This cookie is for people who adore cinnamon!

This tasty recipe is a mix of a sugar cookie, a snickerdoodle, and a cinnamon roll.These sugar cookies are soft and chewy, and they have a great brown sugar-cinnamon swirl running through them.
You can make these cinnamon roll cookies with things you probably already have in your kitchen. Read on to find out everything you need to know to cook this tasty dish!

Why you will enjoy this recipe

Taste: Vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon! A tasty and soothing mix of flavors.
Texture: The borders are crisp, the cores are soft, and the whole thing is chewy.
Basic ingredients: This recipe calls for eggs and butter, which are common in most kitchens.
Ease: You don’t need any special tools. The cinnamon swirl technique is the most difficult portion of this recipe, however I have written down tips and tricks to help you do it perfectly.

Ingredients

Cinnamon sugar filling:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
1½ tablespoons all purpose flour
2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
pinch salt

Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened yet still cool to the touch
1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
1 ¾ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 ¾ cups all purpose flour, SEE NOTE
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven and prepare pans

Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in the middle. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Cinnamon sugar filling

Mix together all ingredients (I use a tiny rubber spatula or fork) until well blended. Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes while you prepare the cookie dough.

3. Cookies dough

Using a hand mixer, or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, egg, and egg yolk, and beat until incorporated, scraping the sides of the basin as necessary.

In a separate basin, add flour (see note), baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones a little at a time and mix until they are all mixed together.

4. Layer the dough and cinnamon sugar mixture

Take half of the dough out of the mixing bowl and spread the other half out on the bottom of the basin.
Take the cinnamon mixture out of the freezer and use two spoons to scoop out small pieces (about a teaspoon each) and put them all over the dough in the mixing bowl.
After using half of the cinnamon mixture, take the cookie dough you set aside and spread it or press it with your fingers into a layer that is reasonably even on top of the cinnamon and dough in the mixing bowl.
Now, sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon mixture (in little pieces) all over the top of that piece of dough. You should now have two layers of cookie dough in your bowl, with flecks of cinnamon sugar on top of each one.

5. Fold and combine dough lightly

You will fold and combine the dough just a little bit once you have piled it. I fold it twice, scraping up and over, and then I whisk it by hand with a rubber spatula one to two times. You shouldn’t use an electric mixer. You need to whisk this quickly so that some of the cinnamon mixture stays in bits and some of it swirls into the dough.

6. Scoop and chill dough balls

Scoop the dough into two-tablespoon portions using a cookie scoop. Pay attention while scooping to ensure that each scoop gets a proportionate amount of dough combined with cinnamon.
Place the dough balls on a plate and freeze for 10 minutes. This quick cold hardens up the butter so the cookies don’t spread too much.

7. Bake the cookies

Put the dough balls on baking pans lined with parchment paper, leaving a few inches between them. If you want thicker cookies, leave the dough balls in higher mounds. If you want thinner cookies, give them a little press down before baking. Put any dough balls that don’t fit in this batch of baking in the fridge (not the freezer) until the baking sheets cool down and you’re ready to bake them.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies have spread, the sides are starting to brown, and the center is still a little raw.

8. Cool the cookies

Place baking sheets on wire racks and allow cookies to cool completely. They will firm up as they cool.

Key technique for circular cookies

This is a technique that I offer as an optional step for most of my cookie recipes but for this recipe it is crucial.
Some of the cookies will bake up a little misshapen. This is because pockets of cinnamon sugar could melt out when baking. Don’t worry, either of these ways work for producing a perfectly round shape for every cookie in the batch!

Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven drop a circular glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (bigger than the biscuit) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Keep in mind that this only works while the cookies are still hot, fresh out of the oven, and on the warm baking sheet.
Option 2: As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges in to make them round and clean.

Advice on how to make a recipe

Brief freezes for the cinnamon sugar mixture and the dough balls guarantee that the cookies don’t spread too much while baking.
Layering the cookie dough with cinnamon sugar and carefully folding the dough yields lovely cinnamon swirls.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup and to prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
Space the dough balls a couple inches apart on the baking sheets to enable ample room for spreading.
For thicker cookies leave the dough balls in higher mounds, for thinner cookies give them a small pat down before baking.

To properly measure flour:

Fluff the flour several times with your measuring cup (or a whisk) to lighten it. Lightly scoop a generous portion and level it off with the back of a knife.

How to make cookies (shaping options):

Option 1: As soon as the cookies are done baking, put a circular glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (bigger than the biscuit) upside down on top of the cookie. Gently swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the biscuit will rub against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, directly out the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.
Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to achieve clean edges and a round shape.

Nutrition

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.