My gluten-free cinnamon roll cookies pack homemade buttery brown sugar cinnamon pieces into a soft cookie. They are rolled in a cinnamon sugar coating and, once perfectly baked, finished with a little cream cheese glaze. Two of my taste testers declared these their favorite cookie I have made, which is some pretty stiff competition around here.
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Skill Level: Beginner
Flavor Remix: Add a little chai extract for an extra special treat.
Allergy Watch: Gluten Free, Dairy Free Option, Nut-Free
I especially like this recipe when I am craving my gluten-free snickerdoodles but discover there is no cream of tartar in the pantry. It has all the same ingredients and packs a cinnamon punch. The big difference for these cinnamon cookies is that you essentially make the filling from a cinnamon roll and stuff it into the cookie.
Instead of rolling and slicing cinnamon roll cookie dough, my version is a free form drop cookie, and freezing the homemade cinnamon pieces first gives you pockets of cinnamon throughout without making the dough difficult to work with.
I also opted for making the cinnamon chips flat. Some recipes have you roll it into little balls. I have two issues with that. First, you get way more leakage, and second, it takes forever.
Chilling matters here. The dough needs time to firm up before baking, and the cinnamon filling should be nice and cold so it stays tucked into the cookies rather than immediately melting out. These cookies can still spread a little, but that is fixable. While they are warm, swirl a round cookie cutter around each cookie to coax it back into a neat circle. See photo below.
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour: Use any 1:1 gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum, like Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter or reduce the salt added by ¼ teaspoon. You need softened butter for both the homemade cinnamon pieces and the cookie dough so each mixture creams properly. I developed the recipe to use an even 2 sticks of butter.
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar will work in both the cinnamon filling and cookie dough. Dark brown sugar will give the cookies a slightly deeper molasses flavor.
- Baking soda and baking powder: You do need both leaveners for this recipe. Baking soda encourages spreading and browning, while baking powder provides additional lift so the cookies stay soft rather than baking up too flat.
- Vanilla Extract: Or use an equal amount of vanilla paste.
How to Make Gluten-Free Cinnamon Bun Cookies
A step-by-step visual guide for making gluten-free cinnamon cookies. You can skip to the recipe for the full written instructions.
Make the Cinnamon Filling
Spread the filling on parchment or wax paper. Score it with a knife before freezing to make the pieces easy to break up.
Sift the Dry Ingredients
Always weigh gluten-free flour and sift in the leavener to evenly distribute.
Cream the Butter and Sugar
Beat the butter with the granulated and brown sugars for about 2 minutes before adding the egg and vanilla. Give the mixture another 2 minutes after the egg goes in, scraping the bowl as needed.
Make the Cookie Dough
Don't add all the flour at once. Add in batches, scraping down the bowl in between.
Chill
Stir in the cinnamon pieces by hand. Chill the scooped cookie dough.
Roll
Roll the chilled balls in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Bake
Smaller cookies (about 18-20 per batch) take 12 minutes to bake, and larger cookies (less than 15 per batch) take about 14 minutes.
Cool and Frost
Cool the cookies for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack. Glaze once cooled.
Jen's Recipe Notes
- These cookies can spread. A round cookie cutter and a quick swirl while they are still warm cleans up those edges. This works best immediately after baking, while the cookies are still soft enough to reshape.
- Keep the glaze optional. The cream cheese glaze pushes them further into cinnamon roll territory, so I like adding it when I want them to feel a little more special.
- The dough will look a little dry. This is fine. The cinnamon filling pieces are pure butter, so they add a lot of moisture back to the cookie.
- Scooping before chilling is not only easier; they don't need to chill as long.
Make Ahead and Storing
Make Ahead: Make the cinnamon filling ahead of time and keep it frozen until you are ready to prepare the cookies. The cookie dough can also be portioned and frozen so you can bake cookies straight from the freezer.
Storing: Store cooled, unglazed cookies in an airtight container. If you add the cream cheese glaze, store the glazed cookies in the refrigerator because the topping contains dairy.
Freezing: Freeze portioned cookie dough until solid, then transfer it to a freezer safe container. Bake straight from frozen, adding a little extra baking time as needed.
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Cookies
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Ingredients
Cinnamon Chip Filling
- 4 Tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (8 g) cinnamon
Cinnamon Cookie Dough
- ¾ cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅓ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (256 g) 1:1 gluten-free flour with xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For Rolling
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoons (8 g) cinnamon
Cream Cheese Glaze (optional)
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) cream cheese set out at room temperature for 1 hour
- 2 Tablespoons (29.57 ml) milk
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cinnamon Chip Filling
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, add all the ingredients. Beat well, scraping down the sides, until completely smooth. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out the filling and use a knife to score into small squares.4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- Freeze for 20 to 30 minutes while you prepare the dough. The longer they freeze the less chance for the filling to ooze out. Remove from the freezer and break into little pieces.
Cinnamon Cookie Dough
- In the same large bowl or stand mixer (no need to wash it), add the butter and both sugars. Cream the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium for 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat for another 2 minutes scraping down the side of the bowl.¾ cup unsalted butter, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Mix the remaining dry ingredients in a small bowl. Slowly add the butter and sugar mixture while mixing on low speed until fully combined. Stir in the cinnamon pieces by hand.2 cups 1:1 gluten-free flour with xanthan gum, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Using a large cookie scoop, roll each scoop into a ball and place on a baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees while the dough is chilling.
- Mix together the sugar and cinnamon for rolling. Roll each ball of dough in the mixture. Place 2 inches apart on an insulated cookie sheet.¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoons cinnamon
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes. If they spread while baking, use a large round cookie cutter place over the cookie and swirl around to reform the cookies. Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- Whisk together all the ingredients and drizzle over the cooled cookies.2 ounces cream cheese, 2 Tablespoons milk, ½ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Equipment
- cookie sheet
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Questions
Yes you an but it will be a slightly different texture to the cookie because it isn't adding as much butter.
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