The Rainy Day Baker

In our house, breakfast for dinner is considered one of the best ways to get a meal on the table when, for whatever reason, other options just aren’t sounding good. DVH will make omelets or I’ll throw together a breakfast casserole (like Better Than Quiche Ricotta Pie) and that will be enough to satisfy. At least, until dessert.

Cinnamon Roll Cookies are kind of like breakfast and kind of like dessert and kind of a good way to keep one’s Cinnabon cravings at bay.

All the flavors and aromas of a cinnamon roll, with the texture of a cookie, in the shape of a muffin. Throw in a glass of milk or a cup of coffee and you’ve got yourself a nice little treat.

Technically, they’re a refrigerator cookie that just gets sliced and pressed into the bottom of muffin tins. Easypeasy.

The cream cheese icing can be drizzled on lightly or spread to cover the entire top of the cookie. Bonus points for any cookie that dips down a little in the center to create the opportunity for an icing puddle!

One of the things I liked best about these cookies are the layers. Even though they can’t be pulled apart like a roll, I can still detect the stories of dough separated by cinnamon; a key aspect of any breakfast bun.

And just so you know, the only part of this recipe I will change the next time is the icing. Because it calls for cream cheese I felt compelled to store the cookies in the refrigerator for safe keeping (no one likes a salmonella laced cinnamon roll cookie). Not that it’s too much of a hassle, but these are best eaten at room temperature  and an icing or glaze without dairy would make them that much simpler!

If you give this recipe a go, let me know how it works out for you!

Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Source: LA Times

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup  sugar
1 cup  brown sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups plus 1 teaspoon unbleached flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Using an electric mixer or hand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly combined, then beat in the vanilla extract.

 In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

With the mixer running, slowly beat in the flour mixture just until combined, being careful not to overmix.
Remove the dough and cover.
Refrigerate the dough until well-chilled, at least 1 hour.

For the Filling:
1 cup chopped toasted pecans (optional)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup (½ stick) butter, melted
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Shortly before assembling the cookies, prepare the filling by combining  the pecans, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl and mixing until well-combined.

For the Glaze:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup  powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk

Flour your work surface.
Turn the dough out on to the work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 10-by-10-inch square.

Spread the filling gently over the dough.
Carefully roll the dough into a tight log.
Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least one hour, preferably overnight.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the glaze by whisking together the  cream cheese and butter.
Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, then the vanilla.
Finally, whisk in the milk until the glaze is smooth and thick.

Grease 2 (12-cup) muffin tins.
Remove the dough log from the refrigerator and cut the log into half-inch-thick slices.
Place each slice in a greased muffin cup.

Bake the cookies until the tops are slightly browned, about 15 minutes, rotating halfway for even baking.
 Remove the cookies and cool, still in the muffin tins, on a rack. Using a fork, generously drizzle the glaze over the baked cookies before serving.