Easy Cinnamon Roll Christmas Cookies

With less than a week until Christmas, it’s the season to be jolly, and what better way to spread the festive cheer than with a plate full of warm, Christmas cookies? If you want an easy cookie you can make for a quick snack, cookie exchange or dessert, then these Cinnamon Roll Christmas Cookies are for you. 

I love cookies, but in all honesty, I don’t often make them. As a fervent lover of all things sweet, I can attest that there’s something magical about the aroma of freshly baked cookies wafting through the air during the holiday season.

Christmas and cookies go hand in hand like Santa and his sleigh. The scent of cookies baking in the oven creates a sense of joy that resonates through kitchens around the world. 

From classic sugar cookies adorned with colorful icing to the timeless gingerbread men that evoke a feeling of Christmas, each bite carries with it a sprinkle of holiday magic.

These delicious cookies are just as pretty as they taste. 

When I found the recipe for these easy cinnamon roll cookies, I had to try them. I was not disappointed and you won’t be either.

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Inspiration for the Cinnamon Roll Christmas Cookies

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a roundup of 12 Days of the Best Christmas cookies. They were all wonderful holiday cookie choices.

Since I needed a Christmas cookie to take to two events, I was on the lookout for an easy and special cookie with a unique flavor.

I found the perfect Cinnamon Roll Cookie from Jamielyn of I Heart Naptime.

By the way, the name of this recipe, Cinnamon Roll, refers to the original breakfast cinnamon rolls, not to a cookie dough log.

Who doesn’t remember making a classic cinnamon roll for breakfast? The soft, pillowy dough, the cinnamon flavor, and the simple vanilla glaze bring back so many wonderful memories. 

Opening the can of cinnamon rolls was one of our favorite breakfast treats in our house. 

What I loved about this cookie was the easy preparation, the cinnamon flavor, and the icing.

If you made homemade cinnamon rolls, my hat is off to you.

This cookie combines the cinnamon roll’s comforting swirls and the undeniable charm of a perfectly baked cookie.

I had two parties to take cookies: our annual neighborhood Christmas party and a girls’ happy hour Christmas get-together.

Normally, I wouldn’t take an untested recipe to a party, but I’m a good judge of recipes (after 15 years of teaching cooking classes). I felt I could make any adjustments to the recipe, if needed.

So, grab your favorite apron. Let’s bake homemade cinnamon roll cookies that will undoubtedly make your Christmas a little sweeter.

Equipment for the Cinnamon Roll Cookies

I like simple baking recipes and this cookie recipe qualifies. The equipment needed is probably in your kitchen and pantry right now. 

For the Cookies:

• measuring cups and spoons
• electric mixer – I love my KitchenAid stand mixer
• rubber spatula
• half sheet pans
• parchment paper
• cooling rack

For the Icing:

• measuring cups and spoons
• electric mixer
• rubber spatula
• piping bag
• small round piping tip

Ingredients for the Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Again, these baking ingredients are basic. It’s the amount of the flavoring ingredients that make the cookies so good.

For the Cookies:

• unsalted butter
• granulated sugar
• large eggs
• vanilla extract – my favorite is Nielsen-Massy.
• all purpose flour
• baking powder
• ground cinnamon 
• sea salt – I used kosher salt

For the Frosting:

• cream cheese
• unsalted butter
• powdered sugar
• vanilla extract
• milk or cream
• ground cinnamon

What’s the Difference between Frosting, Icing, and Glaze?

Frosting is a thick, creamy garnish for cake that is also used as a filling between layers. It is often used when you want to have a generous, often fluffy coating on the top of things like cupcakes or bars or all over the exterior of a layer cake. Frostings include buttercreams, whipped creams, and meringue styles.

Icing is thinner in texture than frostings, and so rather than being spread like frosting, it is often poured or piped over Bundt cakes, pound cakes, eclairs, and some styles of doughnuts. Usually made of powdered sugar and a liquid like orange or lemon juice, milk, cream, or a liqueur, icing provides a nice coating on baked goods.

Glazes are even thinner than icings and are designed to be brushed, drizzled or spooned over baked goods. Glazes help to seal moisture in your baked goods by creating a protective layer over them and helping those treats stay fresh longer. These are simple to make, mixing powdered sugar blended with enough liquid to make a viscous glaze about the consistency of maple syrup. 

Here is the Cinnamon Roll Cookie Recipe. You might want to print it off, then follow along with the detailed steps, tips and notes below.

Making the Cinnamon Roll Cookies

STEP 1 – Gather Your Ingredients – called mise en place. 

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NOTE: The butter and cream cheese need to be softened so give them plenty of time. You should set out butter several hours ahead of beginning to prepare the cookies.

STEP 2 – Measure your ingredients. 

NOTE: I recommend combining all your dry ingredients into a small bowl. I use a whisk to combine them.

STEP 3 – In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the unsalted butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with the rubber spatula.

STEP 4 – Add the wet ingredients: first the eggs, one at a time, beating just to combine. Then add the vanilla extract. 

NOTE: I recommend breaking your egg directly on the counter and then into a small bowl. This method will 1. prevent any shell from getting into the egg and 2. prevent a “bad egg” from being put in with other ingredients and ruining your efforts.

STEP 5 – Add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix on medium speed until a firm dough forms. 

NOTE: The dough will look very wet until you add the dry ingredients, but it comes together very quickly.

STEP 6 – Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Chill for 30 minutes.

STEP 7 – Preheat the oven to 375˚F. 

STEP 8 – Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. You can use a 1-inch ice cream or cookie scoop or pinch off pieces of dough and roll in your hands. Place the balls on a parchment-lined half-sheet pan. Repeat making balls with the remaining dough. 

TIP: I highly recommend using plastic food gloves to roll the dough. This will keep your hands clean and roll a smoother ball.

NOTE: The recipe says it yields 24 cookies. I got 42 cookies from the dough. I don’t know if this was a misprint or my 1-inch was smaller than Jamielyn’s. I got 16 – 20 cookies on a sheet pan.

NOTE: These cookies don’t spread so you can squeeze in more on a pan, if necessary.

STEP 9 – With the heel of your hand, gently press down to flatten the balls to 1/3 – 1/2-thick discs. Don’t use your fingers – you’ll end up with little ridges

STEP 10 – Bake the cookies in the preheated oven. 

NOTE: The recipe says for 7 – 9 minutes. I tested two batches, at 7 minutes and 9 minutes. The 7-minute cookies had the best texture.

STEP 11 – Remove the cookies from the oven to a cooling rack and let cool before frosting.

TIP: Transfer the cookies to a cooling wire rack set on a sheet of parchment paper on the sheet pan. This way you can frost and garnish the cookies without dripping on the sheet pan.

The texture of the cookie is slightly soft which is my favorite. 

Making the Frosting

This recipe is between a frosting and an icing in thickness. This is a basic cream cheese frosting. 

STEP 1 –  In the large bowl of the standing mixer combine the softened butter and cream cheese. Beat them together on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

STEP 2 – Add the powdered sugar to the bowl. Mix with the cream cheese/butter mixture on low speed until combined until smooth. Then raise the speed to medium for a minute.  

NOTE: Always sift powdered sugar with a fine mesh sieve before measuring. This will ensure a smooth frosting/icing.

STEP 3 – Add the vanilla and milk to the mixture to smooth out the frosting. Beat on medium until light and fluffy.

NOTE: I added 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons of milk.

​STEP 4 – Place the small round tip into a piping bag. Snip off the end of the plastic bag to fit the piping tip. Place the piping bag in a tall container or glass.

STEP 5 – Using the rubber spatula, spoon the frosting into the bag, filling it about 3/4 full. Twist the top of the bag, pushing down the vanilla icing to the bottom of the bag.

STEP 6 – Starting at the outside edge of the cookie, begin piping the icing in a circle, creating a swirl pattern to the center of the cookie. 

TIP: Create a raised tip in the center of the cookie by lifting up the piping bag.

OPTION: If you want a thinner consistency, add a little more milk to the recipe. You can spread the icing on the cookie with a small offset spatula rather than piping.

Garnishing the Cinnamon Cookies 

Finally, sprinkle the tops of the cookies with ground cinnamon. If you like, you can combine granulated sugar with the cinnamon.

How to Store the Cookies

You can store the cookies at different stages:

1. Place the cookie dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few hours before baking. You will need to allow time for the dough to soften enough to be rolled into balls.
2. Stack the cookie dough balls in an airtight container overnight in the refrigerator before baking. You will need to let them soften a bit before baking.
3. Store the finished iced cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days.
4. You can freeze the cooled baked and iced cookies by placing them on a baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes. Then you can stack the cookies in an airtight container and freeze them. Allow to come to room temperature for one hour before serving.

Serving the Cinnamon Cookies

As soon as I finished decorating the cookies, Sweet Shark was right there ready to taste one. He said it was delicious. I tasted one next and loved the soft cookies’ texture, the cinnamon and vanilla flavor, and the smooth icing. 

I took about 25 cookies to our neighborhood Christmas party. Since we were just walking across the street, I placed them on our Lenox Holiday platter. 

I didn’t use a small enough piping tip for this first effort.

All the desserts were placed together on the kitchen island. I waited to see how people responded to them. 

Within 10 minutes, all but three cookies were gone. I looked again a few minutes later and they were all gone! I heard someone ask what kind of cookie they were and who made them.

I admitted that I had brought the Cinnamon Roll Cookie and was asked for the recipe. I told neighbors that would have to wait until I posted the recipe online.

The next day I made a second batch for my girls’ get-together. Since I knew that there would be nine of us, I halved the recipe.

Since I had to take this batch in my car, I used my Lenox Holiday baking dish to carry them. This time I got 22 cookies, but only 18 fit in the baking pan. 

Again, my girlfriends loved the cookies. 

So, these Cinnamon Roll cookies passed the baking test – twice! I can now highly recommend these cookies if you need a cookie recipe for a cookie exchange or any holiday event.

This cookie would be perfect for the kids to make for Santa.

Need more cooking and Christmas desserts? Check out my Christmas Dessert Board.

If you love a simple Christmas cookie with a pretty appearance and a lovely flavor, Pin this cooking recipe and make it for your next cookie exchange.

Happy Baking and Merry Christmas to all.

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