These chewy cinnamon cookies come out something like a gingersnap but with that sweet, cozy cinnamon flavor we all love. The chocolate just takes it up a notch. Don't wait for Christmas to make these!
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ Perfect pairings: holiday cookie trays
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
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🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- Crispy edges and chewy middles make these the best cinnamon cookies on the planet.
- I love them for tucking into lunchboxes but they're fabulous for Christmas giving, too.
- Be sure to check out the chart below where I give you the times needed for various textures! You'll get the perfect cookie every time!
Crisp and chewy cinnamon cookies have that nostalgic, fragrant cinnamon spice flavor that somehow makes the most wonderful time of year even more special. Plus, the shiny chocolate finishing glaze is like a big bow on top of a perfectly wrapped present—it doesn't get any better than this.
If you love a chewy cookie you're going to go wild over these cousins to the infamous snickerdoodle cookies!
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
Depending on your definition of the "perfect cookie," you might want to alter the bake time slightly. I've tested this cinnamon sugar cookie recipe to achieve the ideal chewy texture—no matter what "ideal" is for you!
Use this chart to get the cookie texture you like best!
| TIME | TEXTURE |
|---|---|
| 8 minutes | very soft & chewy |
| 8-½ minutes | soft & chewy center; crispy edges |
| 9 minutes | slightly chewy center; mostly crisp |
| 10 minutes | crisp and crunchy |
Here are some other variation ideas:
- You can omit the cayenne from the cinnamon-sugar mixture if you don't like any heat.
- Swap the vanilla extract for a splash of rum or brandy—yum!
- Melt down some white chocolate chips (instead of regular chocolate) if you have a major sweet tooth. It's a little sweeter this way.
- Instead of dipping the cookies in chocolate, drizzle them with cream cheese frosting. It makes them taste like cinnamon rolls! (Keep in mind, anything with cream cheese frosting needs to stay refrigerated.)
- Decorate any way you prefer! Drizzle the cookies with red-tinted chocolate, sprinkle with holiday-colored sanding sugar, add festive sprinkles, or use piping gel to draw creative, personalized designs!
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Cream butter with brown sugar and white sugar, then add eggs.
Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
Form three-dozen cookie dough balls and roll each through the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place two inches apart on parchment paper.
Bake and cool on a wire rack. Dip each chewy cinnamon cookie into chocolate.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
Cinnamon cookies make amazing sandwich cookies! Spread whipped cream cheese frosting between 2 cookies, press together gently, then dip halfway in melted chocolate. SO yummy!
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
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🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for one week. Buttery cookies like these ones stay fresher for longer if they're tightly sealed.
Like most of my favorite cookies, these chewy cinnamon ones can be frozen—baked or unbaked—for three to four months. Be sure to tightly cover the cookies or cookie dough in plastic wrap to shield them from freezer burn and odors.
For delicious cookies with almost no prep, shape the dough into balls before freezing. Then, whenever you're craving this cinnamon cookie recipe, just pull out a few, plop them on a baking tray, and enjoy 10-12 minutes later!
Marye's Tip o' the day
For best results, use a cookie scoop to evenly portion out the cinnamon cookie dough. This ensures each cookie comes out with the same, great texture.
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- You can weigh the dough balls on a food scale to make them the exact same size. I weighed each to 0.5 ounces, which is a scant tablespoon.
- Chilling the dough overnight (before rolling out the balls) makes it easier to work with. If you're going to make the cookies with kids, I'd recommend doing it this way.
- Instead of parchment paper, you can prep your cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat.
- If you prefer the texture of really crinkly crinkle cookies, lower the temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake the cookies for a few minutes more, and see if you prefer them that way.
- For perfectly chewy cinnamon cookies, remove them from the oven once they're puffed and just done. They'll continue to harden a bit out of the oven so don't worry if they're slightly soft at first.
- Don't overbake or you'll lose that chewy texture!
If you like chewy, gooey cookies try these peanut butter Rolo cookies, too.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
You could, but you wouldn't have delicious cinnamon cookies! Baking soda helps the cookies to form and makes them tender. The baking powder makes them rise. Use both and your chewy cinnamon cookies will be perfect!
You can, if you like soft cinnamon cookies. However, the granulated sugar mixture dries out in the oven and makes that thin layer of crispiness that Christmas sugar cookies are known for!
They're similar! These chewy cinnamon cookies have a slightly spicier, warm flavor than a snickerdoodle cookie recipe because of the extra cinnamon in the cookie.
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
For quick room-temperature butter, use the 50% or defrost setting on your microwave at 10-second intervals. Rotate the butter in between each interval until it's soft—but not melted.
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- This Snickerdoodle recipe has been a family tradition for years because they're just that perfect—soft, fluffy, chewy, and crisp around the edges!
- Peppermint Blossom Cookies are easy, fun, and festive! They taste just like the holidays and make great cookie-exchange treats or gifts.
- With pecans, toffee, and butterscotch chips, these Chewy Butterscotch Cookies taste just like Buckaroons—if you're not familiar, you're going to want to be!
🍽️ Perfect pairings: holiday cookie trays
Raspberry thumbprint cookies are delicately flavored with almond and drizzled with white chocolate.
These easy Christmas thumbprint cookies have brightly colored centers made from buttercream.
Hawaiian shortbread cookies are buttery and crumbly with chunks of macadamia nuts in each bite.
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
These freeze so well that there's really no need to figure out how to repurpose them! They're delicious with pumpkin cream cheese dip!
Or, for any that aren't dipped in chocolate, make a crumb crust for your holiday pies.
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
Y'all, I'll be honest - I can't resist a chewy cookie with delicate crispy edges. These are the perfect texture and have a ton of cinnamon flavor. They are so pretty for Christmas but forgo the chocolate dip and the plain cookies are magical with a glass of cold milk any time of the year!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Chewy Cinnamon Cookies
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Spicy Sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne, optional
Chocolate Glaze
- 12 ounces dark chocolate
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
- Add butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Or use a hand held electric mixer.
- Cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix until well blended.
- Stir in flour mixture until the dough comes together and you can't see any streaks of flour.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours, or overnight.
- Mix the cinnamon, sugar, and cayenne in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Gently roll tablespoon-sized pieces of dough (about 0.5 oz each) into a ball.
- Drop each dough ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture and roll around until the dough is covered.
- Place 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Centers will still be soft.
- Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from cookie sheets.
Chocolate Glaze
- Add the chocolate and butter to a microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave on 50% power until melted, stirring every 20 seconds.
- Add cinnamon and cayenne, stirring to blend.
- Dip each cooled cookie halfway into melted chocolate and place on parchment paper to set. Add sprinkles, nuts, or other décor while chocolate is still very soft.
Notes
- Use baking soda and baking powder in this recipe. Baking soda weakens the gluten and that helps the crackles to form properly but it needs the baking powder to rise.
- If your cinnamon cookies don't crinkle enough at 375F try 325F for a longer period of time and see if you like them better.
- Be sure to remove them from the oven when they are puffed and JUST done if you like chewier cookies.
- Chilling the dough overnight will give you an easier dough to work with.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published December 7, 2021. Last updated October 7, 2024 for more tips and information, readability, and editorial improvements.
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Chewy Cinnamon Cookies
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Nena says
Thank you very much for all your wonderful recipes! I am excited to try this Cinnamon cookie!