Description
This recipe features the best cinnamon cookies with a soft, chewy dough and a luscious cinnamon-sugar filling inside. The cookies are rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking and then shaped immediately after baking for a thick, irresistible texture that captures the flavors of cinnamon rolls in a delightful cookie form.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the filling
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
For the dough
- 1 cup salted butter, 2 sticks, softened
- 1 and 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
For rolling
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Make the filling: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat 6 tablespoons softened butter until creamy and smooth. Add 3/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon. Beat well, scraping sides down, until the mixture is completely smooth.
- Freeze filling balls: Line a baking sheet or platter with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Use a spoon to create marble-sized balls of filling and line them up on the prepared pan. Freeze for 20 minutes until hardened. If freezer space is limited, refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours until firm.
- Preheat oven and prepare baking sheets: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats for later baking.
- Make the dough: In the same bowl or stand mixer, beat 1 cup softened butter for a couple of minutes until smooth, scraping sides as needed. Add 1 and 2/3 cups granulated sugar and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy with no chunks.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Beat in 2 large eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract thoroughly, scraping the bowl to ensure a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
- Mix dry ingredients: Spoon and level 3 and 1/2 cups flour into a bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar. Gently beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture, leaving some flour streaks. Scrape down edges and beat briefly until fully combined but do not over mix.
- Fold in cinnamon filling balls: Once filling balls are firm, gently fold them into the cookie dough using a wooden spoon or spatula, being careful not to break them. Do not use a mixer for this step.
- Shape dough balls: Use a large cookie scoop or spoon to form dough balls about 2 inches across, slightly overfilled for good measure.
- Roll in cinnamon sugar: In a separate bowl, stir together 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon. Roll each dough ball in this cinnamon sugar mixture to coat fully.
- Place on baking sheets: Arrange the coated dough balls on prepared sheets with about 2 inches spacing. For a safer bake, place only 8 cookies per pan to prevent spreading into each other.
- Bake cookies: Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. The cookies will not look fully done; the cinnamon filling will remain shiny. The edges without filling should be firm but not golden, and the tops should be matte, especially on outer edges.
- Shape baked cookies: Immediately after removing from the oven (within 30 to 60 seconds), use two spoons to push the cookie edges toward their centers, reshaping them into circles and packing in any oozing cinnamon filling. This step ensures thicker, chewier cookies.
- Cool and serve: Let cookies set on the pan for at least 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy warm with a glass of milk for the perfect cinnamon roll-like bliss.
- Freezer instructions: Shape dough into balls, roll in cinnamon sugar, and store in a ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to baking time. No need to thaw before baking.
Notes
- Use parchment paper or silicone mats to prevent sticking and ensure easy cleanup.
- Do not over mix the dough to keep cookies tender and avoid toughness.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, a hand mixer or vigorous mixing by hand will work for most steps except folding in the filling balls, which requires gentle hand folding.
- Adjust the number of cookies per baking sheet to manage spreading; fewer cookies per pan means thicker cookies.
- The shaping step immediately after baking is crucial to keep the cookies thick and chewy, don’t skip it!
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
- For a variation, try the similar Snickerdoodle recipe without filling but double dipped in cinnamon sugar before and after baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 85 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
