Homemade cinnamon roll cookies come together with my favorite recipe for sugar cookies as the base, a buttery cinnamon sugar filling, and vanilla icing drizzle. They’re soft in the centers with slightly crisp edges and taste like a cookie version of cinnamon rolls!
I know exactly what your plans should be today and they must include these cinnamon roll cookies. They’re fun to make, taste like cinnamon buns, and they’re itty bitty adorable. Mini cookies are ALWAYS a good idea! (PS: you’ll love my mini M&M cookies, too.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cookies
These cookies are prepared just like cinnamon rolls, but without the yeast, dough rising, and all that razzmatazz. Let’s review:
- Make the sugar cookie dough. We’ll use my favorite recipe for sugar cookies. If you’ve already made them, you’re a pro.
- Shape the cookie dough. Roll the cookie dough out into 2 rectangles (about 9×7 inches) just like you would with cinnamon roll dough. We follow the same process for pumpkin spice roll cookies.
- Spread the filling onto the cookie dough rectangles.
- Roll into logs. Tightly roll up each rectangle into a 9-inch log. You’ll have 2 of them!
- Chill the logs. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. We do this prior to slicing them so the cookies keep their cute shape.
- Cut into slices. Each cookie should be about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake. Unlike cinnamon rolls, these cookies bake up pretty quickly.
- Make the icing. Drizzle vanilla icing on completely cooled cookies.
Here are some step-by-step pictures:
Baker’s Tips
- I always roll the cookie dough out on a silicone baking mat instead of a floured counter because it makes clean up easier. I highly recommend it!
- 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 slowly and tightly.
- Below: The left picture below is the dough all rolled up before chilling and the right picture is the dough log chilled. Chilling is the most important step because it prevents the cookies from over-spreading and losing their cinnamon roll shape.
Cinnamon Roll Cookies Icing
So they taste more like traditional cinnamon rolls, we have to top them with icing! If you’re not into vanilla icing, try any of the following instead: maple icing used on my maple brown sugar cookies, brown butter icing used on my brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies, or cream cheese icing from my cinnamon rolls recipe.
If you are craving a more traditional style of cinnamon rolls but don’t want to wait hours for the dough to rise, try these no yeast cinnamon rolls next!
More Shaped Cookie Recipes
- Maple Cinnamon Cut-Out Cookies & Pecan Sugar Cookies
- Christmas Sugar Cookies & Snowman Sugar Cookies
- Spritz Cookies
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- Linzer Cookies
- Pinwheel Cookies
- Brown Sugar Shortbread
Cinnamon Roll Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
- Yield: about 36 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These simple, sweet, and irresistible cinnamon roll cookies are made from sugar cookie dough!
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for rolling and work surface
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 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 (28g) 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
Instructions
- Make the dough: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be a bit soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 more Tablespoon of flour.
- Shape and fill: Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion out in a rectangle (about 9×7 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 (or freeze up to 3 months). 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.
- 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.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: 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 for up to 3 months before rolling it out. Prepare the dough through step 3, divide into two portions, flatten both halves into a disk as we do with pie crust, wrap each in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Continue with step 4. OR you can freeze the dough logs in step 5. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then continue with step 6.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin or Adjustable Rolling Pin
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I just made my 2nd batch. I chilled the dough a bit and it was easier to roll; however, the cookies completely fell apart/came unrolled while cooking. This recipe is going in the circular file.
Hi Eric, did you chill the dough after shaping? Chill the logs of dough for at least 2 hours, this will help them hold their shape while baking. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
Ok so my last post several day ago I only gave these 4 stars due to the fact I hadn’t cooked them yet and no-one taste tested them. Well I want to tell you if I could give them 10 stars I would! EVERYONE LOVED THEM! My husband said, ‘you can make these anytime, they are great!’ My sone took them to his work and they all went nuts for them! Poor guy I had only made a single batch so he didn’t have that many but he said on co-worker had about 5-6 of them! I had a friend try them and she loved them. Everyone says, ‘I’ve never heard of cinnamon roll cookies.’ So needless to say my son and co-workers put their order in for more! I just made a triple batch that is chilling in the oven. Thanks so much for a recipe I will make over and over again!
The only reason I haven’t given 5 stars yet is because I just put my rolls in the fridge to chill. I weighed all my ingredients the dough turned out perfect so far. I did use 1/2 brown sugar & 1/2 white granulated for the filling and added about an extra 1/2 T of cinnamon to the filling. I will let you know how they turn out. My dough was perfect to roll, nice and soft, no cracking what so ever. I think the ones who have cracking dough are using to much flour and their dough is to dry. Weigh your ingredients, all flours are not created equal!
I made two batches. These are so cute and so good! I love all your recipes!!!
OMG!! You did it again! These are outstandingly addictive to say the least. Can’t stop eating them.
Thank you soo much for all the wonderful recipes.
Followed the recipe exactly and they were delicious! The only thing I would say is don’t be scared to go a little heavier on the cinnamon and sugar filling. My batch made about 55 cookies. Made these for my co-workers and they loved them! Will definitely make again!
These cookies are so pretty! The dough was fairly crumbly, and it cracked a little as I rolled it up (which I expected – thanks for the heads up, Sally! ;D) but they turned out so cute and delicious. Such a fun idea!
These turned out to be a hit at the office. I read the other comments about blandness and decided to use brown sugar in place of granulated in the filling, and my coworkers said they’re perfect. It gives them a nice “Cinnabon” flavor.
I’ve made these several times now. They are always a hit! Sometimes I don’t get the icing to the right consistency, but it’s still good!
Never made these before and currently have them in the oven! However not sure if I’ve done something wrong but they are all unravelling, looks a disaster.. 🙁
These were great! I added a bit of orange zest to the dough and it was an amazing addition! I just wish there was a bit more of a snap to these cookies, they’re a bit softer than I prefer.
Quick question, I want to send my son whose away at school some of these cookies. Does the glaze harden or does it stay sticky? Was wondering if they would stand up to being thrown around on the journey. They look delish!! Thanks!
Hi Lola, the glaze will harden. Here’s the best way to ship cookies!
I made these today. I cheated, and used store bought sugar cookie dough (I’m ashamed) and instead of butter I used peanut butter. I replaced the sugar with brown sugar and was quite liberal with the cinnamon.
So good!
How do you make it so that the bottom of the logs aren’t flat when you slice them?
Feel free to gently re-roll the log as you cut it to help with flattening on the bottom.
Hi! I was wondering when the glaze set, will it remain color white or will it become transparent? For the espresso glaze as well. I tried the glaze and used full cream milk and after glazing, it just became transparent. Should I use cream? By the way I used it to glaze muffins. Thank you so much!
Hi Risse, if your glaze became transparent, it sounds like perhaps it was a bit thin. For next time, you can add more confectioners’ sugar to help thicken it up a bit. If you’re using it to glaze muffins, some of it will naturally soak into the top of the muffin, too. Hope this helps!
Very straightforward and so delicious! I’m definitely adding this to my regular things to bake.
I made these for the kids today, they were delicious! This is the 12th recipe I’ve used from your website and my absolute favorite. Thank you for sharing with us!
Omg these cookies..there are no words. I definitely ate too many because they’re so delicious and taste like cinnamon rolls! These are going on my holiday bake list! They’re fun and easy to make with the kids or just to have a zen time in the kitchen. 100% recommend trying these!
Could you add a small amount of baking powder to “puff” up the rings to look more like a traditional cinnamon roll and less flat?
Hi Nick, I’m sure that would be fine. Let me know if you try it.
I love cinnamon and these cookies were absolutely perfect. Definitely going to be making them again. Thanks Sally!
Hi Sally, can I freeze cookie and ice them after thawed and ready to serve?
Thank you – Mary Lou
Hi Mary Lou! Yes, baked cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and ice when ready to serve.
Hi Sally,
I just tried to make these cookies. I did everything the recipe asked for (including chilling them for 24 hours!) but after being in the oven for 5 minutes they spread everywhere and got really thin. Do you have any idea what I did wrong? I am so sad, they looked so pretty!
Can I use pumpkin pie spice in place of cinnamon?
You could, yes! Or half of each.
Super delicious and straightforward recipe! And of course they look amazing!
These were super cute and fun cookies to make for my mother, who loves cinnamon rolls. I made these as a Christmas gift. Tasty and fun to look at.
Made these today and they’re fantastic! I am making lots of baked goods for best friend and her husband who just had a baby. Mainly these are oat based but I try to include a fun treat too. Followed the recipe exactly and these worked out great! I was a bit worried about making roll out ones but they were so easy to do. I rolled the dough between pieces of parchment paper and even though I didn’t achieve perfect rectangles, they look great and taste even better. Thank you!
Hi! I tried making these cookies, at first the dough turned out well and when I was about to roll it seems like the butter was melting and the dough became quite soft. But I still continued, and chilled it for 2 hours in the fridge. The shape was good, but when I baked them, they turned out like soft cookies not crispy at all. Is it supposed to be soft? Ah.. and I live in warm-temp area. Does it matter?
I really hope I can make these cookies.
Thank you 🙂
Hi Kanisha! Yes, these sugar cookies should be on the softer side. Make sure you’re starting with proper room temperature butter. The warmth of the kitchen/environment likely came into play here. The butter shouldn’t be melting as you first roll out the dough, so try to see if you can start the process a little earlier after you remove the butter from the refrigerator.
Refrigerate the dough for 10min before rolling! Also, this recipe is great but not cinnamon-y enough… I did the exact instructions but these taste way more like sugar cookies. Really bummed.
Maggie …
the recipe does instruct to refrigerate the dough…
My dough always cracks and breaks when I start to roll. No matter how slow or careful I go, it’s the same ): It doesn’t feel super dry or sticky. Help!
Make sure to use plenty of flour when rolling out the dough so it doesn’t stick to your work surface! Also be careful when measuring your flour – too much flour in the dough would dry it out and lead to cracking. Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
what is all purpose flour.we have plain or self raising here
Hi Ky, All-purpose flour in America is actually just plain flour in the UK.
The directions say to refrigerate the rolls, not the dough before it’s rolled. Maggie is advising to refrigerate the dough, because presumably she made the cookies given she comments on the flavor and knows whereof she speaks.
As far as Maggie’s disappointment with the flavor, my guess is her cinnamon may be at fault (or she may need to use a little more based on personal taste). King Arthur Flour has an article “Cinnamon: A complete guide to types, flavors, and how to use them” that may be useful in understanding how to get the flavor one seeks.
I made a double batch and they came out great. The dough is just sweet enough. I did not make the icing but will on the next batch. They taste great and are easy to make. I bought a 24″ X 36″ silicone mat and it makes rolling out the dough easy. Nobody can eat less then 5 of these !
Made these yesterday. And they are so incredibly delicious!!!! I had thought about skipping the glaze but I’m glad I didn’t. Thanks for another fabulous recipe Sally!