalhua to the chocolate part of the filling. This dough was forgiving – I stuck it in the fridge after slicing the rolls and arranging them on the tray, and let them come to room temperature in the morning before baking – still fluffy and flavorful!