Cookies & Cream Sourdough Chocolate Rolls

Indulge in the ultimate treat: Cookies & Cream Sourdough Chocolate Rolls. Irresistibly soft chocolate rolls, a gooey, buttery Oreo filling, and a cream cheese frosting sprinkled with Oreos—the dream team. What’s more, these delectable sweet rolls are leavened exclusively with sourdough starter, eliminating the need for commercial yeast. Trust me, this recipe is a must-try.

Cookies & cream has always been my favorite flavor! While I don’t crave Oreos on their own, add them to ice cream, cookies, cakes, or any dessert and I’m all for it. Chocolate and cream cheese were meant to be together.

This recipe is a play on my original Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Recipe but with added cocoa powder in the dough for a chocolate twist and Oreo’s inside of the filling. Another delicious and indulgent cinnamon roll recipe is my Sourdough Maple Cinnamon Rolls with maple icing and candied bacon on top. Any of these cinnamon roll recipes are perfect for holidays or as a special treat! 

Cookies & Cream Sourdough Chocolate Rolls ingredients

Chocolate Rolls

• sourdough starter- you want to use active, bubbly sourdough starter that has recently been fed to leaven the rolls. If you do not have a sourdough starter, you can make one with just flour and water with my Easy Sourdough Starter recipe in as little as two weeks.
• cocoa powder- this is essential for turning sweet rolls into chocolate rolls.
• sugar
• milk- I like to use whole milk but you could swap it out for a lower fat milk or a non-dairy alternative. I recommend microwaving the milk for 30 seconds to help the dough start at a warmer temperature.
• flour- you can use all purpose or bread flour.
• butter- use melted butter in the dough.
• egg
• salt

Oreo filling

• Oreos- you could always try mixing things up by swapping out chocolate Oreos for another flavor. Blend the oreos in a blender or place them in a ziplock and crush them up to a powder.
• brown sugar- brown sugar adds a rich flavor and makes these rolls extra gooey and delicious.
• butter- the butter should be soft enough to easily spread on the dough but not melted. 

Cream cheese frosting

• butter- use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt. If you use salted butter you do not need to add the extra salt in the icing. The butter should be at room temperature to easily blend into the icing.
• cream cheese- soften the cream cheese so it easily blends.
• powdered sugar
• salt
• vanilla
• milk- you can also use heavy cream or half and half as well. Add the milk slowly, adding more as needed to get to the desired consistency.
• Oreos- crush the Oreos ahead of time in the blender. If you want bigger chunks of Oreos in the icing do not blend the Oreos as long.

Helpful tools

• Stand mixer- I mix the dough with a Bosch mixer using the dough hook attachment. The Bosch is a workhorse and kneads the dough well. You could also use a kitchen aid or knead the dough by hand.
• Rolling pin- this is by far my favorite rolling pin. It is butter soft and smooth and just rolls out my dough so well.
• Dental floss- this may seem strange but floss is the easiest way to cut your rolls. It makes the cuts clean and doesn’t squish the dough causing all the filling to fall out.
• 9×13 pan- you can use glass or metal, either will work.
• Warming mat- especially if your house runs cold using a proofing mat (use code country10 for 10% off) can make a big difference in ensuring the dough stays warm so it doubles in a timely manner.

Step-by-step instructions

Mix dough: Mix all the dough ingredients together by hand or in a stand mixer with a dough hook. Knead dough on the counter or in the mixer for just a minute or two until the dough comes together forming a soft, pliable dough. If the dough is sticky, add a little extra flour.

Bulk Fermentation: Place the dough in a bowl and cover. Let the dough rise until doubled in size in a warm spot. At 78-80F this takes 8-9 hours.

Mix up the Filling: Near the end of bulk fermentation, mix up the filling. Crush the Oreo® cookies by hand or in a blender, then mix with brown sugar.

Shape: Grease a 9 by 13 inch pan. Punch down the dough and roll it into an approximate 18 by 12 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter and then evenly sprinkle the Oreo® filling.

Starting with the dough closest to you, roll up the chocolate roll and pinch together the seam. Flip over, seam side down. Cut the long log of dough into 12 pieces and nestle together in the pan. I recommend using floss for clean cuts. Cover the pan and set in a warm 80ºF place to rise.

Second Proof: Once the rolls are puffed up and risen, about 1-2 hours later, they are ready to bake. Do not proceed forward until the rolls have risen or the rolls will be dense.

Bake: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until baked all the way through and rolls register 190ºF.

Cookies & Cream Icing: While the rolls bake, crush 3 Oreo® cookies in a blender or by hand. In a medium bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the vanilla, powdered sugar and crushed Oreo® cookies. Slowly add the milk until you reach your desired consistency. Spread on the warm rolls. Break up the remaining 6 cookies in larger chunks and sprinkle on top of the icing.

Sample schedule

This is a rough timeline of what your schedule could look like. Depending on the temperature of your house and activity level of your sourdough starter these times may look different. This is based on the dough maintaining a temperature of 78F.

Make ahead directions

Cinnamon rolls can definitely be made ahead of time which can be especially helpful for a busy holiday morning. Here are a few options but note that if you leave the dough in the fridge overnight the rolls will have more tang as they are fermenting for a longer period of time. 

Bake directly from fridge- This option can work but if your rolls overproof they may not be as light and fluffy when baking. Don’t leave the rolls longer than 12 hours in the fridge. For this method, feed your starter in the evening two nights prior to when you want to eat them. Then make the dough the morning prior. Follow all the instructions for the first and second rise. Once the rolls have almost doubled in size in the pan, place in the fridge overnight. Then, the next morning remove the rolls from the fridge and bake right away (don’t use a glass pan).

Bake & Reheat– This is a great option because you don’t have to worry about the rolls over proofing in the fridge or even worry about baking the next day. For this method, feed your starter in the evening 2 nights prior and make the dough the morning before you want the rolls. I recommend starting as soon as you get up. Go through the entire process and finish the night by baking the rolls. Cover with foil and leave on the counter. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350F and brush the tops with just a little bit of water to rehydrate them. Cover and bake for 8-10 minutes or until warm and then add your icing.  

Final Rise & Bake- If you prefer to have the rolls freshly baked the morning of I find this is a good option. For this method, feed your starter in the evening 2 nights prior and make the dough in the late morning/early afternoon the day before you want the rolls. Once the dough has doubled, shape the rolls as normal and place into the fridge. Or if you prefer to assemble in the morning, refrigerate the dough after it doubles. Then in the morning, shape the rolls. I don’t recommend leaving the rolls longer than 12 hours as you don’t want them to overproof. In the morning place the rolls in a warm spot to rise and get puffy before baking. Note the rolls may take a little longer to rise since the dough will need to come to room temperature. 

Tips for getting fluffy sourdough chocolate rolls

1. Ensure the dough ingredients are warm (but not hot) when added to the rolls. This will keep the temperature of the dough up and will help it to rise quicker.
2. Do not roll out the dough until doubled in size. Going along with tip 1 this dough needs a warm spot in order to rise in the 8-10 hours. If your house is cold plan for the dough to take longer. You can use a warming mat, place it in the oven with the light on or in the microwave, place it near a vent or on top of the fridge, the key is to keep the dough warm.

How to store sourdough chocolate rolls

Without the icing the chocolate rolls can be stored on the counter for 1-2 days in an airtight container followed by a few extra days in the fridge. If the icing is on the rolls they need to be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat the rolls place them in the microwave for 30 seconds.