Cinnamon Cookies

4.88 from 115 votes

Nothing says delicious quite like a warm Cinnamon Cookie. These soft, chewy cookies have a crisp outer layer of cinnamon sugar. This quick and easy recipe is great for the holidays or any time you're craving some cinnamon.

A stack of crackled cinnamon cookies.

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Easy Cinnamon Cookies Recipe

There's nothing quite like cinnamon this time of year. I'll take it on everything, please and thank you. Cinnamon apple muffins? Yes. Cinnamon rolls? Yes yes. Apple crisp? Yes yes yes. (But save some cinnamon for cinnamon simple syrup too!)

But these cinnamon cookies might be my current favorite way to enjoy this warm spice. I love baking up pumpkin snickerdoodles, but this year I wanted to make them for someone who doesn't like pumpkin. (I know, I know.)

These delicious Cinnamon Cookies are perfect, with a chewy texture and crisp edges. and actually a lot easier to make than snickerdoodle cookies. They don't require any cream of tartar, any chill time or rolling in cinnamon sugar! Instead, the cinnamon is sprinkled over the top for a crackled, crispy texture.

an arrangement of 1 layer of cinnamon cookies on a white background.

Why You'll Love this Recipe

You will love this classic cookie recipe!

  • These cookies are easy and fast to make. No chill time required! This is an easy recipe for kids to help out with as well.
  • Everyone loves the flavor of cinnamon, and these lightly crunchy cookies don't disappoint. They're a great addition to cookie plates or to take to cookie swaps.
  • No specialty ingredients are needed! Not even cream of tartar.
Top view of baking ingredients on a white surface: flour, sugar, brown sugar, butter, egg, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and vanilla extract, each in separate bowls.

Ingredients

These soft and chewy cookies are pretty simple to put together, and you might already have these pantry staples on hand. To make them, you'll need the cookie basics: all-purpose flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar and an egg.

If you use salted butter, you can skip the salt in this recipe. I prefer to use unsalted butter for baking, so I can customize how much salt I use.

For flavor, vanilla extract and ground cinnamon, of course, work beautifully together for a sweet and spiced cookie.

You'll also need some parchment paper or a silicone baking mat for these. A cookie scoop is also super helpful!

a tray of cinnamon cookies.

How to Make Cinnamon Cookies

Putting these easy cookies together is so simple. You can have these cookies prepped and out of the oven in about 30 minutes! That bake time is enough to make them your new favorite cookies, in my opinion.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

cinnamon and powdered sugar on a plate.
butter and sugar in a mixing bowl
  1. Take a large mixing bowl and add in the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix well and set aside.
  1. Add the softened butter and sugar to a separate bowl or mixer. Mix on medium speed till it's light and creamy in texture, about 2-3 minutes.
Egg is added to the bowl
a bowl of dry ingredients
  1. To this mixture, add the wet ingredients - egg and vanilla extract - and beat til the egg is fully incorporated into the mixture. Use a spatula to wipe down the sides of the bowl.
  1. Add the flour mixture to the egg batter in batches and mix till the dough just comes together.

If the dough feels a little too sticky to handle, you can put the dough in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, covered with plastic wrap.

balls of cinnamon cookie dough that have been dipped in cinnamon sugar on parchment paper
A cinnamon cookie with a bite out and crumbs around it.
  1. Scoop out a portion of the dough using an ice cream scoop and roll it in between your palms to shape the dough into balls. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
  1. Make the topping by mixing the white sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the prepared cookie dough balls. Be generous!
  1. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the bottoms have browned. Remove and let them cool for a few minutes in the baking tray and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips & Tricks

Here are some tips and tricks for making these cinnamon roll cookies:

  • Let all ingredients come to room temperature. This ensures that they mix evenly and easily in the batter and will create the most perfect cookie.
  • Use a cookie scoop to get evenly-sized balls. The cookies will bake more evenly this way!
  • Store cinnamon cookies away from other cookies so that the cinnamon flavor and aroma of these cookies doesn't affect the flavor of the others.
a closeup of a crackled cookie with cinnamon on top.
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This post is brought to you as part of The Sweetest Season, my friend Erin's annual virtual cookie exchange! Every year, she gets food bloggers together to share new holiday cookie recipes for your holiday parties

We're also raising awareness about and fundraising for Cookies for Kids' Cancer, a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer. If you'd like to join us, donate to our C4KC fundraising page.

What to Serve with Cinnamon Cookies

Cinnamon cookies go delightfully well with your favorite drinks, like an Irish coffee, cold brew coffee, or pumpkin spice latte. The perfect hygge coffee break!

They'd go incredibly well on a cookie plate along with M&M cookie bars and ginger molasses snickerdoodles - or whatever your favorite is! Spiced cookies, sugar cookies and chocolate cookies in particular pair really well.

For something boozy, pair them with a fun seasonal cocktail like this Christmas bourbon cocktail, Washington apple cocktail or an iced chai latte.

A cinnamon cookie with a bite out and crumbs around it.

FAQ

What is the best way to store these cookies?

These Cinnamon Cookies will stay fresh for about a week when stored in an airtight container at room temperature or for 12-14 days when stored in the fridge. Fully-baked cinnamon cookies can be frozen for around 3 months when stored properly in a heavy-duty freezer bag. To reheat, thaw them for 5-6 hours or overnight at room temperature, and then bake them in a preheated oven at 350°F (177°C) for 13-14 minutes.

Can you freeze this cookie dough?

Yes! It's easiest to portion them out into balls with the cookie scoop, then freeze on the tray. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe, food-safe, airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as normal, but you will probably need to add 2-3 minutes to the bake time.

a tray of cinnamon cookies.

Cinnamon Cookies

These thick, quick and easy-to-make Cinnamon Cookies are a bit crisp on top and deliciously soft on the inside. They're full of warm cinnamon flavor and are topped with crunchy cinnamon sugar.
4.88 from 115 votes
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Optional Chilling Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 16 cookies
Author: Madison | A Joyfully Mad Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ½ cup butter softened
  • cup granulated sugar
  • cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

topping

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Video

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Take a large mixing bowl and add in the 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 pinch salt. Mix well and set aside.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer / electric mixer for this) add the ½ cup butter ⅓ cup granulated sugar⅓ cup brown sugar. Mix on medium speed until light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
  • To this mixture, add the 1 large egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and beat until the egg is fully incorporated into the mixture.
  • Add the flour mixture to the egg batter in batches and mix till the dough just comes together.
  • If the dough feels a little too sticky to handle, you can put the dough in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, covered with plastic wrap.
  • Scoop out a portion of the dough using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and roll it in between your palms to shape dough into balls. Place the balls 3 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
  • Make the topping by mixing the white ¼ cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon together in a small bowl.
  • Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the prepared cookie dough balls. Be generous! You can't have enough cinnamon, in my opinion.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the bottoms have browned. Remove and let them cool for a few minutes in the baking tray and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Tips & Tricks

Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. This ensures that they mix evenly and easily in the batter and will create the most perfect cookie.
Use a cookie scoop to get evenly-sized balls.
Store cinnamon cookies away from other cookies so that the cinnamon flavor doesn't affect the taste of the other cookies.

How to Store Cookies

These Cinnamon Cookies will stay fresh for about a week when stored in an airtight container at room temperature or for 12-14 days when stored in the fridge.
Cinnamon cookies can be frozen for around 3 months when stored properly in a heavy-duty freezer bag.
To reheat, thaw them for 5-6 hours or overnight at room temperature, and then bake them in a preheated oven at 350°F for 13-14 minutes or until heated.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 198IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg
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13 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These cookies were super easy, quick and very yummy...Adding lots of cinnamon sugar on top is the key. I used a small ice cream scoop and got 18 nice size cookies

  2. 1 star
    Cookies never spread out on the pan. I had to press the second batch down. First batch was a hard ball. Second batch I pressed down. These cookies have no taste. Recipie did not indicate that balls should be pressed down on the pan. Followed recipe exactly. Needs more butter. Would not make again. Waste of ingredients.

    1. Hi Pamela, I'm so sorry you had trouble with the recipe. I've updated the recipe card to reflect the butter needs to be softened first which should help!

  3. Yum! These cookies are so nice - they're really soft and they have lots of warm cinnamon flavour. Will definitely make again. Thank you!

  4. These are spectacular! I love that you added a little sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on top of the cookies as well. Can't wait to make these again!

  5. I love how soft these come out! Ans because of the flavor they were like biting into a little slice of comfort.

    1. I crave cinnamon all of the time. I made the recipe, baked half of them, and froze the rest. I love how soft and tender they turned out.

  6. Gosh, these cookies look PERFECT, Madison! Like you, I'm a big fan of cinnamon this time of year (and honestly, at all times of year), and I cannot wait to bake these cookies with my girls and to share them with our family and friends. I have a feeling we're going to have a BLAST!

    Thank you so much for participating in this year's Sweetest Season! I am always blown away with the recipes shared and the generosity of its participants. Thank you for making this event such a success. I hope you and yours have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!