Cinnamon Roll Cookies

These cookies use a cinnamon-forward dough and a thin glaze to capture the core cinnamon roll flavor profile without requiring a yeasted dough. The result is a soft, portable dessert with a familiar spiced aroma and a tender center.

By Julienne

Cook time: 12 minutes

Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 188 g all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• 3 g baking soda
• 2 g fine salt
• 8 g ground cinnamon
• 113 g unsalted butter softened
• 100 g granulated sugar
• 67 g light brown sugar packed
• 1 each large egg room temperature
• 5 ml vanilla extract
• 15 ml whole milk
• 90 g powdered sugar sifted if lumpy
• 20 ml whole milk for glaze

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 175°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. The oven is fully preheated and the pans are lined.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until evenly combined. The dry mixture looks uniform with no visible streaks of spice.
3. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and slightly fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. The mixture is creamy and lighter in color.
4. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and whole milk until combined, scraping the bowl once. The mixture looks glossy and emulsified, with no visible egg streaks.
5. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until no dry flour remains. Chill the dough in the bowl for 10 minutes if it feels very soft; this short rest is included in the total time. The dough is cohesive and soft but not sticky enough to spread immediately.
6. Scoop 10 equal portions of dough, place them on the prepared sheets, and flatten each slightly with your palm. Leave about 5 cm between cookies. The cookies are evenly portioned and spaced for spreading.
7. Bake one sheet at a time, rotating once halfway through, until the edges are set and the centers still look a little soft, 10 to 12 minutes. The edges are just firm and the centers are puffed, not wet.
8. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. The cookies are cool enough that the glaze will sit on top instead of melting off.
9. Make the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar with the milk for glaze until smooth and pourable. The glaze ribbons off the whisk in a thick but fluid stream.
10. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies. Let it set for 5 minutes before serving. The glaze is opaque and lightly set on the surface.