These Cinnamon Roll Cookies are buttery, tender and swirled with the gooey center of a cinnamon roll filling in every bite! Don’t forget the cream cheese frosting!
I am a cinnamon roll fiend. A heathen, really.
Obsessed is an understatement.
So anything cinnamon roll-adjacent, including but not limited to these cookies, are right up my alley.
I know you’ve seen recipes floating around for cinnamon roll cookies and they’re sliced like perfect little swirly pinwheels. Yeah, these aren’t those. To be honest, I am not an intricate kinda baker. And slice n bake cookies are so not my thing. But I wanted those flavors without all the prissiness of the slice n bake and swirls and drama.
Enter: these cookies.
So technically, we do roll them up and slice them, but there is zero precision involved. No need to make them pretty or perfect or swirly. They are AMAZING.
The Cookies
The cookies are a butter-based sugar cookie dough that we will make up in the mixer. It’s just butter, granulated sugar, eggs, pure vanilla extract, baking powder, salt, and all-purpose flour. Mix it up, then generously flour a work surface like your counter top and roll the dough out in a rough 10×15″ish rectangle. (Does not have to be perfect!).
Then we’ll spread the top of the dough with this killer cinnamon roll filling we made that’s basically melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Ugh, drooling. Spread it within 1/2 inch of the edge of the dough – you want some kind of barrier between the edge.
After you’ve spread on the filling, you’ll carefully roll up the dough starting with the longest side closest to you. Take your time – the dough is soft, so it may tear here and there, but no need to fret. Again, these aren’t the prissy cookies you’ve seen! They don’t need to look perfect.
Once it is in a log shape, you’ll cut it into 12 equal pieces with a sharp knife. Take each piece and roll it into a ball shape. Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze them for 30 minutes.
Then you’ll bake them off and when they’re done and cooled, frost them with a cream cheese frosting. HEAVEN!!
These are like if a snickerdoodle and a cinnamon roll had a baby… so delicious.
I hope you enjoy them!
*adapted from Shelly’s recipe here
Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Roll Filling:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
For the Cookie Dough:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting your surface
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- First, make your cinnamon roll filling. In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar and ground cinnamon until incorporated. Mixture will be very runny, but as you make your cookie dough it will firm up. Set aside.
- For the cookie dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment until creamy and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Add in the egg, vanilla, and heavy cream and mix well. Lastly, add in the salt, baking powder, and flour and mix until a soft dough comes together. The dough will be soft and sticky. This will yield tender cookies!
- Lightly flour a clean workspace, such as your countertop. Alternatively you can lightly flour a large piece of parchment or wax paper. Place the dough onto the floured surface and use your hands to press it into a 10x15"ish size rectangle. It doesn't have to be exact; around a large rectangular size is what we're aiming for.
- Spread the dough with the filling, leaving about a 1/2 inch margin around the edges. Starting with the longest side closest to you, begin rolling the dough up into a log shape slowly, taking care to pinch together any tears in the dough along the way. It doesn't have to be neat or perfect! Once in the log shape, cut into 12 equal pieces with a sharp knife. Roll each piece into a dough ball and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze the dough balls for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 6 dough balls, roughly 2-3" apart on one of the baking sheets and bake for 15-17 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking time to ensure even cooking, or until cookies are light golden brown and appear set. Keep remaining dough balls in the freezer while the one tray bakes. This will maintain texture and prevent some spreading. Cool on the trays for about 15 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- For the frosting: In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer until combined. Add in the confectioners' sugar and beat until combined. Spread the frosting over the cooled cookies.
- Store any cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.
These cookies are seriously amazing – I know you’re going to love them!
Have a super sweet day!
Want more cinnamon roll goodness? Check out this other recipe…
xo, Hayley
Jeri Thompson says
These are the best cookies I’ve ever made. I will be making them again!