Go Back

Chocolate Pistachio Sweet Rolls

These rolls are the perfect summer baking project. Soft and buttery brioche dough is rolled up with sweet pistachio cream, brown butter pistachio crumbles, and a generous handful of dark chocolate chunks. These are topped off with a fudgy chocolate glaze and a drizzle of vibrant and sweet pistachio cream!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rising Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12 rolls
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 1 cup whole milk warmed to about 110℉
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons salted butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 3 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
Filling
  • ½ cup raw pistachios
  • ¼ cup salted butter
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon pistachio extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup pistachio cream
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped
Chocolate Glaze
  • 4 Tablespoons water
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanila extract
  • a pinch of salt
  • 3 Tablespoons pistachio cream microwaved for about 20 seconds so it can be drizzled

Method
 

Start by making the dough
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the warm milk, yeast, and brown sugar. Cover with a paper towel and let rest for 5 minutes. The yeast should foam up during this time, and if it doesn't your yeast is dead and you should start over with new yeast.
  2. Add in the butter, eggs, salt, and 1 cup of the flour and whisk until smooth. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and use a large rubber spatula to fold together until you have a sticky dough.
  3. Turn the dough out on a heavily floured work surface and knead it gently for roughly 2 minutes, until you have a sturdy ball of dough. It should be sticky, but if it's so sticky to the point that it is difficult to handle, add more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time. Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel to rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
Make the filling
  1. In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until they are mostly broken up. It shouldn't be powdery/sandy but you shouldn't have any whole or large chunks of pistachio. Set aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted the butter will start to sizzle and bubble, keep cooking until it just barely starts to form brown specks and have a slight nutty aroma. With the burner still on medium heat, add in the pistachios and continue cooking, stirring frequently until the pistachios are slightly toasted. Add the brown sugar, pistachio extract, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Pour/spread the mixture onto a plate and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Shape the rolls
  1. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with butter and set aside.
  2. On a floured work surface, roll the dough into a 12×16 inch rectangle. Spread the pistachio cream in an even layer on top. Crumble the slightly solidified mixture from earlier evenly over the pistachio cream. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly on top. Slowly and carefully, roll the dough into a 16 inch log. Slice the log into 12 rolls. Arrange the rolls in the previously prepared baking pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or cling wrap and let the rolls rise for 1 hour.
Bake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
  2. Bake the rolls uncovered for 20-22 minutes or until lightly browned and hollow sounding when you tap on them. While the rolls cool a little, make the glaze.
Make the glaze
  1. In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and water together in the microwave in 30 second increments until the butter is completely melted. Add in the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt and use a whisk to combine. Let the glaze cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes to thicken a little.
  2. Spoon a generous amount of the chocolate glaze over each roll, and drizzle some of the melted pistachio cream on top. Rolls are best enjoyed warm but will last up to 4 days in an airtight container .