All the warmth and comfort of a cinnamon roll packed into a slice-and-bake swirl cookie, buttery, fragrant, and finished with a drizzle of cream cheese icing that makes them genuinely irresistible.
About This Recipe
Cinnamon roll cookies take the most beloved elements of the classic breakfast pastry, the brown sugar cinnamon filling, the swirl of dough, the cream cheese icing, and translate them into the format of a slice-and-bake cookie. The result is something that captures the essence of a cinnamon roll without the yeast, the proving time, or the early morning commitment.
The dough is a rich, buttery cookie dough that rolls out smoothly and holds the swirl neatly during slicing. The filling is the classic cinnamon roll combination of soft butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, spread in a thin, even layer over the rolled dough and rolled up tightly to create the log that will be sliced into individual cookies. The quality of the cinnamon matters here in a way it often does not in recipes where it is one of many spices. A fresh, aromatic cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon for preference, with its delicate, complex flavour, is worth seeking out for a recipe where it is the star.
The cream cheese icing is what transforms these from interesting slice-and-bake cookies into something genuinely special. Applied while the cookies are still slightly warm so it softens and sinks into the surface, it adds the signature tang of cream cheese frosting that is inseparable from the cinnamon roll experience. Thin enough to drizzle freely, thick enough to pool in the swirl grooves, getting this consistency right is the only technique that requires any attention.
History & Origins
Cinnamon rolls in their modern form are most closely associated with Scandinavian baking, where kanelbullar have been made since at least the 18th century and are consumed in enormous quantities throughout the Nordic countries. The American version, denser and more heavily iced, became a defining feature of American mall food culture through the Cinnabon chain founded in 1985. The cookie interpretation of the cinnamon roll is a product of the early internet baking era, when home bakers began systematically translating beloved flavour combinations into new formats.
Why It’s Easy To Make
No yeast, no proving time. Standard pantry ingredients. The log-and-slice technique is easy after the first attempt.
Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Course: Baking, Cookies22
servings25
minutes30
minutes3080
kcalIngredients
•t225g unsalted butter, softened
•t200g white sugar
•t1 large egg
•t2 tsp vanilla extract
•t360g plain flour
•t1 tsp baking powder
•t0.5 tsp salt
•tFor filling: 60g butter softened, 120g brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon
•tFor icing: 60g cream cheese softened, 100g icing sugar, 2 to 3 tbsp milk
Directions
- Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla.
- Mix in flour, baking powder and salt until a smooth dough forms.
- Roll between baking paper sheets into a 30x40cm rectangle.
- Spread softened butter over the surface. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter.
- Roll tightly from the long edge into a log. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Line trays with baking paper.
- Slice log into 1cm rounds. Place on trays.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until pale golden at the edges.
- Beat cream cheese, icing sugar and milk together until smooth and drizzleable.
- Drizzle icing over slightly warm cookies. Allow to set
Notes
- The filling butter must be soft enough to spread without tearing the dough. Slightly warmer than room temperature is ideal.
Roll the log as tightly as possible to produce a defined, close swirl with no gaps.
Chill the log until genuinely firm before slicing to avoid the filling squeezing out of the sides.
Apply the icing while the cookies are still slightly warm so it softens into the surface grooves.
Make Ahead Tips
The log keeps refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for 3 months. Slice and bake as needed. Baked uniced cookies keep for 4 days. Ice on the day of serving.
Storage & Serving
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. The icing softens slightly over time but the flavour remains excellent. These are best on the day of baking, slightly warm, when the icing is still soft and the cinnamon fragrance is at its peak. Freeze uniced cookies for 3 months and ice after thawing. Serve warm from the oven with coffee or tea for a genuinely special morning treat.
Variations & Substitutions
Add orange zest to the cream cheese icing. Replace cinnamon with cardamom and ginger for a chai-spiced swirl version. Add 60g of finely chopped pecans to the cinnamon filling for a cinnamon pecan roll cookie. Dip the base of each cooled cookie in melted dark chocolate before drizzling with icing for a more indulgent version.
