Cinnamon Roll Cookies Recipe | Adventures in Cooking (2024)

Before I dive into these delicious little cinnamon roll cookies, I want to tell you a story. I went to a very small rural elementary school that was one of the oldest elementary schools in the state of Oregon, and at the time it was actually its own school district due to some very old legislation that was accidentally still in place. Because of this, the nutritional cafeteria requirements that applied to the rest of the schools in Oregon didn’t apply to us, which resulted in some very decadent childhood lunches. Did you know that a “hot” lunch for a 7-year old could be comprised of a single homemade cinnamon roll the size of a child’s head? We also had homemade “wiener dogs”, which were hot dog wieners wrapped in a ton of bread dough, and “pizza” which was a tray of thick focaccia-like bread covered with tomato sauce and cheese and baked in the oven until bubbly and delicious.

My mom always packed our lunches because it was healthier and more cost-effective (she was feeding three little mouths on a daily basis), and I was happy with that for the most part. However, when cafeteria posted the hot lunch schedule on the wall and I saw that it was going to be a cinnamon roll day, I’d BEG my mother to let me get a hot lunch instead. However many rooms I could vacuum or bathroom mirrors I could clean, I would barter anything to get my tiny hands on one of those giant, fluffy, glaze-soaked cinnamon rolls. It would usually work, and I’d stuff myself with the giant cinnamon roll at lunch, surge into a sugar high, and ride it until the afternoon when I suddenly felt like it was time for a nap. Eventually the Hillsboro school district incorporated our school, and the food changed a lot. They brought in a salad bar, which was good, but gone were the days of epic cinnamon rolls and wiener dogs. The cafeteria was never quite the same after that, but my love of cinnamon rolls remained unchanged.

As such, I was brainstorming delicious and adorable cookies to make for the holidays, and suddenly was struck by the idea of cinnamon roll cookies (I think my mental pathway went sliceable cookie -> swirly log cookie -> cinnamon roll cookies -> GLAZE!) The vanilla cookie dough is a simple sugar cookie base but with light brown sugar instead of regular granulated sugar for a warmer, more chocolate-chip-cookie-like taste. For the cinnamon swirl, I pureed together chopped dates, pecans, vanilla extract, butter, and a LOT of cinnamon, and then stirred in some flour to keep it nice and firm. The assembly is really easy, and you can watch the video above the recipe to see how to make these little swirly guys. Once they’re baked and cooled, just drizzle them with a bit of vanilla glaze and you’re well on your way to riding a cinnamon roll rocket straight into the sky. They’re seriously *that* good. I hope you guys enjoy them + have a wonderful holiday and a very merry Christmas, and if you need more cookie inspiration I have some almond-y Greek butter cookies on the blog, too!

P.S.

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