butterhäus
No. 1

Cinnamon Bun Cookies

The Definitive Version

Makes about 20

A cinnamon roll in drop-cookie form: brown-butter cream cheese dough ribboned with a cheesecake-cinnamon swirl — the roll's filling and frosting fused into one tangy, clove-warmed ribbon, everything inside the cookie.

Ingredients

20 cookies

The Cheesecake-Cinnamon Ribbon

The Dough

House rule: amounts always stay in kitchen fractions, even scaled. Round eggs to the nearest whole in practice.

Method

  1. 1

    Grind the spices

    Blitz cinnamon sticks and the whole cloves together in a spice grinder until fine; sift out any coarse bits. Measure 1 Tbsp for the ribbon and 1 tsp for the dough.

  2. 2

    Make the ribbon

    Beat all ribbon ingredients into a thick, stiff, spreadable paste. Keep it cool — refrigerate if the kitchen is warm; it must stay firm enough to ribbon.

  3. 3

    Brown the butter

    Set aside a quarter of the butter. Brown the rest over medium heat, swirling, until the milk solids are deep golden and nutty, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and stir in the reserved cold butter to melt it; cool to just warm.

    3:00
  4. 4

    Whisk the dry ingredients

    Whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 3 Tbsp buttermilk powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

  5. 5

    Beat in cream cheese and sugars

    Add 4 oz cream cheese, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar to the warm butter. Beat until completely smooth and lump-free, 1–2 minutes.

    1:30
  6. 6

    Add the wet ingredients

    Beat in the egg, yolk, and 2 tsp vanilla until glossy.

  7. 7

    Combine and add white chocolate

    Add the dry mixture and mix on low just until no dry streaks remain, then fold in 3/4 cup white chocolate. Do not overmix.

  8. 8

    Fold in the ribbon (3–4 strokes only)

    Dollop the ribbon paste in spoonfuls over the dough, then fold with a spatula ONLY 3–4 big strokes — thick tangy-cinnamon ribbons and pockets, not a blended dough.

  9. 9

    Chill the dough

    Cover and refrigerate 1–2 hours until firm (up to 48 hours — the flavor deepens). Mandatory with the cream cheese and browned butter.

    60:00
  10. 10

    Scoop and bake

    Scoop 2-Tbsp balls straight down through the streaks, 2 inches apart on parchment. Bake at 350°F for 11–13 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look soft. Nudge any leaked ribbon back in with a spatula while hot.

    12:00
  11. 11

    Cool

    Rest on the pan 5 minutes, then cool on a rack. The ribbon sets gooey-creamy as it cools.

    5:00

Notes

The cornstarch and flour together bind the cream cheese's water so the ribbon streaks instead of smearing or leaking; if the paste slackens, chill it 15 minutes before folding. Freshly grinding the cinnamon keeps volatile oils pre-ground has lost, and the four cloves read as warmth, not clove. Beat the dough's cream cheese fully smooth; add 1–2 Tbsp flour if the dough is sticky after chilling. Store airtight 2–3 days at room temperature or up to 5 refrigerated (8 seconds in the microwave revives the gooey ribbon). Dough freezes 2–3 months.