cinnamon roll sugar cookies.

cinnamon roll sugar cookies, um...yes please?!

i love, love, love cinnamon rolls. they are definitely one of my favorite things to eat. but to be completely honest, i don't really love making cinnamon rolls. i hate waiting for the dough to rise and then rise again. usually when i want something sweet...i want it right now...not two hours from now.

so when i saw this recipe on the picky palate i thought the idea was fabulous. and don't get me wrong, IT IS. it just isn't as easy as i originally thought it would be. however, they are still delicious and totally worth making.

i decided to make these for cookie club this time and i thought i would cheat a little bit by using pre-made sugar cookie dough. um...yeah, that didn't work out so much. i'm not sure if i could have fixed the issue but the cookie dough seemed to "dry" to roll and kept cracking so i could never get it to roll up into the cinnamon roll log. luckily, i had all the ingredients for the sugar cookie dough recipe posted on the original recipe so i scraped my first attempt and moved onto the next. the dough is great...soft and fluffy BUT you have to let it chill for at least two hours...SO you might as well be making actual CINNAMON ROLLS. so, like i said earlier...these are worth making if you have the patience and the time...

cinnamon roll sugar cookies + printable version

--recipe found on picky palate 

sugar cookie dough**: 
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
6 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

cinnamon roll filling: 
12 tablespoons softened butter, (slice 2 Tablespoons 6 times totaling 12 tablespoons)
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar, divided into 1/4 cups
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided

in a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter. add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.

in two batches, place in plastic wrap in a disc shape and chill for at least 2 hours for best results.

once chilled, cut each disc into thirds and roll into a 1/8 inch thick oval, about 12 inches X 5 inches.

spread each rolled pieces of dough with 2 Tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

start rolling from the long end closest to you, rolling into a log shape.  using a sharp knife (or dental floss), cut 1/2 inch pieces of dough then placing onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.

bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. remove and let cool for five minutes before removing from baking sheet.


cream cheese frosting:
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-4 Tablespoons milk, to thin

beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth, slowly add powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency.  frost cookies then place in refrigerator until ready to serve.  

**according to jenny over at the picky palate...these are 100% times better after they have chilled in the fridge for at least thirty minutes...i honestly enjoyed them fresh out of the oven and chilled...so just do whatever you want!

**makes at least six dozen - so i made the entire sugar cookie dough recipe (it makes a ton) and after i divided it into two batches to chill, i only used one half for my cinnamon roll sugar cookies. i divided it into thirds, like the recipe says and ended up with three dozen cookies. for the filling that means i used half of what the recipe states...and for the frosting i ended up using a half batch of the cream cheese frosting i posted here.