Cinnamon Bun Cookies

So you know that Valentine’s Day is coming up.  I have been thinking a recipe to share. Valentine’s Day is synonymous with cinnamon because of those yummy cinnamon hearts which, by the way, are a perfect sweet and just right spicy.  So I started to think about cinnamon.  And, when I think about cinnamon, I think about cinnamon buns or Cinnabons which are those yummy  yeast dough buns filled with cinnamon and topped with cream cheese frosting.  But you know, I’m all about the cookie so I started to think about cinnamon bun cookies.  See how my mind works? 

I found an amazing cinnamon bun cookie on Recipe Girl which she found in the King Arthur Flour Companion. And here they are a recipe with my own little directional twists.

This is a perfect cinnamon treat to make for your loveys on Valentines Day.  And because they are so great, I think you may like to bake at other times too.

And here is how to make them…

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

1/2 cup powdered sugar 


3/4 cup unsalted butter 


1/2 teaspoon salt 


1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 


1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Cinnamon Centre

1 large egg white 


1 Tablespoon water 


1/4 cup granulated white sugar 


1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Icing

1/2 cup powdered sugar 


2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream can also use milk or water too

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 


1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions & Tips

Cookie Dough

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, butter, salt and vanilla. Add the flour, stirring until the dough comes together. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.  If you are making the cookies right away then no need to wrap and refrigerate.

Transfer chilled dough to a lightly floured piece of parchment or waxed paper. Roll it into a 9x12-inch rectangle.   I use a ruler because these cookies really look better if the sheet of dough is the right size and fairly consistent.

Cinnamon Center

In a small bowl, whisk together egg white and water until foamy. Brush onto rolled out dough.

In another bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture evenly over the dough.

Cinnamon Bun Assembly

Starting with a long edge, carefully roll the dough into a log.

Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment, and freeze until firm.  You can make this days or probably weeks ahead and keep the logs in the freezer until you want to bake the cookies.

Baking

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the freezer and unwrap it. Using a sharp knife, gently trim each end.  The recipe makes 24 cookies so to ensure the cookies are approximately the same size, I cut the log in four even quarters and then cut six cookies from each quarter.

Transfer them to the parchment lined baking sheets. If the log got a bit flattened on one side in the freezer, simply reshape into a circle.  Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, until they're a light golden brown.

Icing

Sift or strain the powdered sugar and cinnamon into a medium-sized bowl to remove any lumps. Whisk the cream (or milk or water) and vanilla into the sugar to make a smooth icing. Drizzle, pipe or spread icing onto cookies.

My husband liked them so much he asked me NOT to make them again.  And I love him so much, I won't... until I need to.  If you make these cookies for your loved ones, them let me know how they turn out.

HAVE A HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!