Why Cinnamon Roll Cookies? Because there are some times when need the sweet and spicy perfection of a cinnamon roll, but you just aren’t fully ready to commit to the whole cinnamon roll process.

And because these crisp little bites of pure yum are all the things you love in a cinnamon roll in a shareable size — perfect for your Christmas cookie exchange or just to share some cookie love. The base is a perfect sugar cookie spiraled around butter and cinnamon sugar and drizzled with a maple glaze (or vanilla if you prefer). I envisioned these in my mind in the wee hours of a night and sure enough, Sally and her Baking Addiction had already created them! I made just a few changes on her amazing recipe for mine.

They are quite easy to make, but allow yourself a bit of extra time as the dough definitely needs to chill for a couple hours before baking to help them keep their cute little shape.

Here’s how you do it!

Use your mixer to cream 3/4 c. unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) with 3/4 c. sugar until light and fluffy — about 3 minutes. Add in 1 egg and 2 tsp. vanilla and beat until combined. In a small bowl, combine the following dry ingredients: 

• 2 1/4 c. flour

• 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt .

Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until fully combined.

Remove the dough and divide it in half. (Do you have a bench scraper? This is the perfect time to use it — if not, you can get one here. I use mine ALL the time for dough and scooping up cut veggies to put into the pot, etc…)

Melt 2 T. butter. Also, mix 1/2 c. sugar with 2 T. cinnamon. Lightly flour a silicone mat or a cutting board, and roll one half of the dough into a rectangle about 9″ x 11″ and 1/4″ thick. And here comes the fun part. Use a silicone brush to spread 1 T. butter on the first rectangle. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar. Roll the dough just like you would cinnamon roll dough into a tight 11″ log using your fingers to fix any cracks as you go. Now, do the second rectangle the same way. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or if you live in the far North like I do, you can use what we call our U.P. fridge aka the front porch 😁❄️).

Once the dough-logs are good and hard, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Use a knife to slice them into 1/4-1/2″ slices. I sliced them thinner at 1/4″ than the original recipe states to get more cookies and have them be a bit crisper, so just be prepared to adjust your bake time a bit based on the thickness you prefer. I use parchment paper — these sheets save me so much cutting and measuring when I’m roasting vegetables or baking or even making bacon in the oven! If you don’t have parchment paper, use a little butter on your pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (depending on thickness) taking them out when the bottom of the cookies are just barely golden brown. Just peek under those little babies to check their color. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes on the pan before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Leave your parchment paper on the baking sheet and when the cookies have completely cooled, set the WHOLE wire rack right back over the parchment-lined cookie sheet for drizzle time (to collect the spillage).

In a small bowl, combine 1 c. sifted powdered sugar with 2 T. pure maple syrup and drizzle in 1-2 T. milk while whisking just until the mixture is drizzle-able. You can use 1 tsp. vanilla instead of the maple syrup if you’d prefer a vanilla drizzle.  I put my frosting into a plastic bag and cut off a tiny bit of the corner and used that to drizzle the cookies. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon sugar for some extra sparkle.

Once they’ve completely cooled and the drizzle has set, they stack really well without sticking as long as they’re kept relatively cool so they work really well for sharing and displaying for the holidays! And they’re sooooooooo good! Rave reviews around here and it is a guarantee that I will be making them on the regular! Merry Christmas, friends! Please enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

 

Print

Prep time

2 hours 20 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

2 hours 32 mins

 

A perfect sugar cookie spiraled around butter and cinnamon sugar and drizzled with a decadent maple glaze.

Alison: That Which Nourishes

Serves: 3 dozen

Grocery List

• Cookie dough:
• ¾ c. unsalted butter
• ¾ c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2¼ c. flour
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• Filling:
• 2 T. melted butter
• ½ c. sugar
• 2 T. cinnamon
• Drizzle:
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 2 T. pure maple syrup
• 1-2 T. milk

Here's how...

1. For the cookie dough:
2. Use a mixer to beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Add in the egg and vanilla.
4. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
6. Divide the dough in half.
7. To make the filling, melt 2 T. butter.
8. Mix ½ c. sugar with 2 T. cinnamon.
9. On a lightly floured silicone mat, or lightly floured cutting board, roll one half of the dough into a rectangle about 9" x 11" and ¼" thick.
10. Use a silicone brush to spread 1 T. butter on the first rectangle. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar. Roll the dough just like you would cinnamon roll dough into a tight 11" log using your fingers to fix any cracks as you go.
11. Do the second half of the dough the same way.
12. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
13. When the dough is fully chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
14. Use a knife to slice them into ¼-1/2" slices. I sliced them thinner at ¼" than the original recipe states to get more cookies and have them be a bit crisper, so just be prepared to adjust your bake time a bit based on the thickness you prefer.
15. Place them on parchment paper or a greased cookie sheet several inches apart.
16. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (depending on thickness) taking them out when the bottom of the cookies are just barely golden brown.
17. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling, leaving the parchment paper on the baking sheet.
18. When the cookies have completely cooled, set the WHOLE wire rack right back over the parchment-lined cookie sheet for drizzle time (to collect the spillage).
19. For the drizzle:
20. In a small bowl, combine 1 c. sifted powdered sugar with 2 T. pure maple syrup and drizzle in milk (1-2 T.) while whisking until the mixture is drizzle-able. You can use 1 tsp. vanilla if you'd prefer a vanilla drizzle.
21. Put the frosting into a plastic bag and cut off a tiny bit of the corner and used that to drizzle the cookies.
22. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon sugar for some extra sparkle.

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