These Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookies are made with a simple sugar cookie dough rolled out, filled with cinnamon and sugar, and sliced to resemble cinnamon rolls. They are simple and delicious, and so good you can eat a dozen in one sitting.
These cookies are an easy but festive take on sugar cookies that can be made year-round. They are also a great cookie to get kids involved in. Kids can help roll out the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar. I use a similar dough for Cut Out Sugar Cookies.
⭐ If you're looking for a soft sugar cookie, try these Chewy Soft Sugar Cookies, which are made with a drop cookie dough, and Vanilla Bean Cookies, which are made with real vanilla bean for an intense vanilla flavor, almost like vanilla bean ice cream.
🌟 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Super Tasty: The flavors of the butter, sugar, and cinnamon shine in these melt-in-your-mouth cookies. It’s hard to eat just one.
Pantry Staples: This recipe is made with 8 ingredients, all of which are pantry staples that you may already have on hand.
Festive: These cookies are a festive twist on a classic.
📝 Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookies.
- Butter: Softened to a cool room temperature. The butter should be soft enough that you can bend a stick of butter without it breaking, but not so soft that it melts in your hands.
- Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar is used in the dough and the filling. I've found that using brown sugar in the filling contributes to the cookies falling apart at the seams.
- Eggs: Use large eggs (1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk), pasture-raised if possible. After making many test batches of this dough, I've found that one egg with the egg white helps to keep the cookie dough together and prevents cracking, and an extra egg yolk adds fat, flavor, and richness.
- Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla.
- Flour: Use all-purpose, unbleached flour.
- Salt: To balance sweetness.
- Baking Soda: For leavening. This makes the cookies slightly less dense.
- Cinnamon: Use high-quality cinnamon. It makes a difference in taste. I prefer Ceylon Cinnamon by a company called Simply Organic, which can be found at Whole Foods and a few other specialty supermarkets.
To learn more about these cookie ingredients, see my Guide to Cookie Ingredients.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🥣 How to Make Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookies
Below are the step-by-step instructions for how to make Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookies, along with a few tips and tricks to help you in the process.
*Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Step 1. Combine the Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter and granulated sugar. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and combine.
Add the salt and baking soda, and combine. Add the flour and combine.
Step 2. Shape and Chill the Dough: Shape the dough into a round disc. Cover in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Step 3. Roll Out the Dough: Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface into an 11x14 inch rectangle. As you are rolling out the dough, pick up the dough and turn it, adding flour underneath so that it does not stick to the work surface. Do not add too much flour or it will prevent the cookie from sticking to itself as you roll it later on.
Step 4. Butter and Cinnamon Sugar: Brush the dough lightly with the melted butter. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the dough reserving ½ - 1 inch of border at the end. This enables the dough to stick to itself at the end of the roll helping prevent the cookies from coming apart when baking.
Step 5. Roll the Dough: Starting at the shorter, 11-inch end, roll the dough VERY TIGHTLY over the cinnamon sugar filling to create a log. Rolling tightly makes the biggest difference in the dough not coming apart when baking. Use your fingers to gently pinch the seam of the dough closed. Place it seam side down and press very slightly to encourage the seam to seal shut (do not flatten).
*Gaps when rolling the dough are what make the cookie layers fall rather than stay upright in a tight pinwheel shape while baking.
Step 6. Wrap and Chill: Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
Step 7. Slice and Bake the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the cookies into ½ inch slices Place the sliced cookies on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 9-10 minutes. Do not allow the cookies to brown.
Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully.
🍴How to Store and Freeze
- To Store: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. These cookies last quite a while, making them good contenders for baking ahead or mailing to family and friends.
- To Freeze: To freeze the cookie dough, you can either freeze the rolled log of dough or slice the cookies and freeze them as sliced cookies. You can also freeze the baked cookies by placing them in a freezer bag and allowing them to come to room temperature before serving.
Tips for Making the Best Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookies
- Softening Butter: If you have not softened the butter ahead of time, add the butter to a large microwavable mixing bowl and microwave for 30 seconds at 20% power. Flip the butter over and add 30 seconds at 20% power as needed until the butter has softened slightly. It is important that the butter is at a cool room temperature, and not too soft.
- Rolling Out the Dough: When rolling out cookie dough, start with your rolling pin in the center of the dough and roll outwards, rather than from the outside toward the middle. Do your best to apply pressure evenly so as to not create a thick middle and a thin edge. This is very important, because when you roll the dough into a log and if the ends are tapered and the middle is thick it will create gaps in the pinwheel, which will cause the cookie to fall apart.
- Chilling the Dough:
- 30 Minutes: Chilling the dough at two intervals is also very important for ensuring the cookies do not fall apart when baking. The dough needs to chill for 30 minutes prior to rolling out. This will enable you to roll the dough out cleanly and then roll the dough tightly around the cinnamon sugar filling. Once rolled, the dough should still be cool and firm, which means the log will stay in a log shape, rather than end up with a flat side while chilling again in the fridge.
- 2 Hours: After rolling the dough and creating the pinwheel log, the dough needs to chill again, this time for 2 hours. This chills the butter in the dough, which helps to cut clean slices of the dough for the pinwheel cookies and prevents spreading in the oven.
Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookie FAQs
Yes, the dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to a week. Roll the dough into a pinwheel log and store the log of cookie dough in the fridge. This makes it even easier to slice and bake when you're ready.
Absolutely! Once you've sliced the dough into rounds, you can freeze the individual slices on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer them to a freezer bag for longer storage. When you're ready to bake, allow the cookies to thaw to room temperature on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Yes! These cookies are very customizable. Feel free to fill them with things like chopped nuts, Nutella, or jam.
If You're Looking For More Cookie Recipes, You May Love These:
If you tried this Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookies Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear your feedback!
Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks) 226g
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 148g
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2½ cups flour 350g
Filling
- 2 tbsps butter, melted
- 3 tbsps granulated sugar 37g
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Make the Dough: Using a handheld mixer (or by hand), combine the butter and sugar. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Add the salt and baking soda and combine. Add the flour and combine.
- Chill for 30 Minutes: Shape the dough into a round flat disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll Out the Dough: Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface into an 11x14 inch rectangle. Be sure to roll the dough out with an even thickness so that the edges are not tapered. As you are rolling out the dough, pick up the dough and turn it, adding flour underneath so that it does not stick to the work surface. Do not add too much flour, or it will prevent the cookie from sticking to itself as you roll it later on.
- Butter and Cinnamon Sugar: Brush the dough lightly with the melted butter. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the dough, leaving a ½ - 1 inch border at the end without any cinnamon sugar. This enables the dough to stick to itself at the end of the roll and does not come apart when baking/
- Roll the Dough: Starting at the shorter, 11-inch end, roll the dough VERY TIGHTLY over the cinnamon sugar filling to create a log. Rolling tightly makes the biggest difference in the dough not coming apart when baking. Use your fingers to gently pinch the seam of the dough closed. Place it seam side down and press very slightly to encourage the seam to seal shut (do not flatten).*Gaps when rolling the dough are what make the cookie layers fall rather than stay upright in a tight pinwheel shape while baking.
- Wrap and Chill for 2 Hours: Wrap the log of dough with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Slice and Bake the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the cookies into ½ inch slices. Place the sliced cookies on a baking sheet (9-12 per sheet) and bake at 350°F for 9-10 minutes. Do not allow the cookies to brown.Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully.
Notes
- Softening Butter: If you have not softened the butter ahead of time, add the butter to a large microwavable mixing bowl and microwave for 30 seconds at 20% power. Flip the butter over and add 30 seconds at 20% power as needed until the butter has softened slightly. It is important that the butter is at a cool room temperature, and not too soft.
- Rolling Out the Dough: When rolling out cookie dough, start with your rolling pin in the center of the dough and roll outwards, rather than from the outside toward the middle. Do your best to apply pressure evenly so as to not create a thick middle and a thin edge. This is very important because when you roll the dough into a log, if the ends are tapered and the middle is thick, it will create gaps in the pinwheel, which will cause the cookie to fall apart when baking.
- Chilling the Dough:
- 30 Minutes: Chilling the dough at two intervals is also very important for ensuring the cookies do not fall apart when baking. The dough needs to chill for 30 minutes prior to rolling out. This will enable you to roll the dough out cleanly and then roll the dough tightly around the cinnamon sugar filling. Once rolled, the dough should still be cool and firm, which means the log will stay in a log shape, rather than end up with a flat side while chilling again in the fridge.
- 2 Hours: After rolling the dough and creating the pinwheel log, the dough needs to chill again, this time for 2 hours. This chills the butter in the dough, which helps to cut clean slices of the dough for the pinwheel cookies and prevents spreading in the oven.
Erika says
Yum! These cookies are simple and flavorful -- and they look beautiful on the plate too. My whole family loved them.
Lauren says
Thanks, Erika! I'm so glad you all enjoyed them!
Frances says
These cookies are both delicious and gorgeous. A great hostess gift!
Lauren says
Thanks, Frances! The pinwheel shape is such a fun one to show off!
Rebecca says
So delicious! Simple, but unique and special! Fall on a plate... These are my new favorite cookies!!
Lauren says
That's the best! I love these too. It'd be easy to eat a dozen!
Alisha says
These are not only beautiful, but they also taste like the holidays!
Lauren says
Thanks, Alisha! I totally agree.
Ana Tekos says
I replaced the sugar with honey for the filling and mixed it in the melted butter. Worked great!!
Lauren says
Hi Ana, Oh, that's great to know. Thanks for the note!