A butter and cream cheese dough is rolled with cinnamon and sugar to make the most delicious cinnamon sugar pinwheel cookies! Add these to your cookie tins this Christmas for a nut free, chocolate free cookie!
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They might look intimidating, but don't be scared! These cinnamon sugar pinwheel cookies are surprisingly easy to make.
Cinnamon, sugar, and a little melted butter is rolled into a dough that is full of butter and cream cheese. If you are looking for a cookie that isn't too sweet, look no further!
The dough has no sugar in it. You'll rely on the sweetness of the cinnamon and sugar mixture to give you that sweetness. Let's make these cookies!
Check out these other cookie recipes for your holiday tins this year!
- Peppermint Bark Brownie Mix Cookies
- Brown Sugar and Walnut Mini Tarts
- Brown Butter and Pecan Cookies
- Cinnamon and Sugar Kefir Snickerdoodles
Jump to:
Why You'll Love These Cookies
- They aren't too sweet! In this entire recipe, there is only ½ cup of sugar, and that gets rolled into the cookie to create the swirl. If you want a sweeter cookie, you can add 2 tablespoons of sugar into the dough.
- They keep for a long time! Because there is no chocolate or risk of melting, these cookies will keep for 5 days without any problems.
- They are perfect for a cookie tin! No powdered sugar, icing, or chocolate is added so they are perfect to add to a cookie tin!
Ingredients You'll Need
- Butter
- Cream Cheese- Full fat. Low fat or fat free tends to be too watery.
- All Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Cinnamon
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- Rolling Pin
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Serrated Knife
- Parchment Paper or Silicone Mat
- Baking Sheet
- Cooling Rack
Can I use Cold Butter and Cold Cream Cheese?
The butter and cream cheese need to be at room temperature. This will help beat them and get them well incorporated.
If the butter is too cold or not at room temperature, you run the risk of having large chunks of butter in your dough. When you go to roll out the dough, it will stick to the cutting board and give you a headache!
I like to leave my butter and cream cheese out overnight right on the counter when I know I am going to be making cookies. If you forget, to soften the cream cheese, unwrap the cream cheese and place it in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 10 seconds at a time, until it softens. You can do this with the butter as well!
Let's Make Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheel Cookies!
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and cream cheese and beat for 2 minutes until well mixed and creamy. Reduce the speed to low and carefully add in the flour. Mix again until the dough comes together. Scrape the sides of the bowl to fully combine the dough.
Place the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate for at least one hour, or freeze for 30 minutes. While the dough is in the refrigerator, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
After the dough has been refrigerated, place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Flour a rolling pin as well. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, doing your best to keep it at an even thickness. When the dough has been rolled out evenly, spread melted butter on the dough and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Starting with the side closest to you, roll the dough tightly into a log. Wet the edge of the log with a little water to seal the edge. Cut the log in half so there are two logs, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate again for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Take one log out of the refrigerator and with a serrated knife, cut evenly sized cookies out of the log. Each cookie should be about ¼ inch thick. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, until just lightly browned. Repeat this process for the other log and cool the cookies on a wire rack.
Tips and Tricks
- When rolling out the dough, make sure you have flour handy. This dough tends to get a little sticky as it warms up from the oven. Don't be afraid to use some of that flour on the rolling pin and on your surface.
- When cutting the log into cookies, make sure you are using a serrated knife. A chef's knife or a butter knife will squish the cookies and misshape them.
- If the outside of the cookies break when you are cutting them, don't stress! Simply place them back together. When they bake, the cookie will melt back together.
- Don't skip refrigerating the dough! Refrigerating the dough before you cut it will make cutting it easier. It will also firm up the butter so the cookies bake evenly.
Questions About Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheel Cookies
Yes! You can use brown sugar, coconut sugar, or your favorite sugar alternative.
Yes! You can freeze these baked cookies for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Yes! You can make the dough and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Once they are baked, they will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Other Recipes To Try
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- Sweet and Spicy Cranberry Dip
- Double Chocolate Oat Cookies
- Oreo Cheesecake Bars
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📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks Butter Room Temperature
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese Room Temperature
- 2 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon Melted Butter
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese until well mixed, about 2 minutes.
- Reduce the speed to low and add in the flour and salt. Mix well to combine and then turn off the mixer.
- Place the dough into a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or freeze for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar.
- When you are ready to make the cookies, take the dough out of the plastic wrap and place it on a lightly floured surface. Flour a rolling pin. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, making sure the dough is as even as possible. You should be able to get the dough to an 18 inch by 12 inch rectangle. Add more flour to the surface if you find that that dough is sticking.
- Spread the melted butter over the dough evenly. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
- Starting with the side closest to you, roll the dough away from you into a tight log. Brush the last part of the dough with water to seal the log. Cut the log in half so you have two equal logs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate again for 1 hour or freeze for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove one log from the refrigerator and cut the log into cookies using a serrated knife. ¼ inch slices are the perfect cookie size, but if you want a thicker cookie, make them a little bigger.
- Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes or until just slightly browned. Repeat the cutting process with the other log. Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- If you prefer a sweeter dough, add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the dough.
- Refrigerating the dough is an essential step in making these cookies. It makes the dough easier to cut.
- Make sure you use a serrated knife to cut the cookies. Anything else will cause the cookies to squish and not look like circles.
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