Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies
These dreamy Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies feature a soft vanilla sugar cookie base, layered with a buttery brown sugar and cinnamon topping, all topped off with a decadent swirl of the best cream cheese frosting!
If you love sugar cookies check out my Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Sugar Cookies, and Lemon Sugar Cookies too!
Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies
I first published this recipe as cut-out cinnamon sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting and extra cinnamon sprinkled on top. After some feedback of having dry cookies or not enough cinnamon I changed it using a different sugar cookie recipe with 2.5x more cinnamon.
While they were good, I knew they could still be better, so I re-vamped them completely into the cinnamon roll cookies you see now. And I couldn’t be happier!
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These are the BEST cinnamon roll sugar cookies because:
- There’s NO chilling the cookie dough, and NO cutting it out. Just scoop, round, and press the dough balls.
- The cinnamon flavor is all in a buttery brown sugar smear that goes on top of the dough, so it doesn’t take away any moisture from the cookie itself and is similar to the filling of real cinnamon rolls.
- The cream cheese frosting stays the same, because it’s simply the BEST recipe. I just used half as much, so you can still see the cinnamon topping when you pipe a swirl on top.
These cinnamon cookies combine the best of both worlds—soft, buttery sugar cookies and the warm, spiced flavor of cinnamon rolls.
Why You Should Make This Recipe
- Easy to Make: Get all the flavors of cinnamon rolls without the hassle of yeast or rising dough.
- Tried and True Recipes: I combined my favorite sugar cookie recipe and my favorite cream cheese frosting recipe with the buttery brown sugar and cinnamon filling from a cinnamon roll, so you know it’s going to be good!
- Unique Twist on a Classic: This recipe is a fun and creative way to enjoy the flavors of cinnamon rolls in cookie form. (Crumbl even has a similar cinnamon swirl cookie on their menu.)
Whether you’re looking to impress your friends or satisfy a sweet craving, these cookies are a unique and delicious treat that everyone will love!
Ingredients You’ll Need
NOTE: Full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
Jump
- Unsalted Butter – For the cookies, cinnamon topping, and frosting. Use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar – To sweeten the cookies.
- Powdered Sugar – Sweetens and softens the cookies, because it contains cornstarch.
- Oil – Keeps these sugar cookies moist! Use a neutral tasting oil like canola or vegetable oil.
- Water – To help the cookie dough come together.
- Egg – To bind and add structure to the cookies.
- Vanilla Extract – To add flavor to the cookies and frosting.
- All-Purpose Flour – Make sure to stir, spoon, and level when measuring with cups or use a scale to weigh it. It’s important to use the proper amount of flour for baking. The flour is used for the cookies and in the brown sugar and cinnamon topping to prevent it from melting off the cookies.
- Baking Soda – To help the cookies rise and spread.
- Cream of Tartar – Makes the texture of the cookies extra tender and soft.
- Salt – To enhance the flavors in the cookies.
- Brown Sugar – For the cinnamon roll-like topping.
- Ground Cinnamon – For a warm, spiced flavor.
- Cream Cheese – The block not the tub. Regular or Neufchatel works great for the frosting.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cookies
NOTE: Full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
Jump- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two half sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Then add the oil, water, egg, and vanilla. Mix well, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once to the wet ingredients, and mix until everything comes together.
- Use a #30 cookie scoop (about 2 Tbsp of cookie dough) to scoop dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets about 2-3 inches apart (no more than 9 per tray). You should get 18 cookies on two trays. Roll dough balls with hands until smooth and round.
- Put 2 Tbsp granulated sugar in a small bowl. Dip the bottom of a cup into the bowl of sugar, and press it into the center of each dough ball until about ½-inch thick, creating a well in the center of the dough. (You may find it helpful to rock the cup in a circular motion.) Set cookies aside.
Make the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Topping
- Stir together the butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a medium bowl with a spoon until combined well.
TIP: It helps to have fairly soft butter, and to cut the butter into smaller pieces first.
- Divide the cinnamon topping between the 18 cookies. (I used a heaping teaspoon; about 1 ½ tsp per cookie.)
- Use your finger to spread the cinnamon topping towards the edge of the cookies, but still inside the well. (So the topping doesn’t melt over the edges.)
- Bake the cinnamon roll sugar cookies at 350˚F for 9-10 minutes. Do not over-bake. The cookies will not brown at all on the edges, but will look matte instead of shiny. Allow cookies to cool on the tray completely.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
While cookies cool, prepare the frosting.
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Place the cream cheese frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a Wilton #12 round tip.
- Pipe a thin layer of frosting into a swirl on top of each cookie starting from the middle and working your way towards the edges. Make sure to leave a little space in-between to show the layer of cinnamon underneath.
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Serving and Storing
- Enjoy immediately after assembling, or cover and refrigerate for later. Do not leave cookies out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- STORAGE: Store cookies in an airtight container or on a plate covered tightly with plastic wrap. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- TO FREEZE: Place cookies onto a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze until frosting is frozen solid (about 1-2 hours). Once firm, transfer cookies to a freezer-safe container with parchment paper separating any layers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in fridge overnight before enjoying.
Recipe Notes
- Roll cookie dough with hands. This warms it up before pressing it down and helps minimize the amount of cracks on the edges. It’s not the end of the world, but makes the cookies more uniform looking.
- Use soft butter for the filling. Soft (not melted) butter, cut into smaller pieces, is best to mix the filling by hand. Using soft butter also ensures everything is incorporated evenly, without compromising the structure of the filling.
- Spread cinnamon topping to edges. You want to cover most of the cookie with the topping so that there’s cinnamon in every bite, without it going overboard. The topping is partially stabilized with the addition of flour. Push it as close to the edges as you can, while still within the impression that you made with the cup, just to be safe.
- Do NOT over-bake. These cookies are a little tricky to tell when they are done due to the topping. And no one likes a dry sugar cookie. You want the edges to look matte, not shiny. And since the edges don’t brown, you may want to check underneath the cookies. Gently lift a cookie up with a spatula to see if it still looks wet/underdone in the middle. Keep in mind they will continue baking a little bit on the pan as they cool down. Just slightly underdone is my preference.
- Double the frosting – IF you plan to cover the whole cookie. It’s just enough to pipe onto the cookies as shown. If you are heavy handed with the frosting or use a thicker tip, you will need to make extra frosting.
- Enjoy cold or at room temperature. These cookies are great cold or at room temperature. Just keep in mind that because of the cream cheese frosting, you should only leave these out at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
More Cinnamon Desserts
Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies
These dreamy Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies feature a soft vanilla sugar cookie base, layered with a buttery brown sugar and cinnamon topping, all topped off with a decadent swirl of the best cream cheese frosting!
Yields cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 2 ¾ cups (330 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, (1 stick) room temperature
- 10 Tbsp (125 g) granulated sugar, (½ cup plus 2 Tbsp)
- 6 Tbsp (45 g) powdered sugar
- 6 Tbsp (90 ml) oil, (canola/vegetable)
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp (25 g) *extra granulated sugar, (for flattening the cookies)
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Topping
- 6 Tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter, room temperature/softened
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, gently packed
- ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
- 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz (113 g) block-style cream cheese, COLD
- 4 Tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two half sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- SUGAR COOKIES: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar until smooth. Then add the oil, water, egg, and vanilla. Mix well, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once to the wet ingredients, and mix until everything comes together.
- Use a #30 cookie scoop (about 2 Tbsp of cookie dough) to scoop dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets about 2-3 inches apart (no more than 9 per tray). You should get 18 cookies on two trays. Roll dough balls with hands until smooth and round.
- Put 2 Tbsp granulated sugar in a small bowl. Dip the bottom of a cup into the bowl of sugar, and press it into the center of each dough ball until about ½-inch thick, creating a well in the center of the dough. (You may find it helpful to rock the cup in a circular motion.) Set cookies aside.
- CINNAMON BROWN SUGAR TOPPING: Stir together the butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a medium bowl with a spoon until combined well. (TIP: It helps to have fairly soft butter, and to cut the butter into smaller pieces first.)
- Divide the cinnamon topping between the 18 cookies. (I used a heaping teaspoon; about 1 ½ tsp per cookie.) Use your finger to spread the cinnamon topping towards the edge of the cookies, but still inside the well. (So the topping doesn't melt over the edges.)
- Bake the cinnamon roll sugar cookies at 350˚F for 9-10 minutes. Do not over-bake. The cookies will not brown at all on the edges, but will look matte instead of shiny. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray completely.
- CREAM CHEESE FROSTING: While cookies cool, prepare the frosting by beating the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Place cream cheese frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a Wilton #12 round tip. Pipe a thin layer of frosting into a swirl on top of each cookie starting from the middle and working your way towards the edges. Make sure to leave a little space in-between to show the layer of cinnamon underneath. Enjoy immediately, or cover and refrigerate for later.
Notes
- Do not leave cookies out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- STORAGE: Store cookies in an airtight container or on a plate covered tightly with plastic wrap. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- TO FREEZE: Place cookies onto a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze until frosting is frozen solid (about 1-2 hours). Once firm, transfer cookies to a freezer-safe container with parchment paper separating any layers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in fridge overnight before enjoying.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 372IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated using a third-party tool and are provided as an estimation only.
Did you make this?
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- 10/5/2014 — Post was first published using this Cut-Out Sour Cream Sugar Cookies recipe cut in half with the addition of 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon. Fashioned after a cookie I tried at a blogger night from Smart Cookie Company (which has since closed).
- 12/4/2014 — After some feedback, I altered the recipe using this Sugar Cookie Recipe with the addition of 2 1/2 Tablespoons of cinnamon.
- NOTE: Both previous versions above used my original cream cheese frosting recipe. I now use half of the frosting recipe for the current version of these Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies.
- Recipe re-vamped and post updated September 2024.
Loved these! Really easy to make.
That’s great to hear! Thanks for your review Kristin!
I made these when you posted them the first time and had no problems. They were delicious! I had to give some away to my neighbors because I was going to eat them all. They all loved them too! I’m definitely making them again!
Thank you Heidi! I was beginning to think I was crazy! Glad you liked them so much!
Hello Amber,
A friend of mine and I tried to make some for the seniors that we volunteer with. These cookies did not turn out. Just crumbled and did not come togather as dough. We still tried to bake them as we didn’t want to disappoint the seniors but to our dismay the did not look like something that could give to the seniors.
Hi Sophie,
This makes me really sad to hear. I’m trying hard to understand why so many are having problems. I’m not sure if it’s really picky with elevation or what because only a few have had success. Can you give me a little more information? Were they crumbly before or after refrigeration or both? I seriously re-made these 2 weeks ago with Our Best Bites sugar cookie recipe, adding only cinnamon and they turned out great for me. I just added the link to their recipe and my picture of the re-made cookies.