Nothing says “good morning” like a pan of still-warm buns right out of the oven, especially when they’re made with a rich, cocoa-spiked yeast dough and filled with a gooey swirl of Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter. Best of all, with a little advance preparation the night before, these buns can be baked and on the table in under an hour for a lazy weekend brunch.

Eat them warm and gooey right out of the oven, or let them cool off and drizzle with sweet Peanut Butter Frosting for an extra boost of peanutty goodness.

Prep time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Yield: 18 buns

Ingredients

For the dough
1¼ cup scalded milk (120-130°)
2 tablespoons sugar
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
2½ – 3 cups bread flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter
¼ cup melted butter

For the filling
½ cup Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter
½ cup brown sugar

For the frosting
1 cup icing sugar
¼ cup Smooth Operator peanut butter
¼ cup milk

Procedure

Make the dough
1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the milk, sugar and yeast. Stir until yeast is dissolved, then set aside to proof for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy. (If no foam appears after 10 minutes, your yeast is too old – buy a fresh jar and start again)

2. In a large bowl, combine 2 ½ cups flour, cocoa and salt. Stir until blended. Combine peanut butter and melted butter in a second bowl, and stir until smooth. Pour into the flour mixture, along with the proofed yeast, and stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough comes together.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough feels smooth and elastic, sprinkling with the remaining ½ cup flour as needed to keep from sticking. Shape into a ball, then transfer to a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat the top of the dough with oil. Cover with a clean dishtowel and let rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes, or until doubled in size (about 30 minutes).

Shape the rolls
1. Punch dough down. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide in half. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease two 9-inch square baking pans, and set aside.

2. Roll each piece of dough into a 14” x 6” rectangle. Spread ¼ cup peanut butter into an even layer on each rectangle, then sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Starting from a long side, roll up each rectangle like a jelly roll, pinching the seams shut.

3. Using a length of dental floss, slice each roll into 9 pieces. Arrange the rolls, cut sides down, in the prepared pans. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.

Bake and frost the rolls
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. While the oven preheats, prepare the frosting by whisking together icing sugar, peanut butter and milk in a small bowl until smooth.

3. Bake the buns in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned. Let cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes before drizzling with Peanut Butter Frosting and serving.

For the filling, Isabelle uses Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter to complement the rich, cocoa-spiked dough. What other Peanut Butter & Co. flavor do you think would match up well with the cocoa dough? Leave a comment below and on Monday, July 23, 2012 we’ll choose a random commenter to win a 16oz jar of Dark Chocolate Dreams, the peanut butter used in this recipe! US residents only.

The random winner for this giveaway is Melissa.