Soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies – My Recipe Reviews (2024)

by sblades

Jump to Recipe

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

« American Indian Fry Bread "Taco"

Chocolate Swirl Kugelhopf »

Subscribe

for your weekly recipe fix!

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

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.

Why do my cinnamon rolls fall after baking? ›

Cinnamon rolls will collapse if there isn't enough structure to hold them up.

How to soften hard cinnamon rolls? ›

How do you make cinnamon rolls soft again? Make cinnamon rolls soft again by adding a little bit of moisture back into them while reheating. You can do this by adding a pat of butter to the top of each roll and covering them with a damp paper towel while reheating in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

What is the most unhealthy Cinnabon? ›

Worst: Caramel Pecanbon

The Caramel Pecanbon, while a delicious treat from Cinnabon, is considered an unhealthy choice due to its high calorie, sugar, and fat content. A single serving packs a hefty caloric punch, often exceeding the daily recommended sugar intake in just one pastry.

Why are cinnabons so unhealthy? ›

A Quick Peek at the Health Side

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 add too much flour to cinnamon rolls? ›

Adding too much flour will make your rolls very dry. Once you have added the appropriate amount of flour, turn your mixer to a low speed and let the machine do all the kneading for you.

Why are my cinnamon rolls not doubling? ›

There are a few more reasons your yeasted dough doesn't seem to be rising, including yeast that's too old or expired, a room temperature that's not sufficiently warm, or the liquid you bloomed the yeast in being too hot.

Should cinnamon rolls be room temperature before baking? ›

If you like, you can assemble the rolls (don't bake them), place them in a baking dish or baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge overnight. In the morning, let them come to room temp (about 1 hour) and then bake them.

Should you cover cinnamon rolls when baking? ›

They will expand more when baked. Preheat the oven to 375F. Brush the tops of the rolls with water or any kind of milk before baking. Cover your pan with foil or a lid (if using a cast iron) and place into preheated oven.

Why are my cinnamon rolls always hard? ›

Don't Overbake Cinnamon Rolls

Overbaked cinnamon rolls are tough and chewy instead of light and pillowy. Since it can be a bit tricky to know when rolls are fully baked, use a digital thermometer. Bake cinnamon rolls until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches between 190°and 200°F.

What happens if you proof cinnamon rolls too long? ›

The rolls are still prone to over-proofing if left in the fridge too long; and the cinnamon-sugar filling can melt and make the bottoms of the rolls syrupy and damp if left unbaked for too long. Also note that some cinnamon roll recipes are made with chemical leaveners versus yeast.

Why does Cinnabon taste different? ›

This unique cinnamon comes from the mountains of Indonesia and is known for its rich, sweet, and slightly spicy flavor profile. Makara cinnamon isn't just any cinnamon; its robust flavor is what makes Cinnabon rolls irresistibly delicious.

Is Cinnabon junk food? ›

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.

Can I buy Cinnabon Makara cinnamon? ›

Where Can You Buy It? Although Makara cinnamon is grown in Sri Lanka, you can purchase it online or at some specialty spice stores. If you want to make Cinnabon-style cinnamon rolls at home, you'll need Makara cinnamon as it's the key ingredient in their secret recipe. You can find Makara cinnamon on Amazon.

Why does Cinnabon use margarine? ›

For the filling, Cinnabon uses margarine instead of butter because margarine has a lower melting point than butter so it should make the rolls gooey-saucy-melty. Let's face the fact that most people have butter on hand more than margarine so I don't think you need to go out and get some just for today's rolls.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Tuan Roob DDS

Last Updated:

Views: 6315

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (62 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Tuan Roob DDS

Birthday: 1999-11-20

Address: Suite 592 642 Pfannerstill Island, South Keila, LA 74970-3076

Phone: +9617721773649

Job: Marketing Producer

Hobby: Skydiving, Flag Football, Knitting, Running, Lego building, Hunting, Juggling

Introduction: My name is Tuan Roob DDS, I am a friendly, good, energetic, faithful, fantastic, gentle, enchanting person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.