Birthday cookie cinnamon rolls are the perfect breakfast celebration treat! Fluffy cinnamon rolls are filled with a layer of chewy birthday cookie and topped with vanilla icing.
Why you'll love this recipe
Flavor/texture: The perfect combination of fluffy cinnamon rolls and baked, chewy cookies. I've added my Birthday Cake Cookies to the middle of a simple cinnamon dough to make the ultimate birthday breakfast treat. They're sweet, buttery, and filled with rainbow sprinkles!
Birthday cookie filling: A standard chewy cookie base made with almond extract, vanilla extract, white chocolate chips, and rainbow sprinkles to recreate that classic vanilla birthday cake flavor.
One rise: There's only one, 60-minute rise because we're using instant yeast.
Yield: 9 rolls
Similar to: Homemade Cinnamon Rolls and Strawberry Sweet Rolls
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Ingredients and substitutions
Cinnamon rolls:
- Yeast - You'll need one packet of instant yeast for this recipe. Check the expiration date on your yeast to ensure it's not out of date. Old yeast can prevent your rolls from rising as they should.
- Dry ingredients - All-purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt. I've only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour. If you have a different type of flour on hand, search for a recipe that's developed to use that flour.
- Wet ingredients - Butter, egg, milk, and granulated sugar add moisture and flavor to the dough. Unsalted butter can be substituted with salted butter if desired. Whole milk works best for moist, tender cinnamon rolls, but can be substituted with low fat milk in a pinch.
- Icing ingredients - A simple vanilla icing is made with confectioner's sugar, milk, and vanilla. Don't use granulated sugar, it will make your icing grainy.
Cookie filling:
- Dry ingredients - All-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. I haven't tested this recipe with other types of flour, so I don't recommend making a substitution here (it's often not a simple 1:1 swap).
- Wet ingredients - Melted butter, egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, almond extract, and vanilla extract add flavor and moisture to the cookie dough. The combination of extracts creates that classic birthday cake flavor, so I don't recommend omitting either of these ingredients.
- Mix-ins - Sprinkles and white chocolate chips are needed as mix-ins for our cookie filling. If you'd like to make a traditional chocolate chip cookie filling, omit the sprinkles and almond extract and use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead.
How to make birthday cinnamon rolls
- Warm up milk and butter to 110F and whisk in yeast.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until a sticky dough forms.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes, or until no longer sticky.
- Rest for 10 minutes.
- While dough rests, mix cookie dough in a bowl and set aside.
- Roll out dough into a 9x14 rectangle and press cookie dough on top.
- Starting at the long edge, roll into a log.
- Use a serrated knife to slice into 9 rolls.
- Place rolls into a lightly greased 9x9 pan.
- Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour.
- Bake until rolls reach 195-200F in the center. They'll look golden brown across the top.
- Top with icing and optionally, more sprinkles.
Heather's Top Tip
An instant-read thermometer is an essential kitchen tool. Use it to test the temperature of your milk (prevents ruining the yeast) and again to test the doneness of your cinnamon rolls (prevents doughy or dry results).
Tips and tricks
Knead until no longer sticky - Knead the dough using the heels of your hands on a lightly-floured countertop. Keep kneading until the dough no longer feels sticky and begins to form a smooth ball. Add more flour to your counter top as needed during this step.
Rise until doubled in size - During the 60-90 minute rise, your dough will double in size. I recommend storing your rolls in a room temperature or slightly warmer environment for best results. If the environment is very cold, your dough will take longer to rise.
Testing for doneness - Visually, your cinnamon rolls will look golden brown and set across the tops. The cookie dough will look completely baked throughout, not wet or doughy. If you have an instant-read thermometer, test the center of the middle cinnamon roll. They're done when they reach 195-200F.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. After assembling your birthday rolls, cover and transfer to the refrigerator to rise overnight (this replaces the 60-90 minute rise). In the morning while your oven preheats, allow the rolls to warm up on the counter top before baking. I also include these directions in the recipe card notes below.
Birthday cookie cinnamon rolls will keep for 2-3 days at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months. I've included directions in the recipe card below on how to freeze baked or raw rolls for optimal results.
They will turn out doughy if they're undercooked. I recommend testing your rolls with an instant-read thermometer to ensure they've reached 195-200F in the center before removing them from the oven to cool.
No, the cookie dough will bake into a solid, baked cookie swirl throughout the cinnamon rolls. If your cookie filling looks raw, your cinnamon rolls need more time in the oven.
Yes! Simply omit the almond extract and rainbow sprinkles, and use chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Birthday Cookie Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 ¾ cups (330 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) whole milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, one standard packet
- 1 large egg, room temperature
Cookie filling
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (106 g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ½ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup (40 g) rainbow sprinkles
- 1 cup (170 g) white chocolate chips
Icing
- 1 cup (113 g) confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Dough
- Lightly grease a 9x9 square baking dish or 9-10 inch round cake or pie pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add milk and butter. Microwave in 20 second increments until butter has melted and mixture is warm to the touch, but not hot (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Whisk in yeast and continue whisking until yeast has dissolved. Pour yeast mixture into dry ingredients. Add the egg and stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until a soft dough forms.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes, or until dough looks smooth (not sticky).
- Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, lightly cover, and allow to rise for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the cookie filling.
Cookie filling
- In a large bowl, add melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Stir to combine. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract and stir until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually stir dry ingredients into butter mixture until just combined. Add sprinkles and white chocolate chips and gently stir until just combined. Set aside
- Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 14x9 rectangle.
- Spread cookie dough filling out over dough.
- Starting at the long 14 inch side, roll dough up into a log. Using a serrated knife, slice into 9 even rolls and place into prepared baking dish.
- Lightly cover and allow rolls to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes, or until they've doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven.
- Transfer dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown across the top and rolls reach 195-200 degrees Fahrenheit in the center (use an instant read thermometer to test internal temperature). If rolls are browning too quickly, lightly tent with foil for the remaining baking time.
- While the rolls bake, prepare the icing.
Icing
- In a small bowl, add confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Whisk until smooth.
- Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls and serve immediately.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Overnight directions: After assembling the cinnamon rolls, cover and transfer to the refrigerator to rise overnight (this replaces the 60-90 minute rise). In the morning, remove cinnamon rolls from the refrigerator and uncover while the oven preheats. Bake as directed in the recipe card above.
- Leftovers: Store leftover cinnamon rolls covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- Freezing baked rolls: Baked cinnamon rolls freeze well and keep for up to 3 months.
- Freezing unbaked cinnamon rolls: Follow the directions above for assembly and rising, using a disposable foil pan (or other freezer-safe pan you don't mind freezing for a while). Bake your cinnamon rolls at 350F for 15 minutes. They should look risen and par-cooked, but not yet browned. Cool completely, then cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Transfer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. In the morning, preheat your oven to 350F and bake for the remaining 20-25 minutes.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!