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Cinnamon Roll Cookies take everything you love about a warm cinnamon roll and turn it into a soft, sweet, glaze-drizzled cookie. A tender sugar cookie dough gets rolled up with a buttery cinnamon-sugar swirl, sliced into pretty pinwheels, and finished with a simple vanilla glaze. I dreamed these up on a rainy afternoon when I wanted to bake but did not feel like waiting on yeast, and they have been a favorite ever since. If you love that cozy cinnamon flavor, our crescent roll cinnamon rolls are another quick fix.
Slicing the cookies from a chilled log gives you that signature cinnamon roll spiral in every single bite.
Cinnamon Roll Cookies Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 24 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 150kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft, buttery sugar cookie with a sweet cinnamon swirl and vanilla glaze
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, as simple as our soft frosted Lofthouse cookies
Quick Answer
To make Cinnamon Roll Cookies, mix up a soft sugar cookie dough and chill it, then roll it out to a quarter inch thick. Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, roll it into a tight log, and freeze until firm. Slice the log into rounds, bake at 375 degrees for about 9 minutes, then drizzle the cooled cookies with a simple vanilla glaze.
Jump to:
- Cinnamon Roll Cookies Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cookies
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Cinnamon Roll Cookies FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Cookie Recipes
- Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- All the cinnamon roll flavor, faster. No yeast and no rising, just a simple sugar cookie dough rolled with cinnamon sugar.
- That pretty pinwheel swirl. Slicing the cookies from a chilled log gives every one a bakery-worthy cinnamon spiral.
- Soft and tender texture. The sugar cookie base bakes up soft and puffy, just like a cinnamon roll should be.
- A simple vanilla glaze. A quick powdered sugar drizzle adds that classic sweet, glazed cinnamon roll finish.
- Make-ahead friendly. The dough log can be frozen and sliced whenever you want fresh cookies.
- Fun to make from scratch. Rolling and slicing the dough is a satisfying, hands-on bake the whole family can help with.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They taste just like a cinnamon roll in soft, sweet cookie form, no yeast required.
- Each cookie has a pretty cinnamon swirl and a drizzle of vanilla glaze.
- They are as cozy and cinnamon-packed as our crescent roll cinnamon rolls.
Key Ingredients
Simple pantry ingredients are all you need for these cinnamon roll cookies.
- Butter and sugar: Creamed together, they make the soft, tender sugar cookie base. Use softened butter for the fluffiest dough.
- Flour, baking soda, and baking powder: They give the cookies structure and that soft, puffy cinnamon-roll-like rise.
- Cinnamon and sugar: The classic filling combination, brushed onto buttered dough for the signature swirl.
- Egg and vanilla: The egg binds the dough while vanilla adds warm, sweet flavor.
- Powdered sugar: Whisked with water and vanilla into a simple glaze, the same sweet drizzle that finishes our thumbprint cookies.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These cinnamon roll cookies are easy to make your own.
- Swap the vanilla glaze for a cream cheese glaze for an even more cinnamon-roll flavor.
- Add a pinch of nutmeg or cardamom to the cinnamon sugar for extra warmth.
- Stir chopped pecans or raisins into the filling for a classic cinnamon roll touch.
- Drizzle them with a maple glaze instead, like the icing on our frosted Lofthouse cookies.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cookies
- Cream the butter and sugar, beat in the egg and vanilla, then mix in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to form a dough. Chill 30 minutes, then roll out to a quarter inch thick between two sheets of plastic wrap, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar.
- Using the bottom sheet of plastic wrap to help, roll the dough up into a tight log. Wrap it and freeze for about 30 minutes until firm.
- Slice the firm log into quarter-inch thick rounds and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake at 375 degrees for about 9 minutes until set. Cool completely, then whisk the glaze and drizzle it over the cookies. Let set for 30 minutes.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Chill the dough before rolling, since it is much easier to work with and holds the swirl better.
- Roll between plastic wrap so you do not need extra flour and nothing sticks to your counter or pin.
- Freeze the log until firm before slicing, as the worked dough gets very soft and slices cleaner cold.
- Leave room to spread, placing cookies 2 inches apart because they puff up quite a bit.
- Cool completely before glazing, or the glaze will slide right off.
- Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes so the cookies are easy to stack and store.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Cinnamon Roll Cookies are best with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee, just like a real cinnamon roll. Serve them slightly warm for extra cozy flavor.
Set them out on a cookie tray next to our soft frosted Lofthouse cookies and cream cheese cookies for a sweet spread.
For a cinnamon-lover’s brunch, pair them with our crescent roll cinnamon rolls and a pot of coffee.
Store the cooled, glazed cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. The dough log also freezes beautifully for up to three months, so you can slice and bake fresh cookies whenever a craving strikes.
Cinnamon Roll Cookies FAQs
Rolling the cinnamon-sugar-covered dough into a log and then slicing it is what creates the signature cinnamon roll swirl in each cookie. Just like a real cinnamon roll, the spiral of cinnamon sugar is baked right into the center. Slicing from a chilled log keeps the swirl neat and even.
Yes, both steps really help. Chilling the dough makes it easier to roll out without sticking, and freezing the filled log firms it up so you can slice clean rounds without the dough squishing. The dough gets very soft as you work it, so the cold rest is worth it.
Absolutely. You can make the dough, roll it into the cinnamon sugar log, wrap it well, and freeze it for up to three months. When you are ready, slice and bake straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time. It is a great make-ahead treat to have on hand.
A simple powdered sugar glaze made with water and vanilla is classic and lets the cinnamon shine. For an even more cinnamon-roll flavor, use milk instead of water or make a cream cheese glaze. Just make sure the cookies are fully cool before drizzling so the glaze sets nicely.
Too much spread usually means the dough was too warm. Make sure to chill the dough before rolling and freeze the log until firm before slicing. Baking on a cool, ungreased sheet also helps. If your kitchen is very warm, pop the sliced cookies in the fridge for a few minutes before baking.
Store the glazed cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. Let the glaze set completely before stacking so they do not stick together. You can also freeze the baked cookies, or freeze the unbaked dough log, for up to three months.
Made these Cinnamon Roll Cookies? I would love to hear how they turned out, leave a comment and a star rating below!
Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, for the filling
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar for the filling
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon for the filling
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar for the glaze
- 4 1/2 teaspoons water for the glaze
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract for the glaze
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Roll the chilled dough out to about 1/4 inch thick between two sheets of plastic wrap so it does not stick.
- Brush the rolled dough with the melted butter. Stir together the filling sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it evenly over the dough.
- Using the bottom sheet of plastic wrap to help, roll the dough up into a tight log. Wrap it in the plastic and freeze for about 30 minutes, or until firm.
- Slice the log into 1/4 inch thick rounds and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 9 minutes, until set. Let cool completely.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, water, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cookies and let set for about 30 minutes until the glaze hardens.
Notes
- Chilling the dough makes it much easier to roll out and slice.
- Use two sheets of plastic wrap to roll the dough with no added flour and no sticking.
- The dough gets soft as you work it, so freeze the log until firm before slicing.
- These cookies puff up as they bake, so leave 2 inches between them.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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Seriously?!? These look awesome. Glad you’re posting old content on social media for those of us just getting around to following 🙂 Can’t wait for cooler weather so I can try these!
LOL, thanks so much!
Seriously?!? These look awesome. Glad you’re posting old content on social media for those of us just getting around to following 🙂 Can’t wait for cooler weather so I can try these!
LOL, thanks… sometimes I come out with something good but usually all my baking attempts are a fail.
I see you can bake! Your other attempt the other day was afterall a brain fart! Looks evil delish! must pin on my gonna do!
Thanks so much, yay!
these look delish! i just pinned them 🙂
Thanks so much for joining in on the fun! I’m now following you on FB, Pin, & Tw!
Thank you! Going there now!
Brilliant! I have pinned this and would love for you to link it up to my PIN MEme Linky Party! YUMMY!!