Cinnamon Roll Cookies

5 from 2 votes

Your favorite breakfast treat is turned into a cookie that no one is going to be able to resist. Starting with a simple sugar cookie dough, cinnamon sugar gets sprinkled on before the dough is rolled up and sliced. Drizzle with a vanilla icing before serving and watch these cookies disappear.

Prep Time45

Cook Time10

Chilling time4

Total Time4 55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 136kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the cookies:

2 ¾ cups (330 g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks, 170 g) unsalted butter softened
1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs room temperature

For filling:

⅓ cup (70 g) packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

For icing:

1 cup (120 g) confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. In a second mixing bowl, with an electric mixer cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add egg and vanilla. Add egg and mix just until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla extract and combine.
Add in dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture, and mix at low to medium speed until mixture is evenly moistened.
Chill dough. Place dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and wrap up and flatten into a large disc of dough. Chill for 2 hours.
Make filling. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
Roll out cookies. Divide dough in half. Roll out cookie dough into a 9 by 11 inch rectangle to ¼-inch thickness.I find it easier to roll out between two sheets of parchment paper so the dough doesn’t stick and it’s easier to roll up after. Spread half of the melted butter on dough. Sprinkle half of filling evenly over doughleaving a ½-inch border along one long edge. Roll up dough tightly into a log (the tighter the roll the better so you get a neat spiral). Repeat with second half of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill dough for 2 hours.
Preheat and prepare sheets. Preheat oven to 400oF. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Cut cookies. Remove dough from fridge and unwrap. Keep the second dough in the fridge. Cut into ½-inch thick slices and place on baking sheet 2 inches apart.
Bake and cool cookies. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are just slightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a rack to finish cooling completely.
Make icing. In a small bowl, whisk together icing ingredients. Drizzle over each cooled cookie.

Notes

Make ahead: Make the dough two days ahead of time then shape the cookies the next day ahead and bake the following.
Storage: Cinnamon roll cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you are storing the cookies at room temperature, it is best to store them in a single layer so that the icing does not stick to the cookies on top. For longer storage, the cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw, simply let the cookies sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
Freezing: Yes, you can freeze cinnamon roll dough. Simply shape the dough into logs and wrap them in plastic wrap. The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw, simply let the dough sit in the refrigerator overnight. Once the dough is thawed, you can roll it out and bake the cookies according to the recipe.
Technique Tip: If your cookie dough is warming up too much, just pop the dough back in the fridge. You can also firm up the cut cookies on the baking sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking to prevent the cookies from spreading.
Gluten free: Use a 1:1 gluten free flour. I love Cup 4 Cup! But King Arthur Flour 1:1 gluten free flour is also great.
Dairy Free: Swap out the milk in the icing with a non-dairy milk. Use a vegan butter in the dough and filling.

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