Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies – My Recipe Reviews (2024)

by sblades

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Who doesn't love fresh soft cinnamon rolls to go with their morning coffee?

Well, I do. I don't have time right now to make full-fledged rolls, so I went with these delicious Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies.

The recipes I usually see for cinnamon roll cookies are more shortbread-like cookies filled with cinnamon sugar and rolled into spirals. Others are sugar cookies swirled with cinnamon sugar.

I prefer this softer version - kind of cake-like with a glaze icing.

Rolling the dough takes patience, but take your time and roll slowly (or better yet, trick your kids/grand kids into doing it). Be assured, the outcome is well worth it. Flouring your surface well and your hands lightly will make it easier to roll up.

The dough is rather tacky, so definitely refrigerate it for awhile until it firms up some. The recipe calls for at least 15 minutes to chill, but the longer you refrigerate it, the easier it is to roll up. Some of my readers have suggested an hour.

Be gentle with the dough so the cookies don't turn out tough.

The final cookie, although more cakey than cookie, does actually taste like a cinnamon roll and goes great with coffee or milk. The cookies can be quite large - almost as big as a real cinnamon roll. If you want them smaller, be my guest - they'll still be great!

These Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies are terrific. They're the top Pinterest pin and top recipe on my site and for good reason!

Some day I'll take better photos of these cookies, but it seems like every time I make them they disappear before I can grab my camera.

If you're in a hurry, you may not want to make these until another day. Take a little time (and have a little patience) and try these - you'll like them!

Looking for more great cookie recipes?

  • Texas Sheet Cake Cookies
  • Cherry Ribbon Cookies
  • Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies – My Recipe Reviews (4)

Monster Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Yield: 12 -14

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Inactive Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Large cake-like cookies, swirled with cinnamon, sugar, and butter. Like a cinnamon roll, but is a cookie!

Ingredients

  • ¾ C butter, softened
  • 1 C sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 C flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ C buttermilk
  • Filling
  • 2 tablespoon butter, softened
  • ½ C brown sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoon cinnamon
  • Glaze
  • 2 C powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 3-4 tablespoon milk

Instructions

  1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until creamy then mix in the vanilla. In a small bowl, add the baking soda to the buttermilk and stir - set aside. Add one cup of the flour slowly to the butter mixture until combined. Pour in the buttermilk/soda and mix until combined. Finish by adding the rest of the flour. Mix until just combined (don't over mix). Put the dough into the refrigerator for at least one hour.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare the cookie sheets with parchment paper or spray the sheets with cooking spray.
  3. Generously flour your counter or baking marble. Turn out the dough onto the flour and shape into an approximately 12" x 8" rectangle, about ¼" thick. (Yes, it's a very sticky dough, be patient!) Spread the butter evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon.
  4. Roll the dough from the long side, slowly nudging up and as tightly as possible without breaking the dough. Don't worry if there are some little places that open up - just lightly pinch them closed.
  5. Put in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, then slice into 1" slices, wiping the sharp knife between cuts. Place the cookies onto the cookie sheet, at least 2 ½" apart as they will spread. Lightly reshape cookies into circles if needed, making sure the cinnamon sugar is showing in spirals.
  6. Bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer baked cookies to a wire rack immediately to cool.
  7. After completely cooled, mix the glaze ingredients together until smooth and desired texture. Spoon glaze to completely cover the cookies and give them enough time to set before serving.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

Don't skip the refrigeration part. The dough is sticky and needs to firm up some. It won't be like a thick bread dough - more like a thick cookie dough.

When glazing the cookies on the rack, place a big piece of wax paper under the rack to catch the drippings.

Store in a tightly sealed container.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 14Serving Size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 368Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 216mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 1gSugar: 39gProtein: 4g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies – My Recipe Reviews (5)Sherlynn

    Susan, these look SOOO delicious!! Thanks!
    Sherlynn

    • Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies – My Recipe Reviews (6)sblades

      They really are good, Sherlynn! A little messy to make, but good. I found they were the best the next day after I made them.

Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies – My Recipe Reviews (2024)

FAQs

Is melted butter or softened butter better for cinnamon rolls? ›

It can definitely be tempting to just stick that butter in the microwave if you've been storing it in the fridge, which can easily lead to accidentally melting it, but ensuring that your butter is softened will make all the difference: It will make it easier to evenly spread the filling on top of the dough.

What is the secret ingredient in Cinnabon? ›

Cinnabon's Secret Ingredient

This special Indonesian cinnamon, called Makara, is trademarked by Cinnabon. And because of that trademark, you won't find this product in your local grocery store spice aisle.

Why are my cinnamon rolls not fluffy? ›

There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity. But the most common reason cinnamon rolls don't turn out fluffy is because the dough didn't have enough time to rise.

What happens if you use melted butter instead of softened for cookies? ›

In cookies, softened butter will result in a cakier and airier cookie than using melted butter. This is due to the fact that softened butter will create air bubbles that expand in the oven during baking. Melted butter will make your cookies delightfully dense on the inside and crisp on the edges.

Why can't you use melted butter instead of softened? ›

Softened butter and melted butter are not the same. Using melted butter will change the texture of whatever you're baking. If you only want the butter to soften for spreading, microwave it on the Defrost setting (30%) in 5-second increments until it's softened as desired.

What is the most unhealthy Cinnabon? ›

Cinnabon Caramel Pecanbon

Classic Cinnabon cinnamon rolls are large and dense, rich in fat and carbs and contain 880 calories each (15). But these are not even the most unhealthy item on the menu. That honor is reserved for the Caramel Pecanbon.

Why are cinnabons so unhealthy? ›

A classic Cinnabon roll packs quite a punch in terms of calories and sugar. A single Cinnabon classic roll contains around 880 calories and about 58 grams of sugar. That's a hefty sum, especially when you consider that the recommended daily sugar intake for adults is less than 50 grams.

What happens if you let cinnamon rolls rise too long? ›

Can cinnamon rolls rise for too long? Yes definitely! If you let your cinnamon rolls rise for too long you can over-proof them. This can lead to dense rolls or rolls that collapse after baking.

What happens if you add too much flour to cinnamon rolls? ›

ONLY add as much flour as needed to handle the dough. It's better for the dough to be sticky at the start than to add too much flour and wind up with dense rolls, instead of light and fluffy ones.

Should I pour milk over my cinnamon rolls before baking? ›

You will pour the heavy cream on just before baking the rolls, it creates even softer rolls with an extra gooey filling. We did a side by side taste test with and without heavy cream and everyone chose the heavy cream version it just gives them that little something extra.

Should I pour heavy cream over cinnamon rolls before baking? ›

Pour the warmed heavy cream evenly over the top of the rolls. Bake following the recipe or instructions on the packaging, and enjoy! You'll get the most pillowy and delicious cinnamon rolls.

Why pour milk on cinnamon rolls before baking? ›

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This ensures to getting ULTRA MOIST rolls. This should be used at room temperature and is poured over the rolls after they have risen for the second time, just before baking.

What happens if you use melted butter instead of softened for icing? ›

Originally Answered: What happens if you use melted butter instead of softened butter for frosting? A mess. Melted butter separates into fat and whey. The sugar will melt into the whey and you'll end up with globs of fat in sweet, runny liquid.

What does melted butter do to dough? ›

In the case of pie dough, cold butter steams in the oven, creating the air pockets that make for flaky layers; melted butter, on the other hand, creates a tender, more shortbread-like crust—buttery and delicious all the same, but firmer and more compact.

Does melted butter make a difference in baking? ›

Using melted butter in cookies helps you achieve a similar fudgy-yet-cooked texture and prevents any unwanted cakiness. Instead of the rise coming from both chemical and physical leavening agents (baking soda/powder + creamed butter), it now comes almost exclusively from chemical agents alone.

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