These Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookies are made with a simple sugar cookie dough rolled out, filled with cinnamon and sugar, and sliced to resemble cinnamon buns or rolls. They are simple and delicious and so good you can eat a dozen in one sitting.
They 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.
A couple of my other favorite simple sugar cookies are Gooey Sugar Cookies, which are made with a drop cookie dough and Vanilla Bean Cookies, which are made with real vanilla bean for the best intense vanilla flavor, almost like vanilla bean ice cream.
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🌟 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Super Tasty: The flavor of the butter and sugar as well as the 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 not your typical sugar cookies, they’re a festive twist on a classic.
📝 Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookies. This recipe requires only 8 ingredients, all of which are pantry staples that you may already have on hand.
- Butter: The temperature of the butter is key in this recipe. It should be soft enough to mix with the granulated sugar, but it needs to chill in the dough for a short while. If the butter is too soft it will be challenging to roll the dough to form the pinwheel shape.
- Granulated Sugar: For a super simple sweet taste.
- Egg Yolks: Adds richness. Choose large eggs, pasture-raised if possible.
- Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla.
- Flour: Use all-purpose, unbleached flour.
- Salt: To balance sweetness.
- Brown Sugar: To mimic the flavor of cinnamon rolls in these cinnamon pinwheel cookies.
- Cinnamon: Use high-quality cinnamon. It makes a big difference in taste. I prefer Ceylon Cinnamon by a company called Simply Organic, which can be found at Whole Foods and a few other 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 Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl combine the softened butter and granulated sugar. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and combine.
Add the salt and flour and combine.
Baking Tip: If you have not softened the butter ahead of time, not to worry. Add the butter to a large microwavable mixing bowl and microwave for 1 minute at 20% power. Flip the butter over and add 30 seconds at 20% power as needed until the butter has softened but is not melty.
Step 2. Chilling the Dough: Shape the dough into a round disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Baking Tip: Chilling the dough allows the butter to firm up. Warm dough is impossible to roll out (it will just spread and stick to surfaces). Chilled dough takes a little bit of effort to roll out, but allows you to work with and shape the dough. The timing will depend on how cold your fridge is and how soft your butter is, but roughly 30 minutes should do the trick.
Step 3. Preheat the Oven and Roll the Dough: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Dust a clean work surface or a sheet of wax paper on a clean work surface with flour. Roll the dough out into a 10x14 rectangle. I usually use a ruler or measuring tape as a guide. The wax paper helps you to roll or shape the dough in the next step, but it is optional.
It may take some effort to roll the chilled dough. However, don't be tempted to microwave the dough as it will get too soft and you will not be able to roll it into the pinwheel shape.
Baking Tip: 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.
Step 4. Fill the Dough: Lightly dust the cinnamon and brown sugar over the dough. be sure to leave a gap of ½ - 1 inch on the far right side. This will allow you to seal the dough.
Step 5. Roll the Dough and Slice Cookies: Gently roll the dough around the cinnamon and sugar starting at the short edge of the rectangle. Roll the dough tightly. You can use the wax paper (if using) to help roll the dough. Then peel back the wax paper as you go.
To seal the log, you can either press gently to seal the edge of the dough to the log, or brush the last inch of dough (the part that does not have the cinnamon sugar on the far right short-side of the rectangle) with water, which will help to "glue" the log shut.
Cut ½ inch slices of the dough with a sharp knife. You should get roughly 16 sliced cookies.
Baking Tip: If the dough is too soft, you can refrigerate the dough for another 15 minutes, then take it out and slice it into cookies.
Step 6. Bake the Cookies: Place the sliced cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
They are done before they start to brown. Allow the cookies to cool fully on the baking sheet so that they do not fall apart.
🍴How to Store and Freeze
To Store: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container or plastic bag on the counter for up to 5 days. These cookies last quite awhile, making them good contenders for making ahead.
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.
Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookie FAQs
Yes, the dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to a week. You can also 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.
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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)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Using a hand held mixer (or by hand) combine the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract. Then add the salt and flour.
- Shape into a round disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Dust a clean work surface with flour, or line the work surface with wax paper and dust it with flour. Using wax paper is optional, but it can help with the rolling process.Roll out the dough into a 10×14 rectangle dusting with flour when needed.
- Sprinkle the dough with cinnamon and brown sugar leaving a 1inch strip at the far right side free of any cinnamon or sugar. Starting with the 10 inch side, roll the dough tightly. Once you get to the end brush the last 1 inch strip of dough (free from cinnamon/sugar) with water, and finish rolling the dough. This water acts as a glue and seals the last bit of the dough, which helps keep the cookies together.
- Slice the dough into ½ inch slices. Add to a baking sheet and press slightly onto the tops of the cookies, which helps the cookies stay together when baking.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Do not allow the cookies to brown.Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet. If you remove them too early they are more likely to fall apart.
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