German Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

I have jury duty on Monday.  It is only the second time in my life that I have had jury duty.

The first time, I wasn't selected to be on the jury.  I wanted to be selected so that I could have the experience.  This time I am a little busy at work, so I would prefer to not be selected.  

I made these cinnamon rolls last Sunday for a brunch.  I have made cinnamon rolls a few time in the past.  I have made pumpkin cinnamon rolls.  I actually wasn't a fan of that recipe.

I made raspberry rolls with lemon glaze.  That was a delicious recipe.  I would recommend it.  One year I made cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning.  That was a wonderful Christmas treat!

I found this german chocolate cinnamon roll recipe on Fleischmann's website.  They make yeast.

The ingredients for the cinnamon roll are 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, 3/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup butter, 3 to 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa power, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

The ingredients for the filling are 1/4 cup butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.  The ingredients for the frosting are 1 cup evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar, 3 egg yolks, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup chopped pecans, and 1 cup flaked coconut.  

I added the yeast to the warm water.  The recipe states the water should be between 100 and 110 degrees.  I let the yeast bloom in the water for about five minutes.  I then added the milk and butter.  I heated the milk and butter to the same temperature as the water before adding them into the bowl.

I then added one cup of flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.   I mixed these ingredients together for a couple of minutes.

I gradually added the remaining flour until the dough started pulling off from the side of the bowl.  It became soft but still tacky dough.  I let the dough rise in a greased bowl until the dough doubled in size.  This took about an hour and a half.

I rolled the dough out into a 15 by 10 inch rectangle.  I spread the softened butter evenly over the dough.  I then evenly sprinkled on the cinnamon and then the brown sugar.

I rolled the dough up into a log and then cut it into 12 equal slices.  I let the dough rise again for about an hour.  It doubled in size again.  I baked the cinnamon rolls for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

I made the frosting while the dough baked.  I added the egg yolks, sugar, butter, and evaporated milk into a saucepan.  I heated the ingredients over medium heat until it became to boil and the frosting thickened.   

I mixed in the coconut and pecans.  I put the frosting into the refrigerator until the cinnamons were finished baking.

 I let the cinnamons cool for ten minutes after I removed them from the oven.  I then smothered them with the frosting.

These were very decadent and scrumptious cinnamon rolls.  The bread was soft and tender with the light chocolate flavor.  The filling was sweet and warming.

The frosting was the best part.  It was thick and custardy.  It was chewy and crunchy.  There was some frosting left over, and I ate it by the spoonful.  It was rich because delicious.

 This was a wonderful and mouthwatering recipe.  I give it two thumbs up!