Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Cinnamon Roll Cookies are the perfect combination of your favorite breakfast pastry and a classic cookie! These soft, tender cookies are rolled with cinnamon sugar and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze that’ll have you reaching for seconds (and thirds!). This recipe delivers all the cozy comfort of homemade cinnamon rolls in an easy-to-make cookie form that’s perfect for any occasion.

Love More Cinnamon Roll Desserts? Try My Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls or this Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These cookies are soft, sweet, and packed with warm cinnamon-sugar flavor that makes them taste like little bites of homemade cinnamon rolls. They come together quickly with simple ingredients but still look bakery-worthy, so they impress every time. Perfect for holidays, potlucks, or just showing off a little in the kitchen.

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Ingredient List

Cookie Dough

• 2 ¼ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Filling

• 2 Tablespoons (≈28 g) butter, melted and slightly cooled
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Icing

• 1 cup (120 g) confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
• 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) milk
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Why These Ingredients Work

The butter situation is real – I microwaved it once because I’m impatient and ended up with cookie soup. Now I just leave it on the counter while I shower and get dressed, which is the perfect amount of time apparently.

That single egg is doing all the heavy lifting here for structure. I doubled it once thinking bigger eggs meant bigger cookies and got weird puffy things that my kids called “cookie muffins.” Not the vibe we’re going for. Also, buy the good vanilla because the fake stuff makes everything taste like medicine cabinet.

Essential Tools and Equipment

I use whatever mixer doesn’t annoy me that day – sometimes the stand mixer, sometimes the hand mixer if I’m feeling lazy and don’t want to dig it out of the cabinet. A rolling pin is mandatory unless you enjoy uneven cookies that look like they were made by drunk elves.

Parchment paper is non-negotiable after I spent an entire evening scraping cookie remnants off a bare baking sheet with a butter knife. Never again.

How To Make Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Step 1: Make the Dough

Toss your flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and stir it around. Beat the butter and sugar together until it stops looking like grainy mush and starts looking fluffy – takes about 2 minutes with a decent mixer, longer if you’re using the hand mixer your college roommate left behind.

Step 2: Add Wet Ingredients

Crack the egg in there and pour in the vanilla, then beat until everything looks uniform. Scrape the bowl sides unless you want surprise butter chunks in random cookies – learned that one the hard way at my son’s birthday party.

Step 3: Combine with Dry Ingredients

Pour in the flour mixture and mix on low until it just comes together – don’t go nuts here or you’ll end up with cookies that could substitute for hockey pucks. Dough should feel soft and slightly sticky, like expensive Play-Doh.

Step 4: Shape and Fill the Dough

Split the dough in half and roll each piece into a rectangle – mine look like wonky trapezoids but whatever works. Aim for roughly 9×7 inches but don’t measure unless you’re that type of person. Brush melted butter all over each rectangle like you’re painting a delicious canvas.

Step 5: Add the Cinnamon Magic

Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, then sprinkle it everywhere like you’re seasoning the world’s flattest cinnamon roll. This is when my cat shows up because apparently cinnamon sugar smells like treats to him too.

Step 6: Roll and Chill

Roll each rectangle into a log starting from the short side, going slow so it doesn’t crack like old sidewalk cement. If it cracks anyway, just squish it back together – nobody’s grading this. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, though I usually do it overnight because I’m not dealing with soft dough at 6 AM.

Step 7: Slice and Bake

Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment. Pull the logs out and slice into ½-inch rounds with your sharpest knife – I wipe it clean every few cuts because otherwise you get cinnamon sugar mush instead of clean spirals.

Step 8: Bake to Perfection

Bake for 10-11 minutes until edges are barely golden. I set my timer for 9 minutes then hover like a helicopter parent because the difference between perfect and charcoal is about 45 seconds.

Step 9: Add the Finishing Touch

Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and drippy. Wait for the cookies to cool completely or the icing will melt into sad puddles – patience is a virtue I learned the expensive way.

You Must Know

Critical Success Secret: Chill those logs until they’re firm as a handshake or you’ll get sad, flat cookies that look like they gave up on life. Trust me, I’ve been there.

Personal Secret: I run my knife under hot tap water and dry it after every few cuts. Cuts through chilled dough like butter and keeps those spirals crisp instead of smushed.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Get Your Temps Right: Stick eggs in warm water for 5 minutes if you forgot to take them out early. Cold eggs make lumpy batter and nobody wants chunks.

Don’t Overmix: Once flour goes in, mix just until you can’t see white powder and then STOP. I used to think more mixing meant better cookies until I made a batch that could bounce.

Freeze Everything: Make double logs and freeze half. Future exhausted you will worship current motivated you when surprise guests show up and you need cookies in 15 minutes.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Orange Twist: Add orange zest to the dough and icing – my aunt does this and acts like she invented gourmet cookies. It’s actually pretty good though.

Chocolate Chip Chaos: Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the cinnamon sugar before rolling. My kids lose their minds for these and suddenly I’m the coolest mom in the carpool line.

Maple Madness: Swap vanilla for maple extract in the icing. Tastes like fancy Vermont bakery cookies but costs about 50 cents per batch.

Brown Sugar Upgrade: Use brown sugar instead of white in the filling for deeper flavor. Makes them taste more expensive than they actually are.

Make-Ahead Options

These are meal-prep gold because you can make the dough logs up to 2 days ahead and just leave them in the fridge, or freeze them for up to 3 months if you’re really planning ahead.

I usually bake cookies without icing the night before parties, then add fresh icing the day of so they look professionally made. The frozen logs slice and bake straight from the freezer – just add an extra minute or two because they’re solid as rocks when frozen.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Dough Consistency: If your kitchen is particularly warm, you might need to chill the dough for longer than 2 hours. The logs should feel firm to the touch before slicing.

Icing Consistency: For thicker icing, reduce the milk slightly. For a thinner glaze that soaks into the cookies a bit, add an extra tablespoon of milk.

Storage Tip: Once the icing has set (about 30 minutes), these cookies can be carefully stacked in containers for gift-giving or transport.

Serving Suggestions

These cinnamon roll cookies are perfect with a hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. I love serving them at brunches alongside fresh fruit, or packing them in lunch boxes for a sweet afternoon surprise. They’re also gorgeous on holiday cookie platters or as a sweet ending to family dinners.

For special occasions, serve them slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an elevated dessert that feels fancy but is secretly simple!

How to Store Your Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Store these beauties in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. For longer storage, place baked cookies (with or without icing) in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.

To refresh day-old cookies, pop them in a 300°F oven for 2-3 minutes to restore that fresh-baked warmth. The icing will soften slightly but will reset as they cool.

Allergy Information

Contains: Wheat (gluten), eggs, dairy
Gluten-Free Option: Substitute with your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour blend
Dairy-Free Option: Use vegan butter sticks and plant-based milk in the icing
Egg-Free Option: Replace the egg with 1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water, let sit for 5 minutes

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

My dough is too sticky to roll – what should I do?

Add flour one tablespoon at a time until it’s workable, but don’t go overboard! A slightly soft dough actually makes more tender cookies. You can also chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling if your kitchen is warm.

Why did my cookies spread and lose their swirl pattern?

This usually happens when the dough logs weren’t chilled long enough before slicing, or the oven temperature was too low. Make sure those logs are nice and firm, and double-check your oven temperature with a thermometer.

Can I freeze the cookie dough logs?

Yes! This is actually my favorite make-ahead trick. Wrap the logs tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. Slice and bake straight from frozen, adding just 1-2 extra minutes to the baking time.

My icing is too thin/thick – how do I fix it?

For thicker icing, add more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time. For thinner icing, add milk ½ teaspoon at a time. The perfect consistency should drizzle off a spoon but not be completely runny.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I love hearing about your baking adventures and seeing photos of your beautiful cinnamon roll cookies!