Cinnamon roll cookies are soft, buttery vanilla cookies filled with pockets of sweet cinnamon filling. Topped with a simple icing, they’re a festive, bakery-style cookie that looks beautiful on any cookie plates.
If you love cinnamon rolls and soft vanilla cookies, these Cinnamon Roll Cookies combine the best of both in one tasty treat. The dough is rich, buttery, and lightly flavored with vanilla, and each cookie is studded with bits of cinnamon filling that bake into gooey, sweet swirls reminiscent of a classic cinnamon roll.
Once the cookies cool, a simple icing drizzled over the top gives them that signature cinnamon roll finish. They’re easy to make, perfect for gifting, and such a beautiful (and crowd-pleasing!) addition to Christmas cookie trays.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Butter: You can substitute salted butter and omit the salt.
- Salt: If you prefer to use table salt, use half the amount.
- Flour: To properly measure the flour, weight it (click “metric” immediately above the ingredients for the weights) or sift/stir it to break it up, lightly spoon into a measuring cup, and level without packing.
How to make cinnamon roll cookies
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: To make the cinnamon roll filling: Add butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon to a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer to cream everything together until it becomes light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes or until the sugar is almost dissolved.
Step 3: Scoop ½ teaspoon sized portions of the filling onto the prepared baking sheet. Place in the freezer.
Step 4: To make the cookie dough: To the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, add butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.
Step 5: Add in eggs and vanilla. Beat again until combined.
Step 6: Add flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined.
Step 7: Sprinkle ⅓ of the frozen filling on top of the dough. Fold it into the dough, being careful not to overmix or blend the filling too much. You still want pockets of cinnamon sugar instead of swirls.
Step 8: Continue with the remaining ⅔ of filling in 2 more rounds of mixing. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Step 9: Preheat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 10: In a shallow dish, stir together the cinnamon and sugar for rolling.
Step 11: Using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop balls of cookie dough. Roll into a ball, then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Step 12: Place about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Leave plenty of space between each cookie to allow them to spread.
Step 13: Bake for about 8-9 minutes, until cookies are lightly set but look a little doughy in the center. The filling might seep out a little bit, but if you use an upside down glass or a round cookie cutter around the perimeter of the cookie, you can swirl the cookies back into a round shape. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.
Step 14: To make the icing: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk. Drizzle over the cooled cookies. Let icing set before serving.
Recipe Tips!
- Mixer: A hand mixer (electric mixer) will also work.
- Don’t overmix: Once the cinnamon pieces go in, fold in carefully and only enough to just incorporate the cinnamon pieces. This will help to keep the cinnamon chunks defined.
- Chilling: It’s necessary to chill the dough so that it doesn’t bake out. Please don’t skip this step.
- Freezing: The cookie dough can be frozen in scoops for up to 1 month before baking. Freeze baked cookies (without icing) for up to 2 months.
Storage
Store any leftover cinnamon roll cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. The cookies will keep for about 3 days when properly stored.
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Cinnamon Roll Cookie Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Filling
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Cookie dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Rolling
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Icing
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the cinnamon roll filling: Add butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon to a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer to cream everything together until it becomes light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes or until the sugar is almost dissolved.3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 6 tablespoons light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Scoop ½ teaspoon sized portions of the filling onto the prepared baking sheet. Place in the freezer.
- To make the cookie dough: To the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, add butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.½ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Add in eggs and vanilla. Beat again until combined.2 large eggs, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined.1 ⅔ cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Sprinkle ⅓ of the frozen filling on top of the dough. Lightly fold it into the dough, careful not to overmix or blend the filling too much. (You still want pockets of cinnamon sugar instead of swirls).
- Continue with the remaining ⅔ of filling in 2 more rounds of mixing.
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a shallow dish, stir together the cinnamon and sugar for rolling.½ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop balls of cookie dough. Roll into a ball, then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Leave plenty of space between each cookie to allow them to spread.
- Bake for about 8-9 minutes, until cookies are lightly set but look a little doughy in the center. The filling might seep out a little bit, but if you use an upside down glass or a round cookie cutter around the perimeter of the cookie, you can swirl the cookies back into a round shape. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.
- To make the icing: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk.½ cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk
- Drizzle over the cooled cookies. Let icing set before serving.
Notes
- Butter: You can substitute salted butter and omit the salt.
- Salt: If you prefer to use table salt, use half the amount.
- Flour: To properly measure the flour, weight it (click “metric” immediately above the ingredients for the weights) or sift/stir it to break it up, lightly spoon into a measuring cup, and level without packing.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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