Imagine the heavenly aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls wafting through your kitchen in the form of bite-sized cookies. These Cinnamon Roll Cookies are a delicious twist on a classic treat, combining the flavors of cinnamon rolls with the convenience of slice-and-bake cookies. Slightly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, these cookies taste just like cinnamon rolls in cookie form!
Cinnamon rolls in cookie form? Yes, please! This cinnamon roll cookie recipe isthe best of both worlds! I don't think there's anything in the world that I love more than soft & fluffy cinnamon rolls for breakfast. They have the taste of a cinnamon roll in a chewy cookie. They're absolutely perfect in every way.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Do these cookies really taste like a cinnamon roll? The answer is.. YES! They really do. The dough is sweet and buttery with a swirly cinnamon center. Once baked, the cookies are slightly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy in the inside. Drizzled with a vanilla glaze on top, these cookies have become one of my top favorites!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Bite-size: You can enjoy the same comfort of a cinnamon roll in a portable and oh-so-poppable cookie form.
- EASY recipe: Cinnamon roll cookies are MUCH easier to make than cinnamon rolls!
- Make ahead: These are the perfect cookie to prepare ahead of time. I talk more in detail about this below!
- Delicious: These cookies combine the signature flavors of cinnamon, brown sugar, and buttery goodness, making them an irresistible treat for any occasion.
- FUN!: Slice and bake cookies are such a fun addition to Christmas cookie baking, cookie exchanges and bake sales!
Ingredients
Cookies
- Powdered sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
Cinnamon Filling
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbs water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Vanilla Glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions.
Substitutions & Variations
- Fall-inspired cookies: Instead of using cinnamon in the filling, substitute pumpkin pie spice.
- Maple glaze: to go with the Fall theme, make a maple glaze by adding 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup to the glaze recipe.
- Cream cheese glaze: Add 1 oz of cream cheese to the glaze recipe and thin with cream as needed.
More cookie recipes you'll enjoy
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📋 Recipe
Cinnamon Roll Cookies (Slice and Bake)
Ingredients
Vanilla Cookie Dough
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Cinnamon Filling
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbs heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cookie dough
- Beat butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Take dough out and flatten into a disk. Wrap disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
For the filling
- Stir all filling ingredients together until smooth.
- On a thoroughly floured surface, roll the dough out into a ¼-1/2 inch thick large rectangle. Spread filling over dough.
- Roll the dough into a long log very carefully and tight. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1-2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the rolled cookie log into ¼-1/2 inch slices and place on prepared cookie sheet 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until very lightly golden in top. Allow them to cool on baking sheets for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
For the glaze
- Whisk powdered sugar, cream and vanilla until smooth in a. small bowl. Drizzle glaze on cooled cookies.
Notes
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Brooke Cunningham says
I love these cookies! I think the cookie dough is just fine and doesn't need an egg - it's definitely more of a shortbread cookie, so expect that texture. The only change I made is to replace 1/8 C. white sugar with brown sugar in the filling to add some more richness. Great recipe - thank you!
Mimi says
Yes, you must add an egg to the cookie batter! I also added about another 1/2 cup of flour. Delicious cookies, and so so pretty! They sliced up beautifully after sitting in the fridge overnight. Thank you for the great recipe!
Mimi says
These are delicious and so pretty. You definitely need to add an egg to the batter. I also added about another 1/2 cup flour. I will probably add just a pinch of salt next time. I refrigerated mine overnight and they sliced up perfectly in the morning. I also had to thin the drizzle a bit with water. Thank you for the great recipe!
Joan says
I bake many things for the holidays....just wondering if these cookies freeze well?
Jessica says
Yes! You can either freeze the log before slicing them into cookies and you'll need to take them out the night before and place the logs in the refrigerator so they're ready to bake in the morning and you can slice & bake them right from the refrigerator. You could also freeze the cookies after they're sliced - just prepare the dough up until you slice them, flash freeze in a single layer (so they don't stick in the freezer) and then freeze them in a freezer bag. When it comes time to bake them, you can bake them straight from the freezer just add an extra minute or two. Hope this helps, Joan!
Tori says
Do you think the log dough will last a couple days in the freezer? I need to make 10 dozen for a cookie exchange and was going to make the dough the prior weekend then bake them on thurs.
Thanks!
Jessica says
Yes, definitely! It will last for up to 3 months in the freezer! I would probably remove the log of dough from the freezer the night before and place it in the refrigerator over night so it's not rock solid when you go to slice the cookies.
Mary says
I made this yesterday following the reciepe exactly and the dough when taken out of the fridge was impossible to roll out. We discovered that whoever wrote this reciepe left out the eggs so we added 2 eggs (we doubled the reciepe so for a single batch only add one) and this made a HUGE improvement. Clearly it was just a forgotten ingredient.
Jessica says
The cookie base of these cookies is essentially a shortbread cookie and therefore does not call for eggs. Was the dough too stiff to roll out? If that was the case, the only thing I can think of is that the dough was chilled for too long and maybe it wasn't allowed to sit at room temperature to soften back up just enough for it to roll. I'm glad the addition of eggs made it easier for you though, Mary!! Happy Holidays!
brandeez@gmail.com says
Sad... I froze logs and when I cut them, they kind of crumble... am I doing something wrong?
Jessica says
Did you follow the recipe and instructions EXACTLY? If so, the only thing I can think of is that you didn't roll the log tight enough, resulting in crumbling since there is a filling in the middle. I have made these several times with the same results shown in the photos. I'm sorry if this isn't much help, please let me know if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to help!
Chico says
the same thing happened to me
Sue says
My batch also came out very crumbly. I had hard time rolling out the dough with out it falling apart. Almost like it was too much flour or not enough butter. Measured correctly. 🙁
Kayla says
It’s not you it’s a trash recipe. Wish I would have read the comments first!
Kayla says
Absolute trash recipe. I am an avid baker - follow directions use timers: chilled the dough as instructed, came out rock hard. Let it get to room temp and it just crumbled! I wasted so much time on this today RUN from this recipe. I made 6 other types of cookies today no issues. I also make pumpkin rolls all the time - there is no simple way to get the dough to roll! I was rolling it so slow and pinching the holes shut. Then follow the directions again and cut the log in fall and pieces are just crumbling as I’m trying to get it in the fridge. From a serious baker - this is a bad recipe! Don’t use it
Betsy Feldmann says
These look so good and I was definitely going to make them unti I read that they would only keep for 2 days in an airtight container. That means I cannot make them ahead of time or as gifts. Can they be frozen?
Jessica says
They are the best the first two days but are still okay on the third day. You can prepare the dough right up until the chilling and slicing part and freeze it in "log" form for a month or so. When ready to use, just slice and bake in their frozen state! Hope this helps, Betsy!
Jessica says
I'm so sorry for the late response! I'm not sure about freezing the finished product as I have never done that before, but you can definitely freeze the dough "logs" until ready to use! Once ready to use, just let them sit out for a few minutes, slice and bake. Hope this helps!
Eliz Frank says
Those cookies look so light and tasty. I'll give the recipe a try soon. 🙂
Stephanie says
This looks and sounds so yummy!