I promise that you will not be able to resist these Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies! They are easy to make, ridiculously flavorful, makes your home smell crazy delicious, and is way easier to make than actual cinnamon rolls! Trust me, you will even think you are eating cinnamon rolls with this cinnamon roll cookie recipe!
On a side note, would you call these cinnamon roll cookies or cinnamon bun cookies? I suspect this is a regional phrase. I am from the Midwest – Minnesota, specifically and we do so many things differently than others. We play the duck, duck, grey duck game, drink pop, and eat hot dish.
Anyways, let’s get back to our cinnamon roll sugar cookies. Yes, you read that correctly! These cookies are made with sugar cookie dough and loaded with the cinnamon sugar filling and then topped with a thick icing glaze. It’s sooo good! Yes, I am swooning over here!
I made this super cute recipe card for you if you’d like to download it. I keep a collection of my favorite recipes in a 3 ring binder so I love having pretty recipe pages!
**Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Supplies
- Measuring cups, spoons and/or kitchen scale
- Stand mixer, or hand-held mixer
- Whisk
- Large bowl
- Medium bowl
- Spatula
- Plastic wrap
- 2 Baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Rolling pin
- Butter knife
- Sharp knife
Can You Make Cinnamon Roll Cookies Ahead of Time?
Unbaked cinnamon roll cookie dough will keep well for up to 3 months in the freezer. I recommend going through all of the steps until you actually bake them. When you cut them off the cookie roll, place them on a cookie sheet to freeze flat, making sure that the edge is firmly secured! Once they are frozen, place them into a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between layers.
How Long Will These Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies Last?
Hahaha! That is such a funny question… They were eaten so fast I never had to think about this!
But, for those of you who are a bit more… restrained, I recommend freezing them after 3-5 days to make sure they remain fresh and taking them out to thaw as you want a snack.
Instructions on How to Make Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Making The Sugar Cookie Dough
First, we will make the sugar cookie dough. Start by creaming together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Once it is smooth and creamy, you can add in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking soda and buttermilk. Alternate adding the flour and the baking soda/buttermilk mixture to the creamed butter/sugar in three additions. Mix until combined, but do not overmix. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
The next steps go pretty quickly so preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit so that it is ready about 20 minutes from the time you remove the dough from the refrigerator. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Sprinkle flour on your work surface and rolling pin to avoid the dough from sticking to the table. Roll the dough into a rectangle that is approximately 12″x8″. It will be a bit thicker than 1/4″. I used my fingers as I was rolling it out to tuck the dough as needed to maintain a rectangular shape. Doing this allows the cookies to maintain a consistant size.
Use a butter knife to spread the softened butter onto the top of the dough.
Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a medium bowl, and sprinkle the mixture on top of the butter in an even layer. Spread as close to the edges as possible. It will look like a lot of mixture, but you will want to use it all.
Very gently, you will want to start rolling the dough inwards from the long side. I found it easiest to kind of push the edge of the dough perpendicular and then push inwards and upwards from the outside base to roll it slightly inwards. I felt like this step really helped the dough to not crack and roll together easily.
Try to keep the roll as tight as you can, so that it doesn’t unroll when it is baking. If little cracks appear, just seal them up by pressing the dough back together.
Place the roll on a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for another 15 minutes to firm up.
Then, remove the cookie roll from the baking sheet and slice into 1″ thick slices. I liked the 1″ thickness because it really made it feel like a cinnamon roll more than a cookie. If you adjust the thickness, you may also need to adjust the time that it is baked.
You will want to wipe the blade between each cut so that the cinnamon doesn’t along the cookie. This will help it look pretty out of the oven! If you find the knife is sticking to the dough, feel free to spread a little flour on the knife to help it run through the dough easier.
Place the cookies onto the lined cookie sheet, allowing enough room for spreading. I placed 6 cookies on each pan. If any of the edges start to come undone, press them back into place. You can also use your hands to reshape the dough back into a round shape if it became flat on one side.
Bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to sit on the pan for a couple minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. When you move the cookies, make sure your cookie spatula slides under the entire cookie. I had the outer spiral break off on a few because I didn’t reach all the way to the far end of the cookie. Allow the cookie to cool completely before applying the glaze.
How to Make The Icing Glaze
After the cookies are completely cooled, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and milk together in a small bowl until smooth. You will want to start with 3 tablespoons of milk and add more if you prefer a runnier texture.
If you are planning on drizzling it on top of the cookies you will want it runnier. I wanted it thicker because I dropped the frosting on top and I wanted to control how the glaze fell off with my spoon.
Looking for More Cookie Recipes?
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookies
- Classic Crinkle Cookies
- Classic Snickerdoodle cookies
- Soft Homemade Twix Cookies
Amazing Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes +1 hour 15 minutes chill
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 53 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
Description
I promise that you will not be able to resist these Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies! They are easy to make, ridiculously flavorful, makes your home smell crazy delicious, and is way easier to make than actual cinnamon rolls! Trust me, you will even think you are eating cinnamon rolls with this cinnamon roll cookie recipe!
Ingredients
Dough
- 3/4 cups butter, softened
- 1 cup (190 grams) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups (375 grams) flour
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Filling
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons cinnamon
Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3–4 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Making The Sugar Cookie Dough
- Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Once it is smooth and creamy, add in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking soda and buttermilk. Alternate adding the flour and the baking soda/buttermilk mixture to the creamed butter/sugar in three additions. Mix until combined, but do not overmix. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- The next steps go pretty quickly so preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit so that it is ready about 20 minutes from the time you remove the dough from the refrigerator. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Sprinkle flour on your work surface and rolling pin to avoid the dough from sticking to the table. Roll the dough into a rectangle that is approximately 12″x8″. It will be a bit thicker than 1/4″. I used my fingers as I was rolling it out to tuck the dough as needed to maintain a rectangular shape. Doing this allows the cookies to maintain a consistent size.
- Use a butter knife to spread the softened butter onto the top of the dough. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a medium bowl, and sprinkle the mixture on top of the butter in an even layer. Spread as close to the edges as possible. It will look like a lot of mixture, but you will want to use it all.
- Very gently, you will start rolling the dough inwards from the long side. I found it easiest to kind of push the edge of the dough up before rolling in from the outside base. I felt like this step really helped the dough to not crack and roll together easily.
- Try to keep the roll as tight as you can, so that it doesn’t unroll when it is baking. If little cracks appear, just seal them up by pressing the dough back together.
- Place the roll on a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for another 15 minutes to firm up.
- Remove the cookie roll from the baking sheet and slice into 1″ thick slices. I liked the 1″ thickness because it really made it look like a cinnamon roll more than a cookie. If you adjust the thickness, you may also need to adjust the time that it is baked.
- Wipe the blade between each cut so that the cinnamon doesn’t spread, and help it look pretty out of the oven! I didn’t have problem with the dough sticking to the knife, but if you are struggling, feel free to spread a little flour on the knife to help it run through the dough easier.
- Place the cookies onto the lined cookie sheet, allowing enough room for spreading. I placed 6 cookies on each pan. If any of the edges start to come undone, press them back into place. You can also use your hands to reshape the dough back into a round shape if it became irregular shaped.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly browned. Allow the cookie to sit on the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. When you move the cookies, make sure your cookie spatula slides under the entire cookie. I had the outer spiral break off on a few because I didn’t reach all the way to the far end of the cookie. Allow the cookie to cool completely before applying the glaze.
How to Make The Icing Glaze
- After the cookies are completely cooled, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and milk together in a small bowl until smooth. You will want to start with 3 tablespoons of milk and add more if you prefer a runnier texture.
- If you are planning on drizzling it on top of the cookies you will want it runnier. I wanted it thicker because I dropped the frosting on top and I wanted to control how the glaze fell off with my spoon.
Notes
- Unbaked cinnamon roll cookie dough will keep well for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- I recommend freezing them after 3-5 days to make sure they remain fresh and taking them out to thaw as you want a snack.
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