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Cinnamon Bun Cookies
This recipe has been featured in a post on The Recipe Girl blog: Cinnamon Bun Cookies.
Cinnamon Bun Cookies
Yield: 2 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 30 min + chilling time
Cook Time: 15 min
If you're a fan of cinnamon rolls, you'll love these cookies. They are delicious... with or without the icing!
Ingredients:
VANILLA COOKIE DOUGH
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flourMIDDLE:
1 large egg white
1 Tablespoon water
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamonICING:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamonDirections:
1. Prepare dough: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, butter, salt and vanilla. 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.
2. Roll the dough: Transfer 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 egg white and water until foamy. Brush onto rolled out dough. In another small bowl, whisk together 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.
3. Bake the cookies: Preheat 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.
4. 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 icing onto cookies (or serve alongside in a bowl for dipping).
Source: RecipeGirl.com (Adapted from King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion)- a must have!
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I'm Lori Lange, recipe developer, food writer and Mom. I'm sharing over 2,600 of my favorite recipes and theme menus with you. 
Ali — July 2, 2009 @ 7:38 AM
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!
RecipeGirl replied: — July 2nd, 2009 @ 7:48 AM
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…
Jennifer — October 19, 2009 @ 7:30 PM
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.
Allison — December 7, 2009 @ 9:03 AM
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!
J Cofield — June 8, 2010 @ 1:08 PM
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
Emily — December 8, 2010 @ 6:51 AM
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
fi — December 21, 2010 @ 11:57 AM
I didn’t use the icing, they were perfectly sweet and delicious just as is! Definitely a keeper recipe!
Foxyvee — June 3, 2011 @ 12:42 PM
I made these at christmas for my annual cookie party. Hey were the first to go!
Jerri Goree — November 4, 2011 @ 8:05 AM
I can’t believe you posted this today! I came up with this idea 2 days ago. I though it would be a good original recipe and then see this today! lol I guess great minds think alike. I haven’t made mine yet, So now I can try both and see which version I like best.
You always have great ideas.
Lori Lange replied: — November 4th, 2011 @ 4:16 PM
That’s so funny! This recipe actually came from a cookbook, so not my original idea. Look forward to seeing what you come up with too!
Living The Sweet Life — November 4, 2011 @ 9:34 AM
These are perfect with the upcoming holiday season around the corner. I love how thick and rice these look
linda hielscher — November 4, 2011 @ 10:54 AM
Ahhhhhhhh…. This is torture. Cinnamon bun cookies ??!!!! They look so goood and I can’t even imagine how many points these are worth!? Ya… killin me … I’m tellin ya … just killin me! :>P
W H Stoneman — December 5, 2011 @ 4:08 AM
Glad I found this one!! It looks perfect.
Tina — December 5, 2011 @ 2:13 PM
Hello, These look so yummy!
Can these be frozen?
Lori Lange replied: — December 6th, 2011 @ 5:55 AM
I would freeze them without the icing. Ice them when ready to serve.
Jillmc — December 7, 2011 @ 12:21 PM
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.)
Jessica — December 8, 2011 @ 10:15 AM
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!
Mike M — August 9, 2012 @ 7:19 PM
Very good. Just made them for Girlfriend and she just loves them….
Kim Lakin — December 1, 2012 @ 9:30 AM
Just made these cookies for a cookie swap and contest tomorrow. These cookies are so delicious! One of the best I have tried! I did add a tad of cream cheese to the frosting. Wish me luck!
Ashley — December 10, 2012 @ 8:33 AM
Can you tell me if you had any issues with the dough crumbling when you were trying to roll it?
Lori Lange replied: — December 10th, 2012 @ 1:38 PM
not that I recall…
FoodieGal — December 23, 2012 @ 6:15 AM
Simply amazing recipe! My husband who hates sweets was coerced into trying them and giving his opinion since it was a new recipe for me. He ended up eating 6 of them! LOL I chilled the rolled dough for one hour in the fridge instead of the freezer and it was perfect for slicing. It’s easy to be tempted to overbake these since they didn’t look very golden on top, but when they cooled, they were the perfect texture. Might add a few raisins next time for variety, but the original recipe is fabulous as it is. Thanks for sharing this wonderful treat with us!
Shelly — December 26, 2012 @ 2:31 PM
I made these cookies for a cookie exchange, but they didn’t make it out of the house- my husband ate half of them before I left! They are so yummy and relatively easy to make. I did use the cinnamon icing which was fine. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks!
CJ — January 22, 2013 @ 3:17 PM
I have a question, do these need to be refrigerated and then frozen in order to work with the dough or can you make it all in one go? I wasn’t sure if the directions assume you want to make the dough ahead of time or if that’s really for consistency purposes. Thanks!
Lori Lange replied: — January 22nd, 2013 @ 3:23 PM
They’ll turn out best if you make them as directed (stay in their correct form,etc).