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. I use a similar dough for Cut Out Sugar Cookies.
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: Softened to room temperature.
- Granulated Sugar: 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 Powder: 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 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 baking powder, and combine. Add the flour and combine.
Baking Tip: If you have not softened the butter ahead of time, 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 has not melted.
Step 2. Roll the Dough: Roll the dough out on a clean surface, lightly covered in flour, into a 10x15 inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the melted butter.
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 3. Shape into a Log and Refrigerate: In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and ¼ cup granulated sugar. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon and sugar mixture, leaving ½ -1 inch free of any cinnamon and sugar on the far side of the long end. This is to ensure that the dough at the end sticks to the roll and does not come apart while baking.
Gently roll the dough around the cinnamon sugar, starting at the long edge of the rectangle. Roll the dough tightly.
Use your fingers to pinch the seam of the dough closed. Place the seam side down and press very slightly to flatten. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 4. Slice the Dough: Slice the dough into ½ inch slices.
Baking Tip: Chilling the dough allows the roll of cookie dough to firm up. This helps to create clean slices when cutting the dough and to prevent the cookies from spreading in the oven. 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 5. Bake the Cookies: Place the sliced cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes.
They are done before they start to brown. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.
🍴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 a while, making them good contenders for making 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.
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)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2½ cups flour 370g
Filling
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Using a hand held mixer (or by hand), combine the butter and sugar. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Add the salt and baking powder and combine. Add the flour and combine.
- Roll out the dough into a 10x15 inch rectangle on a lightly floured work surface. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter.
- In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough, leaving ½ to 1 inch free along the far side of the long edge of the dough. This helps the dough to stick to itself so that the cookie stays in a tight roll while baking.Gently, but tightly, roll the dough into a log starting with the long edge so that you end up with a 15-inch-long log of cookie dough. Pinch the seam together with your fingers. Place the seam side down on the counter and press gently.Cover the cookie log with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer if needed, depending on how soft your dough is.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Slice the cookies into ½ inch rounds. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Do not allow the cookies to brown.Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.
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