Soft, fluffy, and decadent, these Chocolate and Pistachio Rolls make for an indulgent treat. They feature pistachio-flavoured dough, a rich chocolate-sugar filling, and a pistachio cream cheese topping.

Over the years, I’ve built a diverse collection of flavoured rolls, which I’ve shared here. Not only are they easy to make, but we absolutely love them at home. Consider this a warning, there are more to come! I adore how versatile these rolls are; the fillings can be varied, and a luscious topping makes them even more decadent.

Another reason I often make these rolls is that they’re easy to bring along when I’m invited somewhere. They can be prepared in advance, travel well, and are always a crowd-pleaser! These, in particular, have been a huge hit at home and with my co-workers. They went down a treat.

What are these Chocolate and Pistachio Rolls

Lately, there has been a social media craze over the chocolate and pistachio combination, all thanks to the famous Dubai chocolate! I had been wanting to share a pistachio roll recipe for a while, but I wasn’t completely satisfied with my initial ideas. Then it clicked…I should add chocolate to balance the nutty sweetness and make them even more indulgent!

These chocolate and pistachio rolls are made with pistachio-flavoured dough and a rich chocolate-sugar filling. To enhance the texture, I also added chocolate chips and chopped pistachios. After baking, I topped them with a pistachio cream cheese frosting, which truly tied everything together and made them extra decadent. The frosting is optional, but I wanted to recreate the indulgent vibe of Cinnabon or Cinnamood—the latter has taken Luxembourg by storm this past year!

More Flavours

Tips and Tricks

Windowpane test – I suggest to carry out this test to make sure that the dough has been kneaded correctly which will give you a better roll. Stretch a small piece of dough between your fingers, until the centre part of the dough is translucent without tearing. If no tearing you can proceed, if it tears you need to knead the dough further.

Unflavoured dental floss – Using floss instead of a knife will give you better cut rolls.

Dough thickness – When rolling open the dough, be careful to roll it equally and do not go too thin.

FAQs

How to store these Chocolate and Pistachio Rolls?

I prefer to keep frosted rolls covered at room temperature for up to 1 day since the cream cheese frosting is perishable. Unfrosted rolls can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can refrigerate them for longer freshness. Personally, I like to keep mine unfrosted and, when ready to serve, I warm the roll slightly and then spread the frosting on top.

Ingredients

For the Dough:

500 g bread flour
100 g butter room temperature
2 eggs
5 g salt 1 tsp
10 g active dry yeast
50 g sugar
225 ml full fat milk lukewarm
40 g pistachio cream

Chocolate filling

100 g butter room temperature
100 g brown sugar
15 g cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
50 g chocolate chips
60 g chopped pistachios

Pistachio Cream cheese Topping

120 g icing sugar
70 g butter room temperature
140 g cream cheese
30 g pistachio cream

Instructions

Preparation of the dough

In a small bowl mix the sugar and yeast in the lukewarm milk and let the yeast activate for about 15 minutes until foamy.
To a mixer with a dough hook, add all the dough ingredients. Mix on a low speed for about 5 minutes, then increase the speed to medium and mix for a further 12 minutes until the dough comes away from the bowl. If you are kneading by hand, knead until you get a soft and smooth dough, which should be after approximately 25 minutes of kneading.
Form the dough into a ball and let it rest in a warm place covered for an hour until it doubles in size.

Chocolate Filling

For the filling, mix the butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract and cocoa powder together until a paste is formed, and set aside.

Pistachio Cream Cheese Topping

In a bowl, whisk together the sugar and icing sugar until it's smooth. Add the cream cheese and pistachio paste. Gently fold in everything together. Set aside until ready to use.

Assembly and baking

Lightly butter a 33 x 23cm baking dish and set aside.
On a floured work surface, roll the dough into a rectangle, roughly 40 x 30cm.
With a spatula spread a layer of the chocolate filling over the dough. Place on top sparingly the chocolate chips and the chopped pistachios. Leave about 10g of chopped pistachios to the side (will be used later for decoration)
Roll the dough tightly. Cut the dough with a serrated knife or floss string into 12 rolls. They should be about 2.5cm thick each.
Place the rolls in the baking dish, cover and let them rest for half an hour. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F.
Brush the rolls with some milk and bake them for about 20 minutes, until golden.
Let the rolls cool slightly. Add a generous dollop of the pistachio cream cheese topping on each roll, sprinkle the remaining chopped pistachios on top. Enjoy!

Nutrition

If you have any questions, feedback or comments on this recipe, please leave a comment below. Please also rate this recipe by double clicking on the stars below. If you did make this recipe, tag @apronandwhisk and hashtag #apronandwhisk, as I’m curious to see what you create! Don’t forget to subscribe to the mailing list down below so to receive the recipe updates straight to your mailbox!

Chocolate and Pistachio Rolls