Level: Intermediate Total: 1 hr 25 min Active: 45 min Yield: about 40 cookies
Ingredients:
Cookie Dough:
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Glaze:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons whole milk, plus more as needed
Directions:
For the cookie dough:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line 2 to 4 baking sheets with parchment (use 2 if you’re baking in batches, 4 only if you have them). In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt to combine.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well to fully incorporate and scraping the bowl well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients in 2 to 3 additions, mixing to incorporate and gently scraping the bowl before continuing.
Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap. Working with a few pieces at a time, divide the dough into heaping tablespoon pieces, rolling each into a ball. Then roll each dough ball into a strand about 7 inches long. Starting at one end, form each dough strand into a spiral; it should look like a cinnamon roll when seen from above.
For the cinnamon-sugar coating: In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon to combine. Gently press the top of each dough spiral into the sugar mixture, giving it a slight all-over coating, then transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Leave at least 1/2 inch between each spiral and stagger the rows. Bake until the cookies are browned and crisp, 18 to 20 minutes.
Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
For the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, cream, and milk; the glaze should be thin enough to easily flow off a spoon.
Spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons of glaze in the center of each cookie, using the back of your spoon to spread it slightly and allowing it to drip down the sides naturally (see Cook’s Note). Let set for 30 minutes at room temperature for the glaze to firm up. The cookies can then be stored in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 1 week.
Cook’s Notes:
You can opt for two different options for glazing that are quicker: Dip the tops of the cookies into the glaze, allowing the excess to drip off before placing them glaze-side up on a baking sheet (this may take an additional 15 minutes to set). Or you can use a pastry brush to brush the glaze on each cookie (this glaze will be thinner and may take less time to set). When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to make these with her. I will have to go make sure we have everything we need for the weekend. I can’t believe that next week is Christmas so maybe we can do them on Christmas Eve too, I think she will like to do this with me then we can leave them out for Santa.
I’ll try to post an easy cinnamon roll recipe Friday then. Wednesday is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day so I’ve got a good recipe for Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies I’m going to share. But I’ve got a cinnamon roll recipe that uses boxed cake mix that looks interesting.
Oh, nice. I like interesting things! I’m going to make these ones with Peanut this weekend she said. So we are making a list of what we need for our baking adventures.
I’m so sorry. I lost my mom & grandmother (she lived in an in law apartment off our house) about 6 months apart from each other when I was 24. The holiday season just hasn’t been the same since then. I have so many memories and sometimes they are too much for me, but then I think about my kids & I want them to have the same types of memories for the holidays that I do.
I’m sorry you lost your Mom and Grandmother so close. That had to be difficult on you.
Christmas can be bad because it was meant for families. But I still cook my lasagna that I’ve always made and I watch the Christmas Carol in different versions about fifteen dozen times and I remember the good times. That’s why it’s so important to make the most of them.
Thank you… yes that was a hard year. My 2nd son was in the hospital for a week at 7 months old when the had my grandmother’s services, so I missed them on Valentine’s Day. Then August 3rd my mother passed away and her services were August 10th.
We have prime rib for dinner. We don’t go anywhere from Christmas Eve through the 26th so the family is together & the kids can enjoy their gifts. We have family & friends come to us or we see them on the weekend. (There won’t be any visiting either way this year) While we are around the tree opening stockings & gifts, we have “A Christmas Story” on the TV until after we eat breakfast. Then we watch the movies that were received as gifts or other Christmas movies.
I’m sorry you missed your Grandmother’s services, but you had a good reason. Your baby boy needed you.
Sounds like some great traditions. My Dad was Lutheran and where he was from, people opened up gifts from family on Christmas Eve so you could wear new clothes to church that night and Santa came during the night and you opened his gifts in the morning. Which made me the envy of all my peers in grade school, from what I can remember. LOL.
@praecog29 thank you for such wonderful words! I hope you have a great holiday season also! My kids are my everything, I wouldn’t be here without them.
@Amethyst I know I would have been one of those kids. We used to try to get my parents to let us open 1 thing on Christmas Eve… and it never worked. Lol
Another mouthwatering recipe, @Amethyst! Not only tasty, cinnamon is also a perfect holiday spice! The scent always reminds me of warmth and home
Sorry for your losses @Amethyst and @Susurrus. The holidays bring joy but also some sad nostalgia for you. But it sounds like you both have some wonderful Christmas traditions to look forward to! Keeping these beloved traditions alive honors both the present and the holidays past Enjoy!
I hope that your joy in ‘making memories’ for your kids will pull you through. I live (as you know) with my Dad in the home that my Mum designed and they built just before my Dad retired. SHE IS EVERYWHERE … I sometimes fear that she won’t like the changes I make, but so far she hasn’t made me feel unwelcome. Her ashes are still in the house so her presence is strong. I hope your Mom and Grandmother surround you with their love and inspire you though this holiday. In the meantime we are all here routing for you and sending our love… HUGS Krissie!!!
They pop in & out. They let me know when they are around, my mom plays with the thermostat & I can smell my grandmother when she is hanging out with us. Usually, it’s the strongest around Thanksgiving & Christmas each year.