Cinnamon Bun Cookies are the best cinnamon swirl cookie recipe with cinnamon icing.
Cinnabon fan? Schedule time at the gym now so you can plan to sample several of these. That’s how delicious these Cinnamon Bun Cookies are.
When I was little, my mother used to make ‘pie dough cookies.’ She took leftover pie dough, rolled it out, spread butter and cinnamon/sugar, rolled it up, cut slices and baked. That was some good stuff. Love the memory of it too. Thanks Mom.
How to make Cinnamon Bun Cookies:
These cookies are not made with pie dough, but the concept is the same as cinnamon rolls. Vanilla cookie dough is rolled out, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and rolled back up into a log.
The log is then wrapped up and frozen. I freeze mine overnight, but you could certainly freeze it for a longer period of time… or just a couple of hours might be ok too.
The cookie dough log needs to be quite firm so that when you slice it- it’s firm enough that it will maintain its round shape. Half inch cuts will produce about 2 dozen cookies. That’s not a huge amount. Several readers have suggested that it’s best to double this recipe so you have enough cookies to eat AND share!
Once out of the oven, you will be drizzling a sweet cinnamon glaze on top.
The first time I made these, my husband ate half a dozen of these before I could manage to tell him that there was icing to go on top (he defended his gluttonous actions by explaining that he consumed fewer calories). They are perfectly delicious without the icing, but the icing really turns them into ‘wow’ cookies.
The icing is delicious, and it will harden after letting it cool.
I’ve tried a lot of cookie recipes. I’ve sampled a lot of cookies. And this is one of the better ones. We love these cookies. When the mood for cinnamon rolls strikes, you need to make Cinnamon Bun Cookies!
Here are a few more cookie recipes you might enjoy:
- Butter Brickle and Pecan Cookies
- Butterfinger Cookies
- Meringue Cookies
- Summertime Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Eggnog Cookies
- Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies
- Oatmeal Jammys
- Pumpkin- White Chocolate Cookies
Cinnamon Bun Cookies
Ingredients
VANILLA COOKIE DOUGH:
- 3/4 cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
MIDDLE:
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
ICING:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
PREPARE THE DOUGH:
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the flour, stirring until the dough comes together. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you're ready to use it (an hour is good).
ROLL THE DOUGH:
- Transfer the chilled dough to a lightly floured piece of parchment or waxed paper. Roll it into a 9x12-inch rectangle. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white and water until foamy. Brush onto the rolled out dough. In another small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle it evenly over the dough. Starting with a long edge, carefully roll the dough into a log, sealing the edge (if dough sticks to parchment, gently use a metal spatula to guide it off of the paper). Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment, and freeze until firm.
BAKE THE COOKIES:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two cookie sheets. Remove the dough from the freezer and unwrap it. Using a sharp knife, gently cut it into 1/2-inch slices. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, until they're a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
ICE THE COOKIES:
- Sift or strain the powdered sugar into a medium-sized bowl to remove any lumps. Whisk the cream into the sugar to make a smooth icing. Drizzle or spread the icing onto the cookies (or serve alongside in a bowl for dipping).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Even those these have several steps they are the easiest cookies I have ever made! They look so impressive. I will make a double batch next time because I only got 18 cookies. They were awesome! My coworkers LOVED them!
ohmygoodness……..these are wonderful! Mine look NOTHING like your picture, but they taste yummy! I left the dough in the frig overnight, and it got really hard-had to let it sit on the counter quite awhile before it was soft enough to roll out…….will bake these the same day in the future. Mine look more like pinwheels…….not sure what I did “wrong”! Thanks for the yummy recipe. ( I put these in the freezer-will add icing when ready to serve.)
Hello, These look so yummy!
Can these be frozen?
I would freeze them without the icing. Ice them when ready to serve.
I made these at christmas for my annual cookie party. Hey were the first to go!
I didn’t use the icing, they were perfectly sweet and delicious just as is! Definitely a keeper recipe!
I made these cookies as part of my 25 Days of Christmas Cookies. I’m only on day 8 but my coworkers are still comparing all the cookies I make to these ones! They are irresistible!
Thanks for the recipe!
-Emily
Oh my these cookies were so good. I didn’t even eat the icing with it I have to make some more. I ate all of them before i could even take a pic. yummy
I made these last year for Christmas, they were a HUGE hit.So i bookmarked it and here I am again to make them!! yumm!
The first time I made these cookies I overcooked them a little because I wasn’t sure how they’d look finished. Even a little burnt, these cookies are amazing. They’re even better not burnt, of course, but a cookie that tastes good burnt is a really damn good cookie.
These look delicious! I’ve been searching for a cinnamon pinwheel recipe trying to duplicate the one my husband’s granny made him as a child. He said they were crispy-are these, and if not, how can I get them that way??? He said the cinnamon/sugar/butter mixture hardened on the bottom of hers-help recipe girl!
Ali- They’re not soft, but I wouldn’t say these are ‘crispy.’ I suppose you could get them more so that way if you baked them longer. They’re awfully good though! Let me know if you experiment w/ them! Good luck…