These Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Cookies are tender, filled with sugar and cinnamon, and drizzled with sweet vanilla icing. If you love the flavor of cinnamon rolls, these cookies won’t disappoint.
Are you looking for more gluten free cookie recipes? You’ll enjoy my Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies and my Gluten Free Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies. Both of these recipes are packed with flavor and easy to make.
Cinnamon rolls have been missing from my life since developing celiac disease, but these cinnamon roll cookies provide all the flavors I still remember. Using brown sugar in the filling adds a more robust cinnamon/sugar flavor. And the extra moisture in the brown sugar makes the cookies a little softer.
A tasty cinnamon roll isn’t complete without a sweet frosting, and these cookies are topped with a vanilla icing. The great thing about the icing is you can decide how thick or thin to make it.
I prefer simple baking recipes with few ingredients and minimal preparation time. Give me a quick recipe for brownies, drop cookies, or a Bundt cake, and I’m good to go. But once in a while I like to spend a little extra time making something that’s “worth the effort.”
These cookies are a perfect example. There aren’t any fancy ingredients involved, but rolling out dough and then chilling it, takes more time than your average cookie recipe requires. But, I think you’ll find these cinnamon roll cookies to be worth the extra time and effort.
How to Make Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Make the dough:
In a medium mixing bowl, place the gluten free flour blend, baking powder, and salt (photo 1) and whisk until combined.
Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until completely smooth (photo 2).
Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined (photo 3).
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined (photos 4 & 5).
Divide the dough into 2 balls (photo 6).
Place the dough balls, one at a time, between 2 sheets of plastic wrap.
Using a rolling pin, roll the rectangles out to 9×7 inches (about ¼" thickness) (photo 7).
Make the filling:
Melt butter and allow to cool slightly.
Whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon until combined.
Using a pastry brush, spread half the melted butter on each dough rectangle.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over each rectangle.
Starting with the long edge, tightly roll the dough rectangles into logs, smoothing any cracks in the dough with your fingers.
Wrap the dough logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. (Don’t skip this step. Chilling the dough gives you clean slices and the cookies will hold their shape while baking.)
Once the dough has finished chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F. Line baking pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
Cut the dough logs into ½ inch slices. Place the slices 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking pans.
Bake 10-11 minutes, or until the sides of the cookies are lightly browned.
Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the icing:
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add more milk to achieve the desired icing consistency.
Drizzle the icing over completely cooled cookies. Wait a few minutes for the icing to set, then enjoy!
Baker's Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients for well-mixed dough. Butter and eggs at room temperature will mix together more quickly and completely.
- Form each dough portion into a small flat rectangle with your hands before rolling out the dough (the heat from your hands will soften the dough and make it more manageable.)
- After you’ve added the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, carefully roll the dough rectangles into logs. Lift up on the plastic wrap to start the rolling process. Work slowly to tightly roll the dough from one end to the other. Continue lifting the plastic wrap to assist with rolling the dough. Use your fingers to smooth out any cracks that form in the dough.
- Cool the cookies completely before applying the icing. If the cookies are still warm, the tasty icing will slide right off.
- If the icing is too thick, add a little milk to achieve the desired consistency. For a thicker icing, add more powdered sugar.
- Place the cookies on a wire rack, set inside a baking pan, before drizzling icing over the cookies. The wire rack will allow the icing to drip off the cookies and be caught by the baking pan.
If you like the flavor of cinnamon rolls, you have to try these Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Cookies. The brown sugar/cinnamon filling and vanilla icing will have your friends and family asking for them again and again. Happy Baking!
More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes to Try
- Toasted Coconut Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies
- Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Frosted Powdered Sugar Cookies
- Gluten Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Easy Gluten Free Butter Cookies
- Gluten Free Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
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Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 ¼ cups gluten free flour blend
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the icing:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, baking powder, and salt until combined.
- Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until completely smooth.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.
- Divide the dough into 2 balls. With your hands, form each ball into a flat rectangle. Place the rectangles, one at a time, between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, roll the rectangles out to 9x7 inches (about ¼" thickness).
Make the filling:
- Melt butter and allow to cool slightly.
- Whisk together brown sugar and cinnamon until combined.
- Using a pastry brush, spread half the melted butter on each dough rectangle.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over each.
- Starting with the long edge, tightly roll the dough rectangles into logs, smoothing any cracks in the dough with your fingers.
- Wrap the dough logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Once the dough has finished chilling, preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Cut the dough logs into ½ inch slices. Place slices, 2 inches apart, on prepared baking pans.
- Bake 10-11 minutes, or until the sides of the cookies are lightly browned.
- Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the icing:
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add more milk to achieve the desired icing consistency.
- Drizzle the icing over completely cooled cookies. Wait a few minutes for the icing to set, then enjoy!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients for well-mixed dough. Butter and eggs at room temperature will mix together more quickly and completely.
- Form each dough portion into a small flat rectangle with your hands before rolling out the dough (the heat from your hands will soften the dough and make it more manageable.)
- After you’ve added the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, carefully roll the dough rectangles into logs. Lift up on the plastic wrap to start the rolling process. Work slowly to tightly roll the dough from one end to the other. Continue lifting the plastic wrap to assist with rolling the dough. Use your fingers to smooth out any cracks that form in the dough.
- Cool the cookies completely before applying the icing. If the cookies are still warm, the tasty icing will slide right off.
- If the icing is too thick, add a little milk to achieve the desired consistency. For a thicker icing, add more powdered sugar.
- Place the cookies on a wire rack, set inside a baking pan, before drizzling icing over the cookies. The wire rack will allow the icing to drip off the cookies and be caught by the baking pan.
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