Prize-Winning Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

This recipe for cinnamon roll sugar cookies came into my email last year, as an entry in one of our recipe contests from the wonderful Sarah Hornacek of Sarah Bakes Gluten Free.

Welcome to our week-long Grand Prize ($500!) in the contest dessert category.

The title alone of Sarah’s cinnamon roll sugar cookies put it on our must trial list, but the actual recipe is what made these a grand prize winner. Not only was every last tender spiced cookie devoured in 24 hours (even by sweets lovers who could eat both gluten and eggs!), but the process for making these is just so perfect. Sarah’s instructions are seamless, allowing us to flow perfectly in the kitchen, creating relatively elaborate cookies in what seemed like no time at all.

And did I mention, it was a dairy-free recipe contest, not a gluten-free one? Yes, for those of you who are tempted to turn your nose up at this recipe simply because it’s gluten-free, I should note that it beat out many gluten-filled submissions! That said, I believe you could successfully make these cinnamon roll sugar cookies with traditional flour – just see my note below.

Special Diet Notes & Options: Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian.

Gluten Option? If the idea of making these cinnamon roll sugar cookies gluten-free is a little too intimidating, you can use traditional all-purpose (plain) flour instead of the flour blend. But keep in mind that absorption may vary. Start by mixing in 2 cups of sifted flour. Then slowly blend in additional flour until you get dough that can be shaped into a ball with your hands. It should no longer be sticky, but be careful not to add too much flour – you don’t want dry, crumbly dough.

If you do opt to make these dairy-free cinnamon roll sugar cookies with wheat, we’d love to hear your comments on how much flour you ended up using and how the results were (please note if you live closer to sea level or high altitude, as this can also cause variations!).

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies (Gluten-Free and Vegan)

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

38 mins

 

Author: Sarah H. of Sarah Bakes Gluten Free

Serves: 34 to 36 cookies

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies:

• 2⅓ cups Sarah's homemade gluten free flour blend (see Flour Blend note below)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups organic powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup coconut oil, soft
• ⅓ cup room temperature dairy-free milk alternative (such as So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Coconut Milk Beverage), plus additional if needed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Brown Sugar Filling:

• 2 teaspoons coconut oil, melted
• ⅓ cup organic brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Vanilla Glaze:

• 1½ cups organic powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons dairy-free vanilla creamer (such as So Delicious Dairy Free French Vanilla Coconut Milk Creamer)

Instructions

1. For the sugar cookies, sift the flour blend, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (we used a hand mixer), beat together the powdered sugar, coconut oil, milk alternative and vanilla until creamy. Add the flour mixture and continue to mix until combined, 1-2 minutes (add an additional tablespoon of milk alternative if the dough appears too dry).
3. Form dough into a patty and wrap in plastic wrap. Let rest in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
4. For the filling, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
5. On the counter, lay out a large piece of plastic wrap. Place the cookie dough in the center and top with another piece of plastic wrap. Roll the dough into a 16x18-inch rectangle.
6. Remove the top layer of plastic wrap. Spread melted coconut oil over the dough and sprinkle with brown sugar filling. Starting with 16-inch edge, carefully roll up the dough into a log. Slice in half and wrap each log in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes or until firm.
7. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or silicone baking mats).
8. Using a sharp knife, slice dough into ¼-inch thick slices. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
9. For the vanilla glaze, mix together the powdered sugar and coffee creamer (add more creamer if needed). Place in piping bag with small, round tip and pipe onto cookies.
10. Once the icing is set, store cookies in an airtight container.

Notes

Flour Blend: For this recipe, Sara uses her lighter flour blend by replacing the sorghum flour with white rice flour. Rather than making a whole batch, we scaled it down and use 1 cup brown rice flour (superfine if possible) + ½ cup sweet white sorghum flour + ½ cup potato starch + 3 tablespoons tapioca starch + 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 1-1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum.

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