Frosted Cinnamon Bun Cookies

Brown Butter Cookies//Cinnamon Sugar Chunks//White Chocolate Chunks//Cream Cheese Buttercream

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These Frosted Cinnamon Bun Cookies start with the same brown butter cookie base as my original Cinnamon Bun Cookies — salted browned butter, homemade cinnamon-sugar chunks, and white chocolate pieces — but this time, they get a generous swirl of cream cheese buttercream on top. The result? A Crumble-inspired masterpiece that’s outrageously good in every way: soft, spiced, buttery cookies with tangy-sweet frosting that melts right into the warm cinnamon flavour.

I wanted to give my original recipe its own spotlight first — it’s incredible all on its own — but I couldn’t resist building on it for something even more over-the-top. Think of these as the deluxe version: a bakery-style cookie that feels nostalgic, indulgent, and just a little bit fancy. The kind you’ll want to share… but probably won’t.

Recipe:

Makes 18 large cookies

Notes

• I like to make these cookies a smidge "too salty"on their own, because we're topping them with a sweet cream cheese buttercream. The balance is so good. But if you're skipping the buttercream, skip the added 1/4 tsp of salt (we're already using salted butter).

• If you want to go the extra mile, you can whip up a cream cheese "filling", and then spread it on a lined cutting board just like the cinnamon sugar chunk recipe below and freeze it. Then, cut it into chunks. This would replace the white chocolate chunks. Next time I make these cookies, I'll go that route, and report back here with specific instructions.

  
  

Cinnamon Sugar Chunks

Ingredients

• 90 g butter, room temperature

• 225 g brown sugar

• 4 1/2 tbsp cinnamon (not packed)

• 1/4 + 1/8 tsp salt (pink Himalayan)

Instructions

1. Place butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan, set over medium-low heat. Stir often until the butter is melted and mixed in.

2. Turn off the heat, and mix in the cinnamon and salt.

3. Pour this onto a small baking tray or cutting board lined with parchment paper, and place it in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.

4. Once solid, cut it into chunks. Put it back in the freezer until you're ready to use them.

Cinnamon Bun Cookies

Ingredients

• 300 g salted butter, any temperature

• 375 g all-purpose flour

• 3/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt (pink Himalayan)

• 350 g sugar

• 1 egg, room temperature

• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 175 g white chocolate

• The Cinnamon Sugar Chunks (recipe above)

Instructions

1. Place butter in a medium sized saucepan. Brown the butter over medium heat. [If you don’t know how to do this: cook, stirring occasionally for about 7 minutes, until the butter is a caramel colour and smells nutty.] Once done, immediately remove it from the heat, and pour it into a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate, until the butter resembles a room-temperature state (is no longer a liquid, but is not hard).

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and ensure that 2 oven racks are positioned in the middle. Line 2-4 baking trays with parchment paper, just depending on your preferences outlined below (step 13).

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. Once the butter has returned to a room-temperature state, remove it from the fridge. Beat on high speed with an electric mixer for 3 minutes.

5. Add sugar, and beat for 3 more minutes on high.

6. Add the egg, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.

7. Add in the flour mixture. Beat on low until just combined.

8. Chop the white chocolate into chunks, and add it to the cookie dough. Add in the cinnamon sugar chunks. Beat on low until just combined.

9. Scoop then roll cookie dough into 18 balls, 85 g each. Your last cookie will be closer to 75 g.

10. Place the cookies on baking trays. Keep it to 4 cookies per tray, to avoid them melting into each other.

11. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the tops look just set. This will yield a slightly crunchy exterior, and chewy + gooey centre.

12. Remove from oven. If you want to be a perfectionist (hi, this includes me!), grab a bowl that has a slightly larger circumference than that of the cookies. Place it on top of each cookie, upside down, and gently make swirling/circular motions on the tray. The cookie will hit the sides of the bowl, and this will bring in the edges, creating a perfect circle of a cookie! Boom.

13. Let the cookies cool on the tray for 3-4 minutes, then transfer them to cooling racks using a spatula. (You can either wait these 3-4 minutes and re-use the same trays for the next round of dough, or just line extra trays.)

14. Proceed to making the cream cheese buttercream.

Cream Cheese Buttercream

Ingredients

• 100 g butter, room temperature

• 200 g cream cheese, room temperature

• 450 g powdered sugar

• 1/4 + 1/8 tsp salt (pink Himalayan)

• 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat on high speed with an electric mixer for 3 minutes.

2. Sift in the powdered sugar. Add in the salt. Beat on high speed for 3 more minutes.

3. Add in the vanilla extract, and beat on high for 1 more minute.

Assembly

You'll need:

• The cookies, fully cooled

• The Cream Cheese Buttercream

• A piping bag

• A spoon (optional)

• Cinnamon

Instructions

1. Fill your piping bag, and cut off the tip.

2. Pipe buttercream on the cookies. Swirl with a spoon if desired.

3. Top each with a dash of cinnamon.

4. Enjoy!

Important storage note: Because these cookies have cream cheese buttercream, it's best food safety practice to store them in an airtight container in the fridge if you're not eating them the day of or within 24 hours in a cool kitchen. In that case, be sure to take them out of the fridge for a bit to let them soften back up before enjoying.

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