Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

Okay, I am feeling pretty bad that I haven't posted in so long. Especially since The Girl saw her kindergarten teacher at a ball game the other night and was asked if I still posted recipes on Facebook :) Sorry, Mrs. Luder, I will do better!

I have to give credit to The Boy on this one. He saw the picture of these cookies over at the Picky Palate and talked me into trying them. I have to admit they didn't really call to me and if he hadn't of been standing right next to me, I would have scrolled right on through. So I figured I would make them for Jeff's birthday party and that way, there would be plenty of people to eat them up.

Be warned, this is a pretty involved process; almost as involved as making real cinnamon rolls, so plan accordingly.

Also be warned this recipe makes about a million cookies, so plan accordingly here as well.

Cream together 2 cups sugar and 1 cup butter.

Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla, 3 eggs and 1 cup sour cream.
Slowly add in 2 teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 6 cups flour. That's right, SIX CUPS of flour.

After you empty out your stores of flour, you will want to refrigerate your dough. The directions said at least 2 hours. Mine was in the fridge for a day and a half and it didn't seem like enough. I highly recommend at least overnight. The directions also say to divided your dough into six chunks before chilling it.

Now we are going to roll into a rough rectangle to about 1/8 inch thick. I started out like I would for normal rolled out cookie dough, but soon realized that despite the six cups of flour, this is the stickiest dough ever created and I would NOT be able to just roll it out with just a lightly floured surface. HINT: While you are rolling out the first of your six sections, put the rest of the dough back in the refrigerator.

I ended up rolling the dough out into a long log.
Then to roll it out, I put the log in between two pieces of plastic wrap. This turned out to be a good idea for my second round of refrigeration. Even after dividing the dough into six pieces at the beginning, I still had an enormous rectangle with which to make cookies. Once you have this rolled out, put it on a cookie sheet (you might have to fold it over to fit) and put it in the refrigerator while you roll out the other five sections. I still didn't think this made the dough cold enough to work with, so after I rolled out all the sections, I left it all in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Take out ONE of the rectangles and remove the plastic wrap from the top. Spread the dough with a thin layer of softened butter.

Spread about 1/4 cup of brown sugar onto the dough. I started out "sprinkling," and soon discovered that brown sugar doesn't really "sprinkle."

To fix this dilemma, just rub it in to a thin layer.

Then sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

Now you will have to get the dough rolled up. The stickiness of the dough makes this really, really difficult. This is where the plastic wrap serves it's second purpose. Use it to pull the long end of the dough up to form the roll.

At this point, the dough will have softened enough that it cannot really be sliced into cookies. Put it back in the freezer while you roll up the other five pieces.

Place your slices onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. If you have never used parchment paper before, this is the ideal time to try it. I don't use it very much, but am eternally grateful that I did for these cookies. If you have any slices that do not fit on the cookie sheet, put them back in the fridge until you are ready for the next batch. Betcha didn't see that coming, did you?
Bake (finally) in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes.

I know my mother will be shocked by this one, but while they are baking, mix up a batch of cream cheese icing.
Add enough milk so you can drizzle it over your cookies.

I have to say that even with all the work involved with these cookies, this is a definite keeper. They are so addicting and they really do taste like cinnamon rolls. If that doesn't convince you, I will tell you that I have had more people ask me how to make these cookies than nearly any other one I have. Just know that this is not something you whip up at the last minute. These are more like a rainy Saturday kind of recipe. Oh, and did I mention it makes a LOT of cookies? I think they would freeze well, and probably would be incredible eaten straight out of the freezer.

Click here for Printable Recipe

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

2 Cups sugar
1 Cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup sour cream
6 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons softened butter, (slice 2 Tablespoons 6 times totaling 12 tablespoons)
1 1/2 Cups packed light brown sugar, divided into 1/4 Cups
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided

Frosting
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
2-4 Tablespoons milk, to thin icing

In an electric or stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined. In 2 batches, place in plastic wrap in a disc shape and chill for at least 2 hours for best results. Once chilled, cut each disc into thirds and roll into a 1/8 inch thick oval, about 12 inches X 5 inches. Spread each rolled pieces of dough with 2 Tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 Cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Start rolling from the long end closest to you, rolling into a log shape. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/2 inch pieces of dough then placing onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet. To prepare frosting, beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth, slowly add powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency. Frost cookies then place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Makes at least 6 dozen