Cinnamon Roll Cookies are thick, soft, buttery cookies, swirled with cinnamon sugar and topped with sweet icing. All the flavors of a cinnamon roll in a EPIC cookie recipe!
Cinnamon Roll Cookies Are Going to Be Your New Favorite Cookie Recipe!
Oh friends, you are in for a real treat today, a real treat indeed. I have been thinking about the idea for these Cinnamon Roll Cookies for quite a while. And I will tell you there was some trial and error to get them how I imagined. Let me explain.
We LOVE Cinnamon Sugar desserts. From the Best Snickerdoodle Cookies ever to exist, to Cinnamon Roll Cake to Churro Bars and literally everything in between, I have so many cinnamon sweet treats here on my site. But these cookies, OH these cookies…they might be my best creation in a while. I know I say that a lot, but these are just truly epic cookies. You guys are going to LOVE them.
What Makes These Cinnamon Roll Cookies Great?
Like I’ve said, I have had the idea for this cookie recipe in my brain for a bit of time. And getting them exactly right took some trial and error. I knew I didn’t want a Cinnamon Roll Cookie that looked like mini cinnamon rolls. I’ve seen those all around the internet and they are so cute, but it wasn’t what I was going for. I didn’t want a fussy looking cookie, AND I wanted to make sure that my recipe made THICK, ultra-soft cookies with a slightly crisp edge, and melty, buttery centers, with ribbons of cinnamon sugar in every bite.
After 7 different batches, that were *almost* right, I nailed it on the 8th try. And then I tried them again 2 more times to makes sure. It’s been a cookie filled week, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
These Cinnamon Roll Cookies were worth every.last.calorie.
Ingredients You Will Need:
FULL recipe at the bottom of the post!
- Butter
- Dark brown sugar (yes you can use light brown sugar)
- Ground cinnamon
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Heavy cream
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt
- All purpose flour
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
Let’s Talk About How To Make Cinnamon Roll Cookies
There are a few easy tricks to make these cookies. They aren’t fussy or difficult, just a few instructions to ensure success!
- Make the cinnamon sugar filling first (as per the instructions). The recipe calls for melted butter, so it’s easy to mix, but as it sits for a few minutes while you make your cookie dough, it thickens back up as the butter cools making it easier to spread than when the butter is completely melted.
- Don’t worry about making things perfect. The beauty of these cookies is that they are rustic and non-fussy looking. When the cookie dough is made, spread it out into a large rectangle. I gave the measurements 10×15, but don’t get too hung up on this. This is a guideline, you don’t have to get out your tape measure. You just want the dough to be thin enough to roll up, and give you enough space to spread out the cinnamon sugar.
- Also I just used my hands to press the dough into the rectangle shape. You CAN use a rolling pin, but it’s just as easy to press it into shape. It’s a pretty sticky dough, but you don’t want to add too much flour rolling it out, as that will change the texture of the cookie.
- When you roll the dough up into a log, cut the pieces into 10 equal slices. You can absolutely make more than 10 cookies if you don’t want large cookies, just adjust your bake time down a few minutes.
- Once you make the slices, pick up the slice and roll it into a ball! You want the ribbons of cinnamon sugar filling to swirl throughout the cookie in all directions. This also helps seal in the cinnamon sugar mixture, which contains a healthy amount of butter, and it can potentially leak out a little bit (which is fine) but rolling it into a ball helps seal it!
- Place the dough balls into the freezer for 20 minutes before baking and while your oven is preheating. This helps keep the cookies on the thicker side. BUT while the first batch is baking place the remaining dough in the fridge. You don’t want the dough to be completely frozen, just cold.
Tips on How To Make Cinnamon Roll Cookies Pretty!
I feel like these are a stunner of a cookie…especially when you break one in half and see all those cinnamon sugar swirls! But I get asked a LOT how I make my cookies look so pretty, and here are a few tips for not only these cookies, but most cookie recipes!
- Make sure all the cookies are the same size. Using a cookie scoop, a scale, or in this case, cutting the slices into equal portions ensures that the cookies are all the same size, which makes them bake evenly. If you have a small cookie and a larger cookie on the same baking sheet, clearly the smaller cookie will bake quicker than the larger.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven grab a spatula and form them into the perfect circle. Sometimes cookies can spread in strange ways. This could be because of an oven that doesn’t heat evenly, ingredients that are different temperatures, dough that wasn’t mixed thoroughly, or in this case, the cinnamon sugar mixture is inside (and by design, isn’t completely uniform) which could cause it to spread more on one side than the other making non-symmetrical cookies. Using a spatula is a simple fix to form the cookie back into shape. This only works as soon as they come out of the oven when they are hot. As they cool they become less malleable.
- The icing in this recipe is an easy way to make these cookies pretty. You can either dip the entire top into the icing to coat the surface, or drizzle it on top. I did it both ways, and it’s completely a personal preference. If you do dunk the entire top of the cookie into icing, you might want to make it a little thinner, adding an extra tablespoon of milk into the mixture. If you prefer to drizzle the icing in stripes, make it a little thicker. Don’t get too hung up on this step. If you on accident make it too thin, just add a little more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add more milk. You really can’t mess it up!
I have a STRONG suspicion that you guys are gonna go nuts for these cookies. Like they are pretty amazing. I love it when I have an idea that comes together in the way I imagine!
If you love Cinnamon Sugar Desserts I have tons more! Try these:
- Churro Snack Mix
- Snickerdoodle Muffins
- Cinnamon Roll Layer Cake
- Snickerdoodle Krispie Treats
- Cream Cheese Churro Roll Ups
Cinnamon Roll Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 large cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
These thick, buttery cookies have all the flavors of cinnamon rolls in cookie form!
Ingredients
Filling
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cookie Dough
- 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1–2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- For the filling, in a medium bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the butter and the granulated sugar, mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, cream, baking powder, and salt. Mix for 1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until just combined.
- On a lightly floured piece of wax or parchment paper, press the dough out into a 15×10 rectangle. This doesn’t have to be exact or neat.
- Spread the filling mixture on top of the dough, leaving about an inch at the edges. Roll the dough up tightly from the long edge.
- Cut the dough into 10 equal slices. Roll each slice into a ball and place on a lightly floured plate or baking sheet. Place into the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place 5 of the dough balls onto the prepared pan, leaving space for them to spread. Place the remaining dough in the refrigerator while the first batch bakes.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- For the icing, in a medium bowl combine the powdered sugar, butter and 1 tablespoon milk. Whisk until no lumps remain. Add more milk if a thinner icing is desired.
- Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the icing, or drizzle on top. Allow the icing to set.
Notes
Store airtight for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 428
- Sugar: 29.9 g
- Sodium: 131.3 mg
- Fat: 23.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 52.3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 78.6 mg
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Wondering if you can substitute the dark brown sugar for light brown. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
You can, yes!
Is it possible to do this cookie without a mixer?
The dough certainly mixes together easiest with a stand or hand mixer, but the dough should come together fine by hand, just mix well!
Great recipe. Not too sweet at all! How do I store them?
Airtight at room temp!
These were the best cookies i’ve ever made! I made these for mothers day and my family loved them and couldn’t stop talking about how amazing they are. I would highly recommend these! Even my fiance who doesn’t like any sweets loved them.
So glad you liked them!! They are a HUGE favorite of ours too!
Hello, the cookies are absolutely wonderful. I did have a question about the heavy cream. When you bake it do you throw the heavy cream in cold or do you set it out to get it to room temp first then mix it in? Thanks!
Cold or room temp! Does’t make a difference 🙂
Very good cookie light and moist, not at all heavy. I cut my roll to make 5 large as described and then cut the remaining in half to make a smaller bite. Cooked them separately to make sure of the time. They all turn out perfectly.
P.S. on my cookie review the bigger cookie is much better than the small. Next time I will make the ten cuts. Lesson learned don’t mess with perfection.
ha! thanks barbara for the feedback! plus, who doesn’t love a big cookie??
Any thoughts on a possible substitute for the cream? I live on a fairly remote island and cant get cream
You can use milk instead 🙂
Who doesn’t like cinnamon rolls?? If I freeze the dough would it be ok to bake from frozen?
I don’t recommend baking from frozen, no.
if you freeze the dough put it in the fridge the night before the day you plan to bake the cookies. By the morning it will be soften and ready to bake.
I converted this to gluten free and added 1.5 cups of Greek yogurt chips. I made the cookies half the size [aprox.] but still needed the full 15 minutes cook time. I use a homemade flour blend of 1kg sorghum, .5 kg rice flour and .25 kg tapioca starch. I then added 1 tsp of xanthan gum to the dry ingredients. I am very pleased with the initial results, but I am not entirely certain the xanthan gum was needed.
Thank you so much for sharing your results in making these gluten free! I am sure this will help those who are interested!
No, thank you. I was looking for a new project, this was fun. Way more fun than my early attempts at GF banana bread.
Can I use coconut oil instead of butter?
Yes you can as long as it’s measured in its solid state.