Cinnamon Cream Cheese Cookies are soft, tender cookies made with butter, full-fat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and a cinnamon sugar coating. They’re easy to make, great for beginner bakers, and the chill time pays off with puffy little cookies that stay delicate instead of spreading all over the pan.
What Makes This Cinnamon Cream Cheese Cookies Great?
This version works because the cream cheese gives the cookies a light tang and extra-soft texture, while powdered sugar keeps the crumb fine and tender. The cinnamon sugar coating adds just enough warmth and sweetness without turning them into a heavy snickerdoodle situation. They bake quickly, stay pale, and come out soft with a lightly crisp exterior.
- Great for beginner bakers, the dough is simple to mix with a hand mixer and uses straightforward pantry ingredients.
- Perfect for make-ahead baking, the dough needs a chill anyway, so it fits nicely into prep-ahead schedules.
- Easy to freeze, both the baked cookies and the shaped dough balls hold up well for later.
- Useful for holiday trays or small-batch sharing, the recipe makes 28 cookies without being complicated.
- Helps avoid dry cookies, since the cream cheese keeps the texture soft and tender even after cooling.
The Cookie Dough
This dough is all about softness. Butter brings richness, cream cheese adds a subtle tang and a delicate texture, and powdered sugar helps create a smooth, fine crumb instead of a chewy cookie.
It’s a soft dough, and yes, it will feel a little sticky before chilling. That’s exactly why the hour in the refrigerator matters so much. Trust me on this one, it makes shaping easier and helps the cookies bake up thick and puffy instead of flat.
What You’ll Need for the Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened so it creams smoothly with the cream cheese.
- 4 oz cream cheese, full-fat block style, softened for the best texture and a light tang.
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sweetens the dough while keeping the crumb soft and delicate.
- 1 large egg, helps bind the dough and adds structure.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, rounds out the flavor and adds warmth.
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, gives the cookies a little lift so they bake up puffy.
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, balances the sweetness and sharpens the flavor.
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, provides structure while still keeping the cookies tender.
The Cinnamon Sugar Coating
This simple coating is what gives the cookies their signature finish. The sugar creates a light crust on the outside, while the cinnamon adds that familiar warm spice that works so well with the cream cheese base.
Because the cookies themselves stay pale and soft, the coating does a lot of the visual and flavor work here. It’s a tiny extra step, but honestly, it’s the best part.
What You’ll Need for the Cinnamon Sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, used to coat the dough balls and create a lightly crisp exterior.
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, adds warm spice and gives the coating its even brown color.
How to Make Cinnamon Cream Cheese Cookies
Cream the Butter and Cream Cheese
Place the softened butter and softened cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer on medium speed to beat them together until the mixture looks smooth, pale, and creamy, with no visible lumps. This step sets up the soft texture, so make sure everything is well blended before moving on.
Add the Sugar and Wet Ingredients
Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed just until combined. Crack in the egg, add the vanilla extract, and mix again until the dough base is smooth and evenly blended. At this point the mixture will look very soft, which is completely normal.
Mix in the Dry Ingredients
Add the baking powder, kosher salt, and all-purpose flour to the bowl. Mix on low speed just until no dry streaks remain, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. The finished dough should be soft, thick, and slightly sticky, not stiff.
Chill the Dough
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 60 minutes. This rest firms up the dough enough to scoop and roll easily, and it helps the cookies hold their shape in the oven. If your kitchen is warm, this step is especially important.
Prepare the Oven and Cinnamon Sugar
Heat the oven to 375°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon until the color is evenly mixed. Having this ready before shaping makes the process quick and less messy.
Shape and Coat the Cookies
Scoop the chilled dough into 1-inch balls, about 2 teaspoons each. Roll each piece gently between your hands, then coat it completely in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each one so they have room to puff and spread slightly.
Bake Until Just Set
Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and just set on top. They should stay fairly pale, so don’t wait for deep browning or you’ll risk overbaking them. The centers will still seem soft when they come out, but they finish setting as they cool.
Cool Before Serving
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes so they can firm up without breaking apart. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, they’ll have a tender, delicate crumb with a light cinnamon sugar crust.
Variations and Customizations
This recipe is pretty straightforward, which is part of the appeal, but there’s still some room to work with what you have. Just keep the basic dough method the same, especially the chill time and the short bake, since those are what give these cookies their soft texture.
- Use the same dough and freeze the shaped, cinnamon sugar coated dough balls for later baking.
- If the dough gets too soft while shaping, chill it again for 10 to 15 minutes before continuing.
- For slightly smaller or more uniform cookies, use a small cookie scoop and keep the dough portions close to 2 teaspoons each.
- For holiday baking, make the dough ahead, chill it, and shape and bake the next day.
Toppings, Add-Ons, and Finishing Touches
These cookies really don’t need much on top because the cinnamon sugar coating already gives them their finished look and flavor. That said, you can dress them up a little if you want them to feel more dessert-tray ready or more festive for sharing.
- A light dusting of powdered sugar after cooling, for a softer, bakery-style finish.
- Extra cinnamon sugar sprinkled lightly over the tops right after baking, if you want a more pronounced coating.
- Serve with coffee or tea, because the soft texture and warm spice pairing is soooo good.
Storing, Reheating, and Meal Prep
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To help keep them soft, add a slice of plain sandwich bread to the container. It’s an old-school trick, but honestly, it works.
For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months and thaw them at room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the shaped, cinnamon sugar coated dough balls and bake them straight from frozen at 375°F for about 11 to 12 minutes. If you’re prepping ahead, keeping the dough chilled until ready to shape makes everything easier.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Cookies
Description
Soft, tender cream cheese cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked until just set. They have a delicate crumb, a light tang from the cream cheese, and a warm cinnamon finish.
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
For the Cinnamon Sugar
Instructions
Cream the butter and cream cheese
-
Place the softened butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer on medium speed to beat until the mixture looks smooth, pale, and creamy, with no lumps remaining.
Add the sugar and wet ingredients
-
Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract, then mix again until the dough base is smooth and evenly blended. It may look very soft at this stage, which is normal.
Mix in the dry ingredients
-
Add the baking powder, kosher salt, and flour to the bowl. Mix on low speed just until no dry streaks remain, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. The dough should be soft, thick, and slightly sticky.
Chill the dough
-
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 60 minutes. This rest helps the dough firm up so the cookies hold their shape and bake into soft, puffy rounds instead of spreading too much.
Prepare the oven and coating
-
Heat the oven to 375 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon until the color is even throughout.
Shape the cookies
-
Scoop the chilled dough into 1 inch balls, about 2 teaspoons each. Roll each piece gently between your hands, then coat it completely in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Arrange the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each one.
Bake the cookies
-
Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and just set on top. They should not brown much, so do not wait for a deep golden color. The centers will still look soft, but they will finish setting as they cool.
Cool before serving
-
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, the texture will be tender and delicate with a light cinnamon sugar crust.
Note
Use full-fat block cream cheese for the best texture. Spreadable tub cream cheese adds extra moisture and can make the cookies flatten. If the dough becomes too soft while shaping, place it back in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes before continuing. Do not overbake these cookies. They are done when they look puffed and set, even if they still seem pale. Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. A slice of plain sandwich bread in the container can help keep them soft. Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the shaped, cinnamon sugar coated dough balls. Bake from frozen at 375 F for about 11 to 12 minutes.
