Description
This is the best cinnamon cookie recipe featuring a creamy cinnamon-brown sugar filling inside soft, chewy cookie dough rolled in cinnamon sugar. These cookies bake up thick and tender with a delicious surprise of cinnamon filling in every bite, perfect for a delightful treat to enjoy with a glass of milk.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the filling
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
For the dough
- 1 cup salted butter, 2 sticks, softened
- 1 and 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
For rolling
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Prepare the filling: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat 6 tablespoons of softened butter until creamy and smooth. Add 3/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon. Beat well, scraping down sides, until smooth.
- Freeze the filling balls: Line a baking sheet or large platter with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Use a spoon to scoop small marble-sized balls of filling and place them on the prepared sheet. Freeze for 20 minutes until hardened (or refrigerate for 1-2 hours if freezer space is limited).
- Preheat the oven: Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare additional baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Make the dough: In the same bowl or mixer, beat 1 cup softened butter for a couple of minutes until smooth, scraping sides. Add 1 and 2/3 cups granulated sugar and beat for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed, until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Beat in 2 large eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract until smooth and homogeneous.
- Combine dry ingredients: Spoon and level 3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour into a bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar. Gently beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture until mostly combined with some flour streaks remaining. Scrape edges and mix a few more seconds until no streaks remain, being careful not to overmix.
- Fold in filling balls: Once the cinnamon filling balls are frozen and firm, carefully fold them into the dough using a wooden spoon or spatula, not a mixer.
- Shape the cookies: Use a large cookie scoop or spoon to portion dough into 2-inch balls, slightly overfilled to hold filling.
- Roll in cinnamon sugar: Mix 1/3 cup granulated sugar with 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon in a bowl. Roll each dough ball in this cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.
- Arrange on baking sheet: Place the coated dough balls on prepared baking sheets spaced about 2 inches apart. To avoid cookies running into each other, limit to 8 cookies per sheet if desired.
- Bake the cookies: Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. The cookies won’t look fully done, as the cinnamon filling remains shiny. Edges without filling should be firm, and the cookie tops should look matte around edges.
- Shape the warm cookies: Immediately upon removing from the oven, within 30-60 seconds, use two spoons to gently push the edges of cookies toward the centers, shaping them back into thick, chewy circles and packing in the cinnamon filling edges to prevent spreading.
- Cool and serve: Let cookies set on the pan for at least 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy warm with a glass of milk for cinnamon roll-like bliss!
Notes
- You can prepare the cinnamon filling balls ahead and freeze them to save time on baking day.
- If freezer space is limited, refrigerate the filling balls instead for about 1-2 hours until firm.
- Do not overmix the dough to keep cookies tender and prevent toughness.
- You can freeze shaped dough balls rolled in cinnamon sugar in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.
- Spacing cookies properly on the baking sheet helps prevent them from merging during baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
