Bournville-Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls: Warm, Gooey, and Perfect with Coffee
Written by Deepali Verma | October 10, 2025
Ever considered making cinnamon rolls at home, that too with a chocolate surprise within? A recipe that's warm, gooey, and aromatic, filling the entire kitchen with the scent of a bakery. Cinnamon rolls are typically what you think of as café fare or something you purchase for special occasions, but making them at home is easier than you might have believed.
Bournville cinnamon rolls are the kind of bake that pairs perfectly with your morning coffee or a lazy evening tea, making both moments feel just a little more indulgent.
If your weekends are for lazy mornings, this is the sort of recipe you begin while the sun's still drowsy in the air, allowing the dough to rise while you make your first cup. By the time they're hot out of the oven, you'll have something golden, soft, and swirled with spiced sweetness and melchocolate, straight from your kitchen. And yes, they're as delicious as they are beautiful. So roll up your sleeves and let's bake something special.
Recipe for Bournville-Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 packet (7g) instant yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup warm milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 egg (room temperature)
For the Filling:
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 150g Bournville chocolate, broken into pieces
For the Glaze:
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 2–3 tbsp milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Method:
Mix warm milk, sugar, and yeast in a big bowl. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes until it starts to froth. Mix in melted butter, egg, and salt. Add the flour gradually, until the dough becomes soft. Knead on a floured surface for approximately 6–8 minutes until smooth. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
After it has risen, roll the dough out into a rectangle (approximately ¼-inch thick). Spread softened butter evenly over it. Brown sugar and cinnamon should be mixed and then sprinkled on the buttered dough. Bournville chocolate chunks should be spread out evenly over the surface. Beginning at the long edge, roll the dough tightly into a log. Cut into equal pieces (approximately 2 inches thick). Place the mixture in a greased baking dish, cover it, and let it rise for an additional 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and the chocolate bubbles.
To make the glaze, whisk together icing sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls before serving.
7 Tips to Follow
1. Use Warm Milk
Hot milk can kill the yeast, making your rolls heavy and flat. The milk should be warm to the touch, but not scalding hot. This allows the yeast to activate fully, providing your Bournville cinnamon rolls with that heavenly soft rise.
2. Let the Dough Rise Properly
Rushing the rising stage means you’ll miss out on that light, airy crumb. Let the dough rise naturally to double its size in a warm, draft-free spot. Cover the surface with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out while it works its magic.
3. Spread Butter Evenly Before the Sugar Mix
The butter serves as a glue between the chocolate chunks and cinnamon sugar, keeping them intact when baking. A uniform layer also ensures that every bite has the same flavor and richness.
4. Use Good-Quality Bournville Chocolate
The chocolate is the main attraction. Grate it instead of chopping it into chunks so that it melts in pockets inside the rolls. That way, you have those little pools of melted chocolate in the center and not melted away into the dough.
5. Cut using a Sharp Knife or Floss
Squashing the rolls when cutting them will result in unevenness. Use a very sharp knife or unflavored dental floss to push it under the log of dough, cross the ends, and pull to cut neat slices without losing shape.
6. Don't Overbake
Overbaking dries out the rolls and stiffens chocolate. Check them at the 20-minute mark; they need to be golden on top and still soft to the touch. The chocolate will be melted but not burnt.
7. Glaze While Warm, Not Hot
To glaze hot rolls, it melts immediately when poured over them, but cold rolls will not absorb it. Let them cool for roughly 5 minutes following baking, warm enough for the glaze to penetrate, but cool enough for the glaze to remain visible and shiny.