Hello hello! How was your holiday weekend? I meant to publish these cinnamon roll cookies yesterday, but the weekend ended up being a little busier than I thought. We had my cousin and her family in town, a big Christmas party on Saturday, lots of movie watching, gift unwrapping, game playing, dog snuggling, and cookie eating.
It was also Franklin’s first Christmas (lol) and the kids pretty much wore him out the first day. He’ll be sleeping for a week.
So tell me about your weekends. Are you stuffed to the brim? Exhausted? Had enough cookies yet? Here’s hoping you have room left in your calendar (and stomachs!) for another fun cookie recipe. I saved this one for this week because I figured it is the perfect way to spend holiday break. They’re fun to make, taste like cinnamon buns, and… the best part of all… they’re itty bitty adorable. There’s ALWAYS room for mini cookies. ♥
And they’re much easier than they look. Watch:
Ok so here’s basically what’s happening. You prepare them just like you make cinnamon rolls, but without the yeast, dough rising, and all that razzmatazz.
(1) Make a sugar cookie dough. We’ll use my favorite soft cut-out sugar cookies. Which is the same as the holiday version! If you already made them this holiday season, you’re a pro.
(2) Roll the cookie dough out into 2 rectangles just like you would with cinnamon roll dough.
(3) Spread with melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar.
(4) Roll it all up into a log. You’ll have 2 logs.
(5) Chill the logs.
Some pictures for you to get the gist!
PS: rolling the dough out on a silicone baking mat saves SO much clean up. Highly recommended.
When you’re rolling the dough into logs, the dough might crack a little. That’s ok! Simply smooth the dough out with your fingers if you notice any cracks. Roll the dough up tightly– and very slowly.
Ok so for the next picture, you’ll chill the logs of dough before slicing them. The left picture is the dough all rolled up before chilling and the right picture is the dough log chilled. Chilling is the most important step; it prevents the cookies from spreading too much and losing their cinnamon roll shape!
Once the logs are sliced, just arrange on your baking sheets to bake. Unlike cinnamon rolls, these cookies bake up pretty quickly. About 12 minutes per batch.
Icing for a finishing touch! What’s a cinnamon roll without it?
Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Filling
- 2 Tablespoons (15g) butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners' sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
- Make the dough: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on high speed until creamy. On medium-high speed, beat in the granulated sugar until completely creamed and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. If the dough still seems too soft, you can add 1 Tablespoon more flour until it is a better consistency for rolling.
- Shape and fill: Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion out in a rectangle (about 9x7 inches) onto a floured silicone baking mat (or floured parchment paper) to about 1/4″ thickness. Spread 1 Tablespoon of melted butter onto each rectangle. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together then sprinkle evenly over each.
- Working slowly, tightly roll up each rectangle into a 9-inch log. If the dough is cracking at all, use your fingers to smooth it out. Some cracks are OK. Chill the logs of dough for at least 2 hours. What I like to do is carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board or plate and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. (Always recommended for cookies.)
- Remove dough logs from the refrigerator. Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place slices onto baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes, until lightly browned on the sides. Remove from the oven, allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
- Make the icing: Whisk all of the icing ingredients together. Drizzle over cookies. Cover and store cookies at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Make ahead tip: Baked cookies (with or without icing) freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. You can chill the cookie dough for up to 2 days (step 5). You can also freeze the cookie dough before rolling for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature for about 1 hour. Then roll and continue with the recipe as directed.
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Cream cheese sugar cookies have to be next!
SHOP THE RECIPE
Here are a couple items I used to make today’s recipe.
Kitchenaid Stand Mixer | Silpat | Rolling Pin | Baking Sheet | Pink Polka Dot Knife
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I made a half batch of these, just to try them out. I just received the following on FB, from someone who ate one (this is his comment copied and pasted)
cinnamon roll cookies are insanely delicious!
I just had to tell you. They may not have been too pretty, but the taste was there.