With a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar, a gorgeously crinkled top, and a thick, beautifully shaped cookie base, you'll find these Cinnamon Cookies are love at first sight. But...just wait until you taste them. Turns out, true love is sweet and buttery, chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and laced with warm and cozy notes of cinnamon and nutmeg.
While very similar to a Snickerdoodle, Cinnamon Cookies pack a little more punch when it comes to flavor and spice, and they are the perfect dessert for celebrating throughout the holiday season and an amazing treat idea for homemade gift-giving!
Need a little more Christmas baking inspiration? Bookmark these easy Gingerbread Men and add them to your holiday lineup!
CINNAMON COOKIE INGREDIENTS
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar - You'll be using granulated sugar both in and on top of your cookies. Be sure to take note that the quantity of sugar (as well as cinnamon) is separated within the ingredient list and that the extra ⅓ cup of sugar doesn't get mixed into the batter.
- Leaveners - There are times when both baking soda and baking powder are necessary in a cookie recipe, and this is one of them. Baking powder typically comes into play when there is not a whole lot of acid happening within the ingredient list, helping the cookies to rise to their full potential. While baking powder does the majority of the heavy lifting here, baking soda simply serves as a tenderizer.
- Spices - Clearly, we can't have Cinnamon Cookies without cinnamon. Unlike the Snickerdoodle, Cinnamon Cookies house a bit more spice and flavor. Cinnamon goes both on top of the cookie and in the batter as well. Nutmeg is also a lovely addition, making these cookies all the more perfect for the fall and winter months. And, of course, salt -- an essential ingredient in any dessert recipe. We like to use fine sea salt for all of our baking recipes.
- Butter - Cinnamon Cookies are a rich and buttery cookie thanks to (you guessed it) butter. However, take care to use only unsalted butter for this recipe.
- Large Eggs
- Pure Vanilla Extract
HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON COOKIES
- Prep - Have ready a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat so you don't have to grease the pan (which could cause unwanted spreading) and prepare your cinnamon-sugar topping in a small bowl off to the side.
- Mix Dry Ingredients - In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk together your flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Cream Butter and Sugar - Add the sugar and room temperature butter to a large mixing bowl and use a handheld mixer to beat the ingredients together on medium-high speed for at least 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. You could also use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for this task.
- Add the Eggs and Vanilla - Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Taking care to mix the eggs in well is very important and will help to keep your cookie edges straight and will, again, prevent wonky spreading.
- Add Dry Ingredients to Wet Ingredients - Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated into the dough. Don't overmix or your cookies could end up overly dense and tough.
- Scoop and Bake - Scoop out heaping tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball. Roll the top in the sugar-cinnamon mixture and place it on the baking sheet. Make sure you leave at least 2" in between each cookie -- they bake up big and beautiful! Then, bake for 14 minutes, serve and enjoy!
WHY DO YOU CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR?
You’ll be amazed at what a few minutes of mixing can do to both the height and texture of a cookie, and it all takes place when the sugar hits the butter. Creaming butter and sugar together is a simple process of beating these two ingredients together at a medium-high speed which, in turn, whips air into the batter. Be sure to use room temperature butter!
When your butter and sugar mixture appears light and fluffy in appearance, you’ve successfully creamed the two together.
HOW TO STORE CINNAMON COOKIES
Once your Cinnamon Cookies have baked and cooled, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for up to 4-5 days.
HOW TO FREEZE CINNAMON COOKIES
If you’d like to preserve your cookies further out than this, simply place them in a freezer-safe zip top bag, taking care to press out any excess air from the bag for up to 2 months. You could also freeze them in a freezer-safe, airtight storage container, just be sure the container fits the cookies snugly, and there is not a ton of room for air to circulate around them.
CAN YOU FREEZE THE COOKIE DOUGH?
To freeze cookie dough, roll the dough into balls and transfer them into rows in a snug, airtight, freezer-safe container. Separate each layer of cookie dough with a sheet of wax paper, seal tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
Add 2-3 minutes to the total bake time if the dough balls are going into the oven frozen.
5 MORE HOLIDAY COOKIE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Ginger Molasses Cookies are full of big molasses flavor, along with warm and cozy spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves! A homemade cookie perfect for the holidays and heartfelt gifts.
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies have a fudgy, melty interior loaded with chocolate chips and a gorgeous coating of powdered sugar on the outside! The best holiday cookie for any and all chocolate lovers!
- Christmas Sugar Cookies with Icing feature homemade sugar cookies topped with a delicious buttercream frosting! Plus, how to make your Christmas wreath and tree-shaped cookies look extra spectacular.
- Chocolate Chip Cookies bake up beautifully every single time, just like the ones you see at bakeries and specialty shops! In fact, this recipe is so good, it should receive gourmet status, yet so easy, a child could bake them to perfection.
- Cowboy Cookies are addictively yummy with a perfectly moist, thick and chewy center, loaded with extras like coconut, pecans, and old-fashioned oats.
Cinnamon Cookies
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup + 1 ½ cup granulated sugar, separated
- 3 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon, separated
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (preferably fresh grated)
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° and have ready a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup granulated sugar and 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside until ready to use.
- Add 1 ½ cup granulated sugar and the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. If you do not have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer. Mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, followed the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated.
- Scoop out heaping tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the top in the sugar-cinnamon mixture and place on the baking sheet at least 2" apart. Bake for 14 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
Kalee says
YUM! These are perfect for a Christmas cookie swap! I love how easy they are to make too!
Taylor says
These cookies are so soft and chewy with delicious cinnamon flavor! Yum!
Priya Shiva says
These cookies look so good and perfect for the holiday season! The pictures itself are so tempting!
Gloria says
This time of year you can never have too many types of cookies. I am just about to start my holiday baking this weekend. I think I need to add one more variety to my list. Happy Holidays.
Jessica says
They look so fluffy and buttery - great texture here!
kim says
These are amazing! My go-to cookie exchange recipe. I'll be making this one all season long!
Julia says
This is a must-try cookie recipe for Christmas! Love it! 🙂
Jennifer says
Those cookies look absolutely delicious! I am going to make a batch of these to give to my mail delivery driver.