These scrumptious cinnamon roll cookies capture all the warm, comforting flavors of a cinnamon roll in a simple cookie. Soft, buttery dough is filled with swirls of brown sugar and cinnamon, then finished with a sweet icing drizzle—just like your favorite roll, but handheld.
Pair these with other holiday favorites for a festive spread: overnight cinnamon rolls, raspberry thumbprint cookies, peanut butter blossoms, or peppermint bark Oreos.
These cookies are a hit at holiday gatherings and cookie exchanges. They have a similar spice-forward profile to snickerdoodles but stand out with pronounced brown sugar-cinnamon swirls and a simple glaze that nods to classic cinnamon roll icing.
Serve them alongside other crowd-pleasers like buckeye balls, butter danish cookies, and chocolate crinkle cookies for a varied cookie tray.
Ingredients
- Butter: Use real butter, not margarine. Salted butter adds extra flavor.
- Cane Sugar: You can substitute white sugar if needed.
- Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla for best flavor.
- Eggs: Two large eggs.
- Flour: All-purpose flour.
- Cream of Tartar: Helps create a chewy texture.
- Baking Soda: For lift.
- Salt: Kosher salt recommended; if using table salt, reduce the amount slightly.
- Cinnamon: The star spice—use generous cinnamon for flavor.
- Brown Sugar: For the cinnamon swirl filling.
- Powdered Sugar: To make the icing.
How To Make Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Cream the softened butter and sugar together for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs, then beat on medium speed for 1 minute to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually stir the dry mixture into the wet ingredients until a soft dough forms.
For the filling, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon with your hands or a spatula until it forms a spreadable paste.
Drop small dollops of the filling into the bowl of cookie dough, spacing them out. Fold the dough over the filling and press gently to distribute the swirl. Repeat adding filling dots and folding until all the filling is incorporated and you see cinnamon-brown swirls throughout the dough.
Chill the combined dough for 30 minutes to firm up, which helps maintain the swirls while baking.
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Scoop about 2 tablespoons (roughly 35 g) of dough per cookie, roll into balls, and arrange evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Keep any remaining dough chilled while you bake in batches.
Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers are still soft.
Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, use a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass to gently press and shape them into neat circles while they are still warm and malleable.
To make the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar and water until smooth and slightly thick but pourable.
Allow the cookies to cool slightly, then drizzle the icing over the tops. Let the glaze set before serving.
Cinnamon Roll Cookies
32 cookies
20 minutes
10 minutes
30 minutes
1 hour
Buttery cookie dough with brown sugar and cinnamon swirls, finished with a simple powdered sugar glaze—everything you love about cinnamon rolls in cookie form.
Ingredients
- 1 c butter, softened
- 1 ¼ c cane sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 3 c all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl Filling:
- ¼ c butter, softened
- ½ c brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Icing:
- 1 c powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Cream together the butter and sugar for 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla and eggs, and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir into the wet ingredients until combined.
- Mix the filling by combining the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until it forms a paste.
- Place small dollops of filling into the cookie dough, fold the dough over, and press gently to create swirls. Repeat until all filling is used.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes to firm it up.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Scoop 2 tablespoons (about 35 g) of dough per cookie, roll into balls, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Keep remaining dough chilled.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until edges are set and centers are soft.
- Whisk the powdered sugar and water to make a smooth icing.
- Let the cookies cool slightly, then drizzle with icing and allow it to set before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 32
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 167
Total Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Unsaturated Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 31mg
Sodium: 122mg
Carbohydrates: 23g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 14g
Protein: 2g
Nutrition figures are estimates from online calculators and should be used as a guideline.