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Holiday baking · Breakfast

Sugar Cookie Cinnamon Rolls with cream cheese frosting

Pillowy tangzhong dough rolled up with a soft sugar cookie filling and Christmas nonpareils, then finished with almond-vanilla cream cheese frosting. Christmas morning, sorted.

  • Makes12 rolls
  • Bake25–30 min at 350°F
  • Totalabout 3 hours
Jump to recipe See the steps
A frosted sugar cookie cinnamon roll pulled from the pan, topped with red and green sprinkles
The secretA spoonful of tangzhong keeps these soft for days.
From the Whiskable Kitchen

Two holiday favorites, rolled into one

These rolls take everything you love about a classic cinnamon roll and swap the usual brown sugar swirl for real sugar cookie dough. The filling bakes into soft, buttery layers with a hint of almond and cinnamon, and the nonpareils turn every swirl festive.

The dough uses a tangzhong: a quick cooked paste of milk and flour. It holds extra moisture, so the rolls bake up tall and tender and stay soft the next day.

Good to know: salted butter goes in the filling and frosting, so you only need a pinch of extra salt. Cake batter and butter extracts are optional, but they make the "sugar cookie" flavor pop.
  1. Whisking milk and flour in a saucepan into a thick pasteStep 1

    Cook the tangzhong

    Whisk milk and flour over medium-low heat until it thickens like pudding. Let it cool.

  2. Pouring melted butter into foamy yeast and milkStep 2

    Wake up the yeast

    Warm milk, sugar and yeast sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Add butter, eggs and extracts.

  3. Kneading a smooth ball of dough on a marble counterStep 3

    Knead the dough

    Work in the flour gradually and knead until smooth and soft, adding flour only as needed.

  4. Risen dough doubled in a bowl under a kitchen towelStep 4

    Let it rise

    Cover and rest somewhere warm until doubled, usually 1 to 1½ hours.

  5. Mixing sugar cookie dough with butter, sugar and cinnamonStep 5

    Make the cookie filling

    Cream butter and sugar, beat in the egg and extracts, then mix in flour, cinnamon and salt.

  6. Sprinkling Christmas nonpareils over cookie dough spread on rolled-out doughStep 6

    Spread and sprinkle

    Roll the dough into a rectangle, spread the filling to the edges and shower with nonpareils.

  7. Twelve rolled cinnamon rolls arranged in a lined baking dishStep 7

    Cut, roll, rise again

    Cut about 12 strips, roll each one up and nestle them in a lined dish. Rise 25–35 minutes.

  8. Taking a pan of golden baked cinnamon rolls out of the ovenStep 8

    Bake and frost

    Brush with cream, bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes, then frost while slightly warm.

The recipe

Sugar Cookie Cinnamon Rolls

Soft tangzhong rolls with a sugar cookie and nonpareil swirl and cream cheese frosting.

Batch size
Makes12 rolls
Rise1½–2 hrs
Bake25–30 min
Oven350°F

Ingredients

Tangzhong

Dough

Sugar cookie filling

Frosting

Method

Tangzhong

  1. Whisk the milk and flour in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until thick and pudding-like, about 1–2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Dough

  1. Stir the warm milk, sugar and yeast together. Let it sit 5 minutes until foamy.

  2. Add the melted butter, egg and yolk, almond and cake batter extracts, and the cooled tangzhong. Mix well.

  3. Add the milk powder and salt, then the bread flour a little at a time. Knead until smooth and soft, adding more flour only as needed.

  4. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 to 1½ hours.

Sugar cookie filling

  1. Cream the butter and sugar until light. Beat in the egg, vanilla, almond and butter extracts.

  2. Mix in the flour, cinnamon and salt until a soft cookie dough forms.

Assemble and bake

  1. Roll the dough into a large rectangle. Spread the cookie filling evenly over it and sprinkle with Christmas nonpareils.

  2. Cut into about 12 strips and roll each one up. Place in a lined baking dish, cover and rise 25–35 minutes, until slightly puffy.

  3. Brush the tops with heavy cream and bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes, until golden and cooked through.

Frosting

  1. Whip the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste and extracts, then mix until smooth, adding cream as needed.

  2. Spread over the slightly warm rolls and finish with extra Christmas sprinkles.

Tips & questions

Before you bake

Can I make these ahead for Christmas morning?

Yes. After cutting and rolling, cover the dish and refrigerate overnight instead of doing the second rise. In the morning, let the rolls sit at room temperature for 30–45 minutes until puffy, then bake as usual.

What if I can't find cake batter or butter extract?

Use an extra ½ teaspoon of vanilla in place of the cake batter extract and skip the butter extract. The rolls will still taste like a classic sugar cookie.

How much flour do I really need?

Start with 3 cups (360g) and add more a tablespoon at a time only if the dough sticks to your hands after a few minutes of kneading. A slightly tacky dough bakes up softest.

How do I store leftovers?

Keep frosted rolls covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Warm one for 15–20 seconds in the microwave to soften it back up.