Cinnamon biscuits
The first time I made these cinnamon cookies, I burned the first batch. I had started on the icing, thinking I had plenty of time, and forgot about them. I learned the hard way that you can't joke around with just 2 minutes over the baking time – they brown quickly. Since then, I make these cookies almost every December, not just because they fill the house with the scent of cinnamon, but because they're easy to make, stress-free, and perfect with morning coffee or whenever unexpected guests drop by.
Let me tell you what to expect if you decide to make them: from a simple dough with basic ingredients, you get cookies that last for weeks, they don’t harden unnecessarily, and I think they actually taste better after a couple of days. You don’t need any special shapes, but if you have them, you can make all sorts of festive figures. I always mess up a star or two during the transfer, but no one cries over it.
Preparation time: 20 minutes to prepare the dough and cut out the shapes, plus another 10-12 minutes to bake each tray. In total, with icing and letting them cool, it takes about an hour to an hour and a half if you take it easy and chat with someone on the phone.
You’ll get about 2 full trays, which means around 35-45 cookies, depending on how thick you make them and what shapes you use. They’re not complicated at all; you don’t need to be a kitchen artist – if you know how to beat an egg and roll out dough, you’re good to go.
Ingredients, seriously, nothing fancy:
- 250 g butter (or margarine, but it’s really better with butter; I don’t know why anyone would complicate things with margarine)
- 1 medium egg
- 150 g sugar (white, but brown works too if you want a caramel flavor)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- a pinch of salt (makes a difference; without salt, they taste bland)
- 1 vial of vanilla essence or a packet (or whatever you have; I usually use liquid extract)
- 2 good teaspoons of ground cinnamon (if you can handle it, you can even put 2 and a half)
- about 500 g all-purpose flour (I always start with 400-450 g and add more by eye as I knead)
Icing:
- 20 teaspoons powdered sugar (about 100 g, but I don’t always measure to the gram)
- about 1/4 lemon juice (I squeeze half and add gradually to avoid making the icing too runny)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- colored sprinkles for decoration (optional, but if you want them to look more festive or have kids around, they love this)
The role of each ingredient: butter makes them tender, sugar gives flavor and color, the egg binds everything together, baking powder helps keep them from being rock-hard, salt enhances the flavors, vanilla and cinnamon do all the magic, and flour holds everything together and gives the right texture. The icing is just for those who want something sweet and crunchy on top; honestly, the cookies are great on their own.
Preparation method, exactly how I do it:
1. Take the butter out of the fridge – it needs to be soft, at room temperature, so you can easily cream it. If you forgot it in the fridge, cut it into small cubes and leave it on the counter for 10-15 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, add the butter, sugar, and egg. Mix with a whisk or a mixer (if I’m feeling lazy). It doesn’t have to become fluffy, but the mixture should be fairly homogeneous, without large chunks of butter.
3. Add the salt, vanilla essence, baking powder, and cinnamon. Incorporate well with the whisk, making sure there are no lumps of cinnamon in the dough. If you’re using quality cinnamon, don’t let it sit in contact with the liquid too long; I once had it turn slightly bitter because I forgot to mix well.
4. Start adding the flour, but not all at once. Add about 350-400 g, mixing first with a wooden spoon, and when it gets too thick, switch to your hands. If it’s too sticky, add more flour until you get a soft dough that doesn’t stick too much to your hands.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead a little to incorporate the remaining flour. This is where you can tell if you need a bit more flour or not. Don’t knead too much, just enough to bring the dough together. If it’s still sticking a lot to your fingers, add another spoonful of flour, but don’t overdo it – the softer the dough, the more tender the cookies.
6. Let the dough rest on the work surface for about 15-20 minutes. It doesn’t have to be in the fridge; it’s fine on my counter – this gives the flour time to settle and makes it easier to roll out.
7. Sprinkle more flour on the surface, roll out the dough to about 4-5 mm thick (not to the millimeter, just by eye), then cut out shapes. If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can use a glass or a knife. Gather the leftovers after cutting, roll them out again – until you finish all the dough.
8. Transfer the shapes to trays lined with baking paper. Leave a little space between them; they don’t expand too much, but don’t stick them together.
9. The oven should be preheated to 175°C (static, not fan-assisted). Place the tray in the middle of the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, no longer! When you see the edges start to brown slightly, take them out – don’t wait for them to get too brown, or they’ll become too hard when they cool.
10. Let the cookies cool completely on a rack or a cool tray. If you pour the icing over them while they’re still hot, it won’t hold; it will melt instantly.
11. For the icing, in a bowl, mix the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice gradually, stirring with a spoon. The icing should be thick but flow slowly. If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar; if it’s too thick, a few drops of lemon juice.
12. I ice them with a teaspoon or a brush, without stressing over perfection. I immediately sprinkle colored sprinkles on top so they stick – if you delay, it hardens and nothing will stick to it.
13. Let the cookies sit on the baking paper until the icing hardens – it takes about 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness.
14. Once they are completely cool and the icing has hardened, I store them in metal tins or large jars. I don’t seal them tightly until I’m sure they’re cool to avoid condensation.
I make these cookies multiple times a year, not just for the holidays, because they save me when I don’t have dessert, they’re great for kids’ school lunches, and they last a long time. Plus, they’re easy to customize with all sorts of icing or spices. They help me when I know I’m going to have guests or need to bring something homemade to someone; they’re more appreciated than any store-bought sweets. They’re quick to make, and they don’t mess up my plans if someone drops by unexpectedly.
Tips, variations, and serving ideas
Useful tips:
- Don’t go overboard with the flour – if it feels sticky, have patience; don’t just dump in flour, or they’ll become tough and dry out quickly.
- Let the cookies cool before icing them; otherwise, everything slides off and looks messy.
- If you plan to make them with kids, let them decorate however they want; don’t stress if they don’t look like the ones in magazines; they taste the same.
- If you forget the tray in the oven and they brown on the edges, don’t throw them away – they become great for dipping in milk or coffee.
- Don’t stack them when they’re hot, or they will stick together.
Substitutions and adaptations:
- You can use margarine for a vegan version, but the texture is slightly different.
- For gluten-free: use gluten-free flour (the kind for baking, not the all-purpose type). Be careful not to make the dough too dry; add a bit more butter if needed.
- Sugar can be replaced with brown sugar for a more intense flavor or with honey (just a portion, or they’ll turn out too soft).
- Vanilla essence can be replaced with orange or rum.
- For an egg-free version, I’ve tried using plant-based milk – 2-3 tablespoons instead of the egg, it works fine, just a bit crunchier.
Recipe variations:
- You can add ground cloves or a pinch of nutmeg to the dough if you like strong flavors.
- You can also toss in some raisins or small pieces of chocolate into the dough; they turn out slightly different but still good.
- For the icing, you can add a splash of almond extract or orange liqueur for adults.
Serving ideas:
- With black tea or strong coffee, they are perfect.
- On festive platters alongside other butter or nut cookies.
- I sometimes use them as a base for a quick dessert: two cookies with cream cheese in between.
- For kids, we hang them on the tree with ribbons if they don’t manage to eat them all first.
Frequently asked questions
1. How long do the cookies last after making them?
A: I keep them easily for 2-3 weeks in metal tins, sometimes even a month. They stay soft if not exposed to air. If they become hard after a while, pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds or leave them in a bag with an apple slice; they’ll soften up.
2. Can I freeze the dough or the baked cookies?
A: Yes, I’ve frozen the dough wrapped in foil, portioned, for up to 2 months – when defrosting, let it sit at room temperature and roll it out normally. Baked cookies last about 2 months in the freezer; thaw them at room temperature, and they won’t become soggy.
3. Why did my dough stick to the surface, and I can’t cut out shapes?
A: Generally, if the butter was too soft or you used a large egg, you need more flour. Pop the dough in the fridge for 10 minutes; it will firm up and roll out easier. If that doesn’t work, sprinkle more flour on the surface and on the rolling pin.
4. Can I skip the icing?
A: Definitely, they’re very good even without icing. I sometimes leave them plain, especially if no one wants them too sweet. The icing is just for effect and for those who want something crunchy and sweet on top.
5. What should I do if I don’t have special shapes?
A: No problem, you can use a shot glass, a knife, or even cut them by hand – it’s no tragedy. The cookies don’t know they’re not in star or bell shapes.
Nutritional values (approximate, per cookie, if you make about 40 from a batch)
- Calories: about 90-100 kcal per piece (with icing)
- Protein: 1-1.5 g
- Fat: 4-5 g (mostly from butter)
- Carbohydrates: 12-13 g
- Sugars: 4-5 g
They are quite energizing; they’re not exactly diet food, but you won’t overdo it with one or two cookies. If you make them smaller or skip the icing, you’ll reduce the calories. With whole wheat flour or brown sugar, they have a slightly lower glycemic index, but they still remain a treat. For kids, 2-3 pieces for a snack are fine; they won’t go overboard on sugar.
How to store and reheat them
I keep them in metal tins or large jars with lids, in a cool place (not in the fridge; they don’t need that). I don’t stack them until they are completely cool and the icing is set. If they start to harden too much, I put them in a thick bag with a piece of apple; the next day they’re soft again. To reheat, I pop a few in the oven for 2 minutes at 120°C or 10 seconds in the microwave – no more, or they’ll get soft and then harden even more after cooling.
These are the kind of cookies you can prepare a few days before the holidays; it’s no drama if you forget them for two or three days in the tin. With coffee, tea, or mulled wine, they taste just as good as on the first day.
We put the butter, sugar, and egg in a bowl and mix with a whisk. Then we gradually add the salt, essence, baking powder, and cinnamon powder. Finally, we gradually incorporate the flour, about three-quarters, after which we pour it onto a floured surface and incorporate the rest of the flour. We let the dough rest on the work surface for about 20 minutes. We roll out the dough on the floured surface and cut out stars and bells, which we place on trays lined with parchment paper. We bake them in a preheated oven at 175 degrees for 10-12 minutes. We take them out of the oven and let them cool. We prepare the glaze (I made it in two batches because it hardens and is harder to work with when it's set) by mixing the sugar with cinnamon and lemon juice. We obtain a glaze that we spread with a teaspoon or a brush on our shapes. We immediately sprinkle colorful sprinkles. We place the glazed shapes on platters or on the table and let the glaze harden. We keep the cookies in metal boxes. They can last this way for 2-3 weeks or even longer.
Ingredients: 250 g butter or margarine, 1 egg, 150 g sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, a pinch of salt, 1 vanilla essence, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, approximately 500 g flour. Glaze: approximately 20 teaspoons powdered sugar, approximately 1/4 lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, colored candies for decoration.
