Chocolate Hazelnut Rolls (Made Without Yeast)

Chocolate Hazelnut Rolls are sweet and fluffy, with swirls of Nutella, crushed hazelnuts and dulce de leche. They require no yeast and no rising time, so you can have warm and gooey rolls on the table in 40 minutes!

*This recipe was originally published in December 2018 and has been updated with new photos and text, as well as a few adjustments to the recipe.

I don’t often share full blown decadent treats on the blog but these Nutella rolls are a favorite brunch treat in our house, so I decided to polish up the photos and re-share them today with a few additional tips for making them.

Details on a few ingredients

• Flour: While I’ve made variations of these rolls with whole wheat flour, for the best results, I recommend using all purpose white flour.
• Butter: Use cold, unsalted butter that has been cut into cubes. Ensuring your butter is cold will result in tender, flaky biscuit layers.
• Chocolate hazelnut spread: While Nutella is the obvious choice, you can use any kind of hazelnut chocolate spread.
• Hazelnuts: You’ll need crushed hazelnuts for the filling and to sprinkle on top of the rolls. I just buy natural, whole hazelnuts and pulse them in the food processor to get crumbly pieces. For additional flavor and texture, you can also roast the crushed hazelnuts. Just place them on a baking sheet and toast on 350F for 6-8 minutes.
• Dulce de leche: You can make your own, but in the spirit of saving time, I use store-bought. And, if you can’t find dulce de leche, feel free to use butterscotch or caramel sauce.

How to make Nutella swirl rolls without yeast

• Step 1: Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a food processor bowl and pulse a few times until combined.
• Step 2: Add in the cold cubes of butter.
• Step 3: Pulse until the mixture has a crumbly texture with bits of butter throughout. (Don’t over process as the butter will start to warm up and melt).
• Step 4: Stir the vanilla into the milk, and with the food processor running, slowly pour it into the flour mixture. Keep processing until a sticky dough forms.

• Step 5: Place the dough onto a well floured surface and start kneading by folding it over a few times to incorporate the flour from the work surface. The dough should start to get firm and less sticky.
• Step 6: Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough so that it’s 15 inches long and 10 inches wide. As you’re doing this, you may need to add more flour to the work surface and the rolling pin to ensure the dough doesn’t stick.
• Step 7: Spread the Nutella onto the surface of the dough.
• Step 8: Sprinkle on the crushed hazelnuts (reserving some to add to the top of the baked rolls).

• Step 9: From the long edge, roll the dough into a log, folding in the dough at both ends to ensure the filling doesn’t come out.
• Step 10: Slice the log into 12 even pieces.
• Step 11: Arrange the slices in a single layer in a greased 8×11 inch oval baking dish (or 10-inch round dish).
• Step 12: Bake for 20-22 minutes on 425F, or until the rolls start to brown on top. Remove from the oven and pour the dulce de leche over the warm rolls. Sprinkle reserved hazelnuts on top.

How to ensure you get tender and flaky rolls

These rolls are essentially biscuits, so you want to treat the dough as you would biscuit dough. As the best texture for biscuits is tender and flaky, here are a few things I’ve learned from making this recipe over the years:

• Be careful not to warm up the butter too much as you work it into the flour. This means not over processing it in the food processor or working your handheld pastry cutter too hard. You want little pieces of butter throughout the dough. That’s why it’s important for the butter to be cold.
• Don’t knead the dough too much. You want to fold it over and knead it a few times to ensure flour from your work surface gets incorporated and the dough is no longer sticky, but you don’t want to knead it endlessly. This will result in tough, dense rolls.

Storage and freezing

These Nutella buns are best enjoyed warm and gooey right out of the oven. If you have leftovers, just store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. They will get a little firm in the refrigerator, so just warm them in the microwave before eating.

If you forego the dulce de leche or use a caramel that doesn’t require refrigeration, you can leave the rolls at room temperature for a few days.

You can freeze these rolls, but I would do so without the dulce de leche. Just store them in a single layer in an airtight container and freeze for 2-3 months. Defrost at room temperature and then top with the dulce de leche.

Additional recipe tips and substitutions

• If you don’t have a food processor, you can cut the butter into the flour with a handheld pastry cutter.
• Make sure you’re properly measuring your flour. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then use a knife to level off the top. You don’t want the flour packed into the measuring cup.
• Ensure your work surface is well floured so the dough doesn’t stick as you try to shape and roll the dough.
• To cut rolls into neat slices, some recipes recommend using dental floss. I’ve never tried this technique but it looks pretty efficient. I normally use a serrated knife and just gently cut the slices.

Other decadent brunch treats to enjoy

• White Chocolate Cranberry Rolls
• Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls
• Walnut Banana Bread with Molasses
• Baked French Toast Casserole with Cherries

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!

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Chocolate Hazelnut Rolls (Made Without Yeast)

Chocolate Hazelnut Rolls are sweet and fluffy, with swirls of Nutella, crushed hazelnuts and dulce de leche. They require no yeast and no rising time, so you can have warm and gooey rolls on the table in 40 minutes!

5 from 8 votes

Print Pin

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 rolls

Author: Leanne

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 1/4 cups all purpose white flour, plus 3-5 tablespoons for work surface
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cane sugar
• ▢ 4 heaping teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• ▢ 1 cup dairy milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 3/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread, such as Nutella
• ▢ 1 cup natural whole hazelnuts, crushed
• ▢ 1/2 cup dulce de leche

Instructions

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

• Preheat oven to 425F and grease an 8×11 inch oval baking dish (or 10-inch round dish).
• In a food processor bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, and pulse a few times to combine. Add in the cubes of butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly with pieces of butter throughout.
• Stir the vanilla into the milk, and with the food processor running, slowly pour the milk into the flour mixture and process until a sticky dough forms.
• Add the dough to a well floured work surface, and start kneading the dough by folding it over a few times to incorporate the flour from the work surface. The dough should start to get firm and less sticky. If the dough is too sticky, just add a little bit more flour.
• Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough so that it’s 15 inches long and 10 inches wide. As you’re doing this, you may need to add more flour to the work surface and the rolling pin to ensure the dough doesn’t stick.
• Spread the Nutella onto the surface of the dough and sprinkle on most of the hazelnuts (reserving some for the top). From the long edge, roll the dough into a log, folding in the ends to ensure the filling doesn’t come out.
• Cut the log into 12 even pieces and arrange in a single layer in the prepared dish. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the rolls start to brown on top.
• Remove from oven and pour the dulce de leche over the rolls. Sprinkle on the reserved hazelnuts.

Notes

1. To crush the hazelnuts, just pulse them a few times in a food processor or blender until they are crumbly.
2. For additional flavor and texture, you can roast the crushed hazelnuts. Just place them on a baking sheet and toast on 350F for 6-8 minutes. They burn quickly, so keep an eye on them.
3. To measure the flour, use the spoon and level method.
4. To get little pieces of butter throughout the dough, make sure you’re using cold butter. Also, be careful not to warm up the butter too much as you work it into the flour. You don’t want it to melt.
5. If you don’t have a food processor, you can cut the butter into the flour with a handheld pastry cutter.
6. Ensure your work surface is well floured so you have enough to work into the dough and to ensure it doesn’t stick as you shape and roll the dough. I usually use about 3-5 tablespoons, but feel free to add more if your dough and work surface are still sticky.
7. Don’t knead the dough too much. Just fold it over and knead it a few times to ensure flour from your work surface gets incorporated and the dough is no longer sticky.

Nutrition Facts per Serving

Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 206mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 276IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 3mg

Disclaimer

Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.

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