Chocolate Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

Is there anything better than a warm and gooey cinnamon roll to go with a cup of coffee? If there is, I haven't found it yet.

Thanks to Liz at Oak Grove Coffee Co. for the cinnamon rolls recipe! Of course, I had to go and put chocolate in them.

{Chocolate Pecan Cinnamon Rolls}

Dough: 

1/4 ounce package yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup scalded milk

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

1/2 cup softened butter, plus more for pan

3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

3/4 cup pecans and walnuts, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped (optional)

Glaze:

4 tablespoons butter

1 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons hot water

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl, mix milk, sugar, softened butter, salt and egg. Mix in 2 cups of flour. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes, then place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour or more.

When doubled, punch down dough. Roll it out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9 inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough (generously), then mix cinnamon sugar mixture over the buttered dough. Sprinkle with pecans and chocolate. Beginning at the 15-inch side, roll up dough, then cut into 12 to 25 slices.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the bottom of a baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

While the rolls bake, mix butter, powdered sugar and vanilla with a hand mixer. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches the desired consistency. Spread over cooled rolls.