Description
These vegan cinnamon roll cookies are the equivalent of cinnamon rolls if you don’t want to work with yeast or spend time proofing the dough. They are shortbread cookies filled with cinnamon sugar filling, rolled and drizzled with a delicious cream cheese frosting and taste just like you would want your cinnamon rolls to on an early Christmas morning.
Ingredients
Scale
Cinnamon Roll Cookies
- 125g (1 cup) all purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 76g (⅓ cup) vegan unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 67g (⅓ cup) granulated or caster sugar
- 1 flax egg or egg yolk, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 60g (¼ cup) block vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vegan heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 125g (1 cup) powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow. Add the flax egg or egg yolk along with vanilla. Then, add the dry ingredients a cup at a time, until you have a crumbly dough that’s starting to come together.
- Turn the dough onto a pastry or cutting board. Press the dough together with clean hands until you have a smooth ball of dough.
- Roll the dough out in a rectangle (about 9×7 inches) onto a floured silicone baking mat (or floured parchment paper) to about 1/4″ thickness.
- In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and granulated sugar. Set aside. Spread the softened butter onto the dough using your hands until evenly coated. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top until evenly spread.
- Working slowly, tightly roll up each rectangle into a 9-inch log. If the dough is cracking at all, use your fingers to smooth it out. Some cracks are OK. Chill the logs of dough for at least 2 hours. What I like to do is carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board or plate and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Remove dough logs from the refrigerator. Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place slices onto baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes, until lightly browned on the sides. Remove from the oven, allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
- Using a hand mixer, cream the block cream cheese until completely smooth. Add in the vanilla and salt. Mix well. Add in powdered sugar and beat until combined.
- Transfer to a piping bag and drizzle over the baked cookies. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Cinnamon Rolls, Christmas cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: vegan cinnamon roll cookies, cinnamon roll shortbread cookies