Cinnamon Roll Cookies are soft rolled cookies filled with a cinnamon sugar, pecan, raisin filling, and drizzled with a simple frosting. They taste just like cinnamon buns and they're absolutely delicious.
If you have a fondness for all things cinnamon, you will not be able to resist these tasty little bites, with or without the pecans and raisins!
This is THE recipe for Cinnamon Bun Cookies! I used to buy these rolled cookies every time I visited my local grocery store, until now! Finally, I can make them at home and I actually enjoy them more than the store bought original!
The pecans and raisins on the inside and the fabulous cream cheese icing on top make these cookies a hit every time! For all of you cinnamon roll lovers out there, this recipe is for you!!
These cinnamon cookies are inspired by my cinnamon roll peach cobbler and canned cinnamon rolls with heavy cream and blueberries!
Why You Will Love Cinnamon Bun Cookies
- Simple, step-by-step instructions. Anyone can successfully follow and prepare this cookie recipe, even if you are a beginner in the kitchen.
- Great Flavor and Texture. The cookies come out with a thick, chewy center and a soft pillowy texture, just like your favorite cinnamon rolls.
- All-Occasion Cookie. Tasty bite-sized treats for parties, gifts, or just satisfying cravings.
Ingredients
Here's a look at the simple ingredients you need to make the best cinnamon roll cookies. We're covering the highlights here but you can find the full list in the recipe card further down the page.
- Butter: Rich, butter flavor lays down the foundation to these soft cinnamon roll cookies. It's also used for the filling and the icing.
- Sugar: These cookies use a combination of brown sugar, granulated sugar, and powdered or icing sugar. Adds a more complex sweetness.
- Eggs: Makes dough lighter, fluffier and helps to bind everything together.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure extract for the best flavor.
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg: The essential warming spices to make these Cinnabon cookies.
- Cornstarch: Gives the cookies their soft texture.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: The perfect leavening agents to make your dough expand and rise, creating the perfect texture.
- Salt: Always a flavor enhancer and necessary for making dough.
- Pecans: A classic nut for cinnamon rolls!
- Raisins: This dried fruit is a classic in cinnamon rolls.
- Cream Cheese: The main ingredient for the frosting for your cinnamon bun cookies.
See the recipe card below for the full list and exact quantities of each ingredient.
Substitutions and Variations
Don't have the correct ingredients on hand? Or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change up the recipe.
- Add Chips: Add a sprinkling of chocolate chips, caramel chips, butterscotch or peanut butter chips for more flavor.
- Make Cookie Bars: Prepare the cinnamon roll cookie dough, press half of it into a greased baking dish, and cover it with the filling. Add the remaining dough on top and bake until golden brown. Once cooled, you can drizzle it with the frosting and cut it into squares for serving.
- Swap Out the Pecans. Add your favorite chopped nuts like peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, or you can leave them out if you prefer them nut-free.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Here's a look at the main steps that go into making these cookies. The steps may look a bit intimidating but the recipe is quite simple.
Step 1 - Make the Cookie Dough
- Combine the butter and all three sugars in a large sized bowl.
- Cream them together until smooth with a handheld or stand mixer.
- Add the vanilla and eggs one at a time.
- Beat the mixture until everything is combined.
- Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture gradually mixing on low until they're combined. Be careful and do not over mix.
- Remove the dough when it mixed together and cover with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least an hour.
Step 2 - Make the Filling
- Combine the pecans, raisins, brown sugar, butter, nutmeg and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Mix them together.
Step 3 - Shape Rolled Cookies
- Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out the dough to a 10- by 10-inch square using a rolling pin.
- Spread the filling evenly across the top of the dough. If you want to be able to see the filling in your cookie, spread it all the way out to the edge.
PRO TIP: Use a silicone baking mat to make for easier cleanup and to prevent mixing too much flour into your cookies. Mine looks like these, just in case you want to see what a silicone mat looks like.
- Gently roll up your dough up into a tight log.
- Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to overnight.
Step 4 - Bake the Cinnamon Bun Cookies
- Cut into 24 1-inch thick slices.
- Place each slice, face down, in a greased muffin cup. You want to see the swirl as you look into your muffin pan.
- Bake until the tops are starting to turn a nice brown color.
- Cool the cookies in the muffin pans for at least 10 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Step 5 - Make the Frosting
- Beat the the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and then slowly beat in the icing or powdered sugar until it's totally incorporated.
- Squeeze the icing over the top of each cookie using a resealable freezer bag or pastry bag.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy easy caramel cinnamon pull apart bread and swirled cinnamon raisin bread.
Storage
To ensure your cinnamon rolled cookies stay fresh and delicious, it's essential to store them properly. Following these tips will help maintain their quality for as long as possible.
Refrigerator: Place leftover cookies in an airtight container with a layer of parchment paper between each layer to avoid sticking. These rolled cookies will generally last for up to five days inside your fridge.
Freezer: You can freeze your cookies either before or after baking. Wrap the dough log tightly in plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookie dough overnight in the fridge before slicing and baking.
For baked cookies store them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months as well. When you're ready to enjoy your frozen cookies, let them thaw at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes.
Reheat: Warm in microwave for 10 or 15 seconds if desired.
What to Serve with Cinnamon Cookies
Cinnamon roll cookies are a delightful dessert that will impress your friends and family with their unique twist on the classic cinnamon roll. Here are a few serving suggestions to make the most out of these scrumptious treats.
- Afternoon snack. A warm beverage like a cup of hot tea, dalgona coffee, and or cup of coffee with pumpkin spice creamer can enhance the flavors even more.
- For a more indulgent moment. Enjoy your cookies with a scoop of your favorite ice cream or some whipped cream! Try it with this gingerbread ice cream or white chocolate raspberry ice cream.
- Serve them up for parties. Along with a variety of other tasty desserts such as green cookies, cosmic brownie cookies, white chocolate coconut cookies, churro cookies, and easy toffee shortbread cookies.
Tips
When you're making cinnamon bun cookies following these tips will help you achieve the perfect taste and texture.
- Chill the dough. I recommend at least one hour though two is better. This helps the cookies keep their shape while slicing and make the dough easier to handle.
- Even thickness. When rolling out the dough ensure that it's of uniform thickness so cookies bake evenly.
- Don't over-mix the dough. Mix until just combined to prevent tough, dense cookies.
- Slice the cookies uniformly to achieve a consistent bake and appearance..
- Don't over bake your cookies. They're ready when they're slightly puffy and have a hint of golden brown color.
- Easily adjust your frosting consistency. Remember if you make your frosting too thin, just add a little more icing or powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add a little more milk.
FAQ
Do you have questions about frosted cinnamon rolled cookies? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about them.
They're are done baking when the edges are lightly golden and crisp. Be sure not to overbake, as they will continue to set while cooling on the baking pan.
To create the perfect cinnamon swirl, roll out the dough, spread the cinnamon-sugar filling evenly, right to the edge and then tightly roll up the dough to form the swirl once sliced.
Once you have created your cinnamon roll dough log, use a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss to slice the cookies into even rounds. Either 6 or 12.
More Cinnamon Roll Recipes
Do you like cinnamon rolls? Here some recipes you may also like to try.
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Best Cinnamon Roll Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup butter or 2 sticks
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract -
- 3 cups plus 1 teaspoon all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Filling
- 1 cup pecans, chopped more or less to taste
- 1 cup raisins more or less to taste
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
- cooking spray
Frosting
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup icing or powdered sugar
Instructions
Dough
- In large sized bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer, combine brown sugar, icing or powdered sugar, white sugar and butter. Cream together the butter and all three sugars until smooth.
- Beat in vanilla and eggs, one at a time, until combined. Set aside.
- In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- With your mixer on low, gradually beat in the flour mixture to sugar mixture until combined. Do not over mix. Remove the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Filling
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the pecans, raisins, brown sugar, butter, nutmeg and cinnamon.
- The recipe calls for melted butter. As it sits the butter will thicken as it cools making it easier to spread than when the butter is actually completely melted. I just didn't want you to be concerned if your butter was not total liquid.
- Flour your work surface. Remove dough from fridge and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 10- by 10-inch square, approximately.
- Roll your dough out onto a silicone baking mat instead of on a floured surface. Your clean up will be so much easier and I can't urge you to try one enough. I was so glad when I got one, actually there were two in the set.
- Mine looks like these, just in case you want to see what a silicone mat looks like. This is a set of two and they are amazing but there are lots of them out there for you to choose from.
- Spread the filling evenly across the top of the dough. If you want to be able to see the filling in your cookie, bring your filling right to the edge.
- Starting at one end, gently roll the dough up into a tight log. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, if not overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 1 twelve cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
- Remove your log of dough from the fridge and cut the log into one inch thick slices, if using the 12 cup muffin pan and 2 inch thick slices, if using the 6 cup.
- Make sure all the cookies are the same size so they bake evenly. Place each slice, face down, in a greased muffin cup.
- Bake until the tops are starting to turn a nice brown color, around 17 minutes, rotating halfway through baking.
- Remove from your oven and allow to cool in the muffin pans for at least 10 minutes.
Frosting
- Using a handheld or stand mixer whip together the cream cheese and butter.
- Slowly beat in the icing or powdered sugar until totally incorporated.
- Using a spatula scrape icing into a resealable freezer bag and set aside in the fridge until needed.
- When ready to use remove icing from fridge and squeeze into one of the bottom corners of the bag.
- Snip of the corner, using scissors, to cut a small hole. Squeeze icing on top of each cookie. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Chill the dough. I recommend at least one hour though two is better. This helps the cookies keep their shape while slicing and make the dough easier to handle.
- Even thickness. When rolling out the dough ensure that it's of uniform thickness so cookies bake evenly.
- Don't over-mix the dough. Mix until just combined to prevent tough, dense cookies.
- Slice the cookies uniformly to achieve a consistent bake and appearance..
- Don't over bake your cookies. They're ready when they're slightly puffy and have a hint of golden brown color.
- Easily adjust your frosting consistency. Remember if you make your frosting too thin, just add a little more icing or powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add a little more milk.
Nutrition
This post was originally published April 2017. It has been updated with new images and content.
Dee
I’m so happy to find this recipe. Made these wonderfully soft melt in your mouth addictive cookies several times now and I’m not done yet. They are the best cookies actually cinnamon rolls I’ve ever tasted. I kid you not. I’ve been sharing your recipe and bringing these cookies everywhere I go. I never have had leftovers. These cookies disappear so quickly I still can’t believe it. THANK YOU!! I’m so happy you shared this recipe.
Karin and Ken
Thank you for your kind words! We love these cookies too. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. All the best. Karin