Brown Butter Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Brown Butter Cinnamon Roll Cookies bring the comfort of a cinnamon roll into cookie format. Fresh orange zest adds a subtle citrus flavor that pairs perfectly with the cinnamon and nutty brown butter flavors balanced by cream cheese icing.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter browned and cooled (see notes)
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt if substituting table salt, use just a pinch
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoon orange zest for fresh zest. For dried zest, use ½ to ¾ tsp.
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
Filling
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt if substituting table salt, use just a pinch
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon milk 2% or whole. Also fine to use heavy cream.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside.2½ cups all purpose flour, ½ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp kosher salt
- Beat together the browned butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and orange zest on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes.1 cup unsalted butter, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1½ tsp orange zest
- Reduce mixer to low. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.1 egg, 2 tsp vanilla
- Add the flour mixture ¼ to ½ cup at a time and mix until all of the flour is fully incorporated.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap. Transfer to the freezer for 10 minutes or refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Roll and Fill the Dough
- Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll into a 12-inch square or rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Note: If the top layer of parchment makes it difficult to roll the dough evenly, remove it and roll without it, but dust the rolling pin with some flour to prevent sticking.
- Transfer the dough to the refrigerator for about 15 minute while making the filling.
- Make filling. Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Tip: Make the filling after the dough has chilled for about 10 minutes.¼ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp kosher salt
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and remove the top layer of parchment paper.
- Spread she filling evenly on top of the cookie dough square, leaving about about ¼ inch border around the edges.
Roll the Dough Log
- Use the parchment paper as a guide to tightly roll the dough into a log.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer for 35 minutes or refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Bake the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Remove the dough log from the freezer or fridge. Slice the dough into ¼ inch cookies (use a sharp knife).
- Place cookies about 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are light golden brown.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool completely before icing.
Make the Icing and Ice the Cookies
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth.4 oz cream cheese
- Gradually add powdered sugar.1 cup powdered sugar
- Add milk and vanilla and mix until well-incorporated.2 tbsp milk, 1 tsp vanilla
- Use a piping bag or a spoon to drizzle the icing over the cookies.
Notes
Browning the butter: I recommend this method from Sally's Baking Addiction. Remove the butter from the pan you used to brown it to cool it. Close-ish to room temperature is generally fine.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 228kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 2gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 97mgPotassium: 41mgSugar: 18gVitamin A: 19IUCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is an estimate for one serving.