Cinnamon Roll Cookies look fancy, but they are very easy to make. They remind me of a Snickerdoodle cookie with a cinnamon sugar filling and have become one of my favorite cookies of all time and, if you love cinnamon, they will become one of your favorites too!
They remind me of a homemade cinnamon roll in cookie form and they are perfect with a cup of coffee; or pair them with cowboy cookies, pecan balls, and butter cookies for the perfect cookie tray to share with family and friends.
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You can control the texture of the cookie by the way you cut and bake them, so if you like a crisp cookie like I do, follow the same instructions in the recipe. If you like soft cookies, then you will cut them a little thicker and bake them for a little less time.
Suggested Kitchen Tools for Cinnamon Swirl Cookies
- (affiliate link)13x9 pan
- Plastic Wrap & Parchment Paper
- (affiliate link)Pastry Brush
- Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer
- Cookie Trays
- (affiliate link)Wire Rack
Ingredients & Substitutions
This recipe uses a basic cookie dough recipe that is similar to a Snickerdoodle cookie dough that is filled with vanilla and cinnamon sugar filling and rolled into a log to get the perfect cinnamon swirl throughout the cookie.
Flour
I use all-purpose flour in this recipe and that is what I recommend using. You can try cake flour for a softer cookie. I have not tested the cookie with gluten-free flour, but I recommend getting a brand that is designed for baking and is a 1:1 substitution for all-purpose flour.
If you wanted to use almond flour or coconut flour I suggest finding a keto sugar cookie recipe using those ingredients. It isn't as simple as just switching the flour for almond or coconut flour so make sure to follow a well-tested recipe.
Sugar
I use granulated white sugar in both the cookie dough and in the cinnamon sugar mixture. You can easily substitute the sugar in the cinnamon sugar mixture for a sugar substitute like Swerve in a 1:1 substitution. If you are using a different kind of sugar substitute follow the instructions on the package for replacing it for sugar in a recipe.
I have not tested the recipe using Swerve in the cookie dough, but I did look on the Swerve website and they have a sugar cookie recipe that is similar to this one and it uses Swerve. Please let me know if you try it!
You can use brown sugar in this recipe, but the cookies will take on a slightly darker appearance and may bake differently. If you do use brown sugar, you can omit the vinegar since it will neutralize the baking soda.
Egg
1 large whole egg is used in this recipe. If you want to substitute the egg, I would look up sugar cookie recipes that don't use egg. I have not tested this recipe without an egg.
Butter & Salt
I use salted butter because that is what I always have on hand, but you can use unsalted butter, as well. If you use unsalted butter, you may want to increase the salt from ½ teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon. It's important to note that I use fine-grind sea salt or kosher salt when baking and not table salt. If you are using a fine table salt, cut the salt in half.
Cinnamon
I use ground cinnamon and usually McCormick brand, but you can use any kind of ground cinnamon that you love.
You could also add different spices to the cinnamon to change the flavor of the cookies. You could add spices like cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, or allspice.
No matter what spices you want to include, keep the total ratios the same for the best results. I use 4 teaspoons of cinnamon, so your spice mixture should equal 4 teaspoons and I recommend at least 2 of those teaspoons being cinnamon.
Once you mix the spices with the sugar, taste it and make sure you like it. You can always tone it down by adding more sugar. The outcome will be more of a spice cookie, but I bet they would be delicious!
Vanilla Paste
I specifically use vanilla paste in this recipe instead of vanilla extract because it helps keep the cinnamon sugar filling in place. I make my own vanilla paste and it takes about 5 minutes. Here is the recipe: Homemade Vanilla Bean Paste
You can also purchase vanilla paste on Amazon and here is one brand that I have tried and had good results with: (affiliate link)Vanilla Bean Paste
In the cookie dough, you can substitute vanilla extract for the vanilla paste without any problems. You would use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in the cookie dough.
If you want to use vanilla extract to brush on the cookie dough in place of vanilla paste, then I recommend adding 1 Tablespoon of the extract to about 1-2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar until a thin paste forms. You can also use 1-2 teaspoons of corn syrup, maple syrup, or honey so the mixture is slightly sticky and will help the cinnamon sugar stay in place. Honey and maple syrup will change the flavor slightly.
Baking Soda & Vinegar
This combination may seem a little odd, but both ingredients are important in the outcome of the cookies. Baking soda requires an acid to neutralize it and that is what the vinegar provides. You can use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or even rice vinegar and it should be fine. You can also use the same amount of lemon juice if desired.
Substituting baking soda for baking powder in this recipe will result in a different texture of cookies, they will be more cake-like than thin and crisp.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Cinnamon Roll Cookies are easy to make and even if they look a little intimidating, just follow my step-by-step instructions or video and they will turn out perfectly!
Mise En Place (Prep)
About 1-2 hours before you want to make the cookies, take the butter and egg out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature.
Make sure you have plastic wrap and a 9x13 tray with a lip or you can use a rolling pin to roll the cookie dough out into a 9x13 rectangle. Parchment paper does not work for rolling out the dough, you need plastic wrap or the dough will stick.
Making the Cinnamon Roll Cookie Dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl if using a handheld electric mixer combine the sugar and room temperature butter and mix on medium speed for about 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. You want the butter and sugar to combine and become light and fluffy. This is called creaming the butter and sugar.
Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed and before you add the egg.
Add the egg, vanilla paste, and vinegar and mix on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients until well combined.
Add about ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients.
Mix on low to medium speed until you no longer see the flour. Don't overmix or you might end up with a tough cookie.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add another third of the flour and mix on low or medium speed just until the flour is incorporated.
Repeat with the remaining flour and mix just until the dough forms and you can't see any flour.
Making the Cookie Dough Log
Place a large piece of plastic wrap into the bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan. The plastic wrap should be large enough to go over the sides of the pan so you can easily lift the cookie dough out after using the pan as a guide to create the rectangle.
Put the ball of cookie dough in the center and another large piece of plastic wrap on top.
Quick Tip
Parchment Paper will stick to the cookie dough, use plastic wrap for the best results.
Quick Tip
If you don't have a 9x13 pan, you can use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a rectangle that measures 9x13. Make sure the layer is as even as possible for the best results.
Begin pressing the dough down and out to fill the tray with an even layer of the cookie dough.
If the top layer of plastic wrap gets in your way, you can remove it and just use your fingers to press the dough into the pan. I have done it both ways and pressing directly with your fingers is faster and easier, but using the plastic wrap on top keeps your hands clean.
Once you have a 9x13 rectangle that is as even in thickness as you can get, pop the covered tray of dough into the fridge for 15-30 minutes.
While the cookie dough is chilling, make up the cinnamon sugar mixture.
In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and sugar and mix well to combine.
Take the chilled dough off of the tray and place it on a flat surface. Keep the plastic wrap under the dough.
Remove the top layer of plastic wrap. Brush the vanilla paste onto the top of the cookie dough from edge to edge.
Liberally sprinkle all but about 2-3 Tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the vanilla paste, but leave about 1" uncovered on the long sides. The cinnamon sugar can impede the dough from sealing after it's rolled into a tight log.
Reserve the remaining 2-3 Tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar for later.
Starting with the long edge that is furthest away from you, fold the cookie dough over about 1" so it starts to create the roll. Use the plastic wrap to help fold it.
Continue to roll as tight of a log as you can. I find using the plastic wrap to lift the dough up and then folding it over really helps. Once the dough has folded over, lift the plastic wrap from the top of the roll and repeat the process until you have a round log of cookie dough.
If the dough starts to crack anywhere simply smooth it back together with your fingers.
When you get to the very end, pull the plastic wrap from the long end that is closest to you and fold it over to complete the log. Press the seam together and then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
Place the roll of cookie dough on a tray and refrigerate it for 15 minutes or you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours before slicing and baking.
You can also freeze the cookie log for longer storage. I would wrap it in a few more layers of plastic wrap and then wrap it in aluminum foil to prevent ice crystals.
If you are going to bake the cookies right after they chill, then preheat your oven to 350℉/175℃.
Slicing and Baking the Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Once chilled, remove the dough log from the refrigerator and remove all the plastic wrap. Take the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture and apply it all over the log. This will create a nice cinnamon sugar edge to the cookie.
Next, slice the log in ¼" slices for crisp cookies and up to ½" for softer cookies. The thicker you slice them, the larger the cookie will be and it will be thicker and therefore softer.
Place the sliced rounds onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. You don't have to line the cookie pan with parchment, but you will want to remove the cookies after they cool for just 1-2 minutes or they may stick to the pan.
I found using parchment with this recipe was easier and did not impede the baking. Omitting the parchment may require reducing the baking time by a minute and the cookies do crisp up more.
Place the tray of cookies on the middle rack in a preheated oven and bake at 350℉/175℃ for about 10 minutes. Ovens can vary with how they bake, so use your judgment on timing. Remove the cookies when the edges just start to turn golden brown.
I only bake one tray at a time for even baking, but you can do multiple trays and rotate them if you see the top baking quicker than the bottom rack.
Remove the tray of cookies from the oven and let them cool on the tray for about 2-3 minutes (1-2 if you skipped the parchment paper) and transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
The cookies will appear soft at first, but crisp up as they cool.
Repeat for each batch of cookies. You can enjoy the cookies right away or package them up for later. See storage instructions at the end of the post for various was to store the cookies and any unused cookie dough.
Texture Variations & Glazes for Cookies
Texture Variations
Some people love soft and chewy cookies and others (like me) prefer crispy cookies. The great thing about this recipe is you can change how you slice and bake the cookies to change the texture!
I found this out quite by accident when I sliced a few cookies ½" thick and they stayed soft after baking! Here are some recommendations for cookie width and baking time to achieve the texture of cookie you love!
- Crisp Cookies: Slice ¼" width cookies and bake at 350℉/175℃ for 10 minutes.
- Crisp on the outside edges, but soft in the middle: Slice cookies ½" thick and bake at 350°F/175℃ for 10 minutes.
- Soft Cookies: Slice ½" thick cookies and bake at 350℉/175℃ for 8 minutes.
Glazing the Cinnamon Roll Cookies
When I first started testing this recipe, I tried a few glazes and decided that I liked the cookies without a glaze the best.
However, you may want to use a cream cheese glaze or a vanilla sugar glaze so they resemble cinnamon rolls, and here are a few suggestions.
- If you want a glaze that hardens on the cookie, I recommend using a simple vanilla glaze using powdered sugar, vanilla paste or extract, with a touch of water. I would start with 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla paste and then just add enough water to create a thin paste consistency. Drizzle over the cooled cookies and let them sit for about 12 hours for the icing to harden.
- For a cream cheese icing you can follow the recipe for my cinnamon rolls: Homemade Cinnamon Rolls.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
How to Store Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Room Temperature
Once the cookies have cooled completely, place them in an airtight container or zip-lock bag and store them at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezer
You can store the baked cookies in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure they are completely cooled before placing them in a freezer bag or another airtight freezer container.
If you are stacking them in a container, you can place a piece of parchment between each layer and make sure the cookies fill the container so air isn't trapped, which can lead to ice crystals.
Quick Tip
The cookie dough log can be frozen for up to 6 months when stored correctly. I recommend wrapping it in plastic wrap several times and then either wrapping it in aluminum foil or placing it in a freezer bag and squeezing out as much air as you can.
How to Bake Cinnamon Roll Cookies from Frozen
If you have frozen your cookie dough log, you can slice ¼"-½" slices from the frozen cookie log and bake right from frozen.
Place the frozen cookie slices on a cookie sheet (you can line it with parchment, but I didn't and they worked great) into an oven that has not been preheated.
Set the temperature to 350℉/175℃ and bake for 12 minutes or until the edges just start to turn golden brown. Remove the tray from the oven and let the cookies sit on the tray for about 1-2 minutes and then remove them and cool completely on a cooling rack.
Frequently Asked Questions
As written in the recipe, the cookies are a crisp cookie. However you can change the texture by cutting the cookies thicker and/or baking them for less time.
See the written article for more information.
You can double the recipe easily, but if you want to make a half a batch, you will have to lightly beat the egg and then measure out half for the recipe.
When making a double batch, I recommend splitting the dough in half and pressing or rolling out two logs. For half a batch, press or roll the cookie dough into a 4x6 rectangle.
The baking time stays the same.
The yield will depend on how you slice the cookie log. I usually get about 4 dozen cookies when I slice them in ¼" slices.
More Cookie & Candy Recipes
If you love cookies and candy, you will love these recipes!
Cinnamon Roll Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- ¾ cup butter salted or unsalted, room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine grind sea salt or kosher salt
Cinnamon Filling
- 6 Tablespoons white sugar
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ Tablespoons vanilla paste
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Instructions
Making the Cookie Dough
- Add the room temperature butter and sugar to the bowl of stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment or a hand held mixer, mix on medium speed until the butter and sugar are creamed together and are light and fluffy.¾ cup butter, 1 cup white sugar
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg, vanilla paste or extract, and vinegar. Mix on medium speed until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- In a seperate bowl combine the flour with the baking soda and salt. Whisk to disperse the salt and baking soda throughout the flour. Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and blend on low speed until incorporated. Repeat with another ⅓ of the flour and then repeat with the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.2 cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine grind sea salt or kosher salt
- Line a 9x13 pan with plastic wrap and press the cookie dough into the pan in an even layer. Cover and chill for about 10 minutes while you make up the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- Combine the white sugar with the ground cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well.6 Tablespoons white sugar, 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and take off the top layer of plastic wrap. Brush the top of the dough with vanilla paste (see recipe notes if you are using vanilla extract).1 ½ Tablespoons vanilla paste
- Remove about 2-3 Tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar mixture and reserve for later. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the top of the vanilla paste leaving about 1" uncovered along the long edge of the dough.
Rolling the Cookie Dough into a Log
- Using the bottom layer of plastic wrap fold about 1" the long edge of dough that is furthest away from you over onto the rest of the dough. Continue rolling using the plastic wrap to help lift the cookie dough to roll it until you just about about 1" left. Using the plastic wrap closest to you, roll the long edge up onto the rest of the roll and wrap the plastic wrap around the entire log. Smooth the seam out so the cookie dough is sealed. Refrigerate the wrapped log for at least 30 minutes.
Slicing & Baking
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper.
- Unwrap the log of cookie dough and sprinkle the reserved cinnamon sugar mixture over the entire log. This is optional but gives a nice cinnamon sugar edge to the cookies.
- Line a cookie tray with parchment paper. Remove the plastic wrap from the cookie log and cut in half. Wrap one half and refrigerate until you are done baking the other half of the cookies. Refrigerating makes it easier to slice the thin slices of cookie dough.
- Slice the other half of the cookie log into ¼" slices and lay each slice on the cookie tray about 2" apart. Bake on the middle rack at 350℉/175℃ for 10 minutes or until the edges just start to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool about 2-3 minutes on the tray and then remove the cookies and cool completely on a cooling rack. Repeat for the remaining cookies. Serve & Enjoy!
Notes
- In the cookie dough, you can substitute vanilla extract for the vanilla paste without any problems. You would use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in the cookie dough.
- If you want to use vanilla extract to brush on the cookie dough in place of vanilla paste, then I recommend adding 1 Tablespoon of the extract to about 1-2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar until a thin paste forms. You can also use 1-2 teaspoons of corn syrup, maple syrup, or honey so the mixture is slightly sticky and will help the cinnamon sugar stay in place. Honey and maple syrup will change the flavor slightly.
- Crisp Cookies: Slice ¼" width cookies and bake at 350℉/175℃ for 10 minutes.
- Crisp on the outside edges, but soft in the middle: Slice cookies ½" thick and bake at 350°F/175℃ for 10 minutes.
- Soft Cookies: Slice ½" thick cookies and bake at 350℉/175℃ for 8 minutes.
Nutrition
About the Recipe Author, Louise Long
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
She published her first cookbook in the Fall of 2018 and is very interested in writing several more.
Louise is also the creator of an online Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooking Course with over 100 instructional step-by-step videos. People absolutely rave about the course and all the value they have received from it.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and learning more about the appliances they love.
Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper 101
Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can. Get more Information about Louise & contact information
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