Warm, comforting cinnamon and rich butter create the ideal holiday treat! These cinnamon shortbread cookies are simple to make and delicious. This sweet and buttery dessert is a fun twist on the classic shortbread cookie!
vegan • dairy free • egg free • low waste
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If shortbread and snickerdoodle cookies had a baby, it would be these cinnamon shortbread cookies. They are absolutely delicious and the perfect combination of buttery shortbread with the warmth of cinnamon and sugar.
Less of a cinnamon fan? Check out these walnut shortbread cookies for a delicious alternative!
📝 quick recipe overview
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Taste: Sweet, buttery, warm
- Waste: Low waste
- Sustainability: Moderate
- Cleanup: Moderate
- Ingredients: Common, easy to source
- Equipment: Moderate (requires mixer)
- Time: Just under 2 hours
- Kid-friendly: Yes
💛 what you'll love about this cinnamon shortbread cookie recipe
Flavor and texture. While the flavor and texture is simple, they are swoon-worthy in this recipe. When you pair a melt-in-your-mouth texture with flavor undertones of butter, spicy and warm cinnamon, and a sweetness made more complex with both light brown sugar as well as granulated, you get (dare we say) the perfect holiday cookie. 😉
Baking aromas. If you're a fan of warm, comforting aromas wafting through the house, this recipe is a must-try. While I wish you could smell and taste this through the screen, I'll settle for you giving this a try for yourself.
Low waste. Almost every shortbread cookie in the modern era calls for wrapping shortbread cookie dough in plastic wrap to refrigerate. Not this one! We're always looking for low-waste alternatives, and this is no exception. Use compostable parchment paper or a linen towel instead...no plastic here!
Easy to make. These cookies just require a little patience while you let the dough rest in the refrigerator. You can even make these by hand, but we recommend a stand or hand mixer to make the dough quickly. This cinnamon shortbread cookie recipe is great to make with kids, too!
🥣 ingredient notes
All-purpose flour. Use the scoop method when measuring the flour. There's no need for a specialty flour. Unbleached, all-purpose flour is what we recommend. If you can get an organic version, even better!
Vegan butter. In the notes of the recipe, I go into a little more detail about salted vs unsalted. If you can bake with unsalted, that's what I would recommend. Salted is easier to find in my area at the time of this post, so the recipe was developed using salted butter. See the recipe notes for making measurement adjustments. Make sure your butter is at room temperature, but not melting.
Ground cinnamon. The ground cinnamon adds a hint of warm spiciness to the cookies and is incorporated in both the dough as well as a cinnamon-sugar topping.
Light brown sugar. Organic light brown sugar is the most vegan-friendly option in the United States. I suggest an organic version that supports regenerative farming practices. Here's a link to view what was used in the development of this recipe (affiliate link).
I love adding a little light brown sugar to these cookies for added depth of flavor that complements the cinnamon and creates a hint of caramel.
Granulated sugar. Again, organic keeps this recipe vegan-friendly to avoid the process of running the sugar through bone char. See the above link to view one option.
Granulated sugar is one of the staple ingredients of a shortbread cookie. We reduce the amount used in the dough to accommodate the light brown sugar, but more is added to the cookies with the cinnamon-sugar topping that coats the cookies.
Salt. Use a fine-grained sea salt. There should be no issue with pink Himalayan salt, if that's what you have handy. The only salt I would avoid is coarse sea salt because it won't distribute as evenly. That, and no black salt...but that should be obvious (I hope 😂).
🔪 equipment notes
Stand or hand mixer. While not required, it does give your arm a break and speeds up the preparation process. If using a stand mixer, keep it on the lowest setting to avoid overmixing.
Measuring cups and spoons. You only need measuring cups for dry ingredients (as opposed to liquid).
Spatula or spoon. I like using a straight-edge spatula, like this one from Earlywood (affiliate link).
Whisk. A small whisk is perfect for this, or a larger balloon whisk will work as well. We use this to make sure the dry ingredients are evenly distributed and the cinnamon-sugar topping doesn't contain any pesky clumps.
Rolling pin. The rolling pin is optional, and only necessary if you plan to use cookie cutters.
Knife or cookie cutters. If shaping your shortbread into a log, a knife is needed to cut the cookies for baking. Otherwise, roll out the dough and use cookie cutters to create the cookie shapes you desire.
Baking sheet. The cookies won't spread, so a medium-sized baking sheet is more than fine.
Parchment paper. Instead of wrapping the dough in plastic wrap to rest in the refrigerator, you can use parchment paper. Just make sure all the dough is protected with by the parchment. Plus, you can use the same parchment piece to bake the cookies.
Bonus points if you use a compostable version, like the If You Care brand linked here (affiliate link)!
🧑🏽🍳 instruction notes
Whisk together dry ingredients and the cinnamon-sugar topping and set aside. Preparing these before creaming the butter and sugar will help you move faster from one step to the next, which is helpful when making shortbread where you want to avoid overmixing or warming up the butter too much.
Cream together vegan butter, sugar, and pure vanilla extract. If using a stand mixer, keep it on the lowest setting and cream together until these ingredients are thoroughly combined (no large bits of butter remaining). The texture should be relatively uniform. Be careful not to overmix at this step to prevent the butter from melting and creating a dough that's too soft.
Slowly add flour mixture. Keep the mixer on its lowest setting and mix only until the flour is incorporated into the wet ingredients and no white pockets of flour are remaining. The dough should be crumbly.
Gently knead into a ball or log and wrap with parchment paper before placing in the refrigerator to cool for an hour. Using your hands, transfer the crumbly dough to your parchment paper and gently knead until it can be shaped into a log or ball. Wrap in the parchment paper, twisting or folding the ends of the parchment so the dough isn't exposed to air. Then, allow it to rest in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Roll out the dough, or keep in a log and slice. If rolling the dough out for your cookie cutters, be prepared to let it warm a little before it's malleable enough to roll. Make sure you've lightly floured your rolling pin. Work quickly so the dough doesn't become too warm and loose its shape.
Press the cookies into the cinnamon-sugar mixture until both sides are coated. Alternatively, you can sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top of the cookies, but you will get more coverage if you press both sides of the cookies into the topping.
Use parchment paper from the refrigerator step to line your baking sheet and top with your cookies. Make sure you don't have large crumbs remaining on the parchment (those should be part of your cookies!). After adding the cinnamon-sugar coating, the cookies can be arranged on the same piece of parchment paper for baking.
Bake for 11 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown. Place on the center rack and stay close to monitor. Oven temperatures can vary, despite what the screen or dial of your oven tells you. Once the edges start turning a light golden brown, remove from the oven. They will continue baking for a few minutes as they cool.
Remove from oven to cool and sprinkle with additional cinnamon sugar, if desired. If you have any cinnamon-sugar left over and would like to sprinkle a little more, do so while they're still warm!
Recipe
Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 stand or hand mixer with paddle attachment; mixer is optional
- measuring cups and spoons
- whisk
- baking sheet
- knife or cookie cutters
- 1 Rolling Pin optional, if using cookie cutter designs
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookies
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 141g, unbleached
- ½ cup vegan butter* 112g, room temperature, I used salted
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar 26g, organic preferred
- 2 tablespoon light brown sugar 19g, organic preferred, lightly packed and leveled
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2g
- ¼ teaspoon salt 2g
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1g, leveled
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 13g, organic preferred
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1g, leveled
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, salt, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.1 cup all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Whisk together granulated sugar and ground cinnamon for topping. Set aside.1 tablespoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- In the bowl of your stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and pure vanilla extract just until combined. Avoid overmixing at this step.½ cup vegan butter*, 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 tablespoon light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- With your mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture until just combined. The dough should be crumbly. Use your hand to gently knead the dough until it can be molded into a log or dough ball.
- Place the dough ball in the middle of your parchment paper and wrap in parchment paper, ensuring the dough is completely covered. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove from refrigerator and use a lightly-floured rolling pin to roll dough into a sheet ¼-inch thick. If you created a log shape, you can skip this step. See notes for steps to take if the dough is too stiff when removed from the refrigerator.
- Use your cookie cutters to stamp out cookie shapes, or use your knife to slice cylinders ¼-inch thick. Take pieces and press them into the cinnamon sugar topping mixture and lightly coat all sides.
- Transfer your parchment paper to your baking sheet and place cookies on parchment paper. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon sugar, if desired.
- Bake for 11 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies turn a light brown. They will continue baking for a few minutes after you remove from the oven.
- While cooling, sprinkle with additional cinnamon sugar topping, if desired. Transfer to a cooling rack after 10 minutes to continue cooling. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to one week.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
🧊 storage
Immediate use. Store the cookies in an airtight container and enjoy within a week to ten days. If you need to extend their viability to a little over a week, refrigerate them in their airtight container.
Long-term storage. Save in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
✅ acceptable substitutions and variations
Coconut sugar in place of light brown sugar. This will adjust the flavor of the recipe and add a flavor with caramel notes as opposed to the molasses notes of light brown sugar.
Spices. Put your own spin on these cookies by adjusting the spices. Consider some nutmeg, allspice, or ginger...to name a few! If you incorporate with the cinnamon, I recommend using ¼ teaspoon of additional spice to maintain a balance between the buttery flavor and the spices.
♻️ sustainability profile
sourcing
Sugar. Sugarcane production is largely harmful to the environment, and non-organic sugar in the United States isn't considered safe for vegans. I recommend buying organic sugar when possible, and sugar that is sourced from farms using regenerative practices to protect soil and ecosystem health. If you'd like to learn more, take a peek at this article discussing regenerative agriculture for sugarcane.
If you're a coconut sugar fan, you can also consider using coconut sugar in place of the light brown sugar called for in the recipe.
Vanilla extract. I have two brands of vanilla extract that I highly recommend: (1) Vanilla Bean Project Organic Extract and (2) Frontier Co-Op Organic Vanilla Extract (affiliate links). The vanilla extract is delicious and aromatic, so will take baked goods to the next level, all while providing a product that's sourced responsibly. Production of vanilla bean, like many crops, is susceptible to soil degradation thanks to monoculture, habitat loss due to deforestation, and even pesticide use.
Learn more about the Vanilla Bean Project's initiatives in my Eco-Friendly Gift Guide. I think you'll see why their efforts are worth supporting!
Vegan butter. Opting for a non-dairy butter is automatically supporting the environment because the dairy industry has major negative impacts on our environment and dairy butter puts a greater strain on the earth than non-dairy options. Of course, vegan butter isn't perfect...but this is a "don't let perfect be the enemy of the good" situation. If you'd like to learn more, this advice column provides a bit more detail comparing dairy and non-dairy butter.
low waste
Parchment paper. We use a compostable, biodegradable parchment paper by If You Care, that doesn't contain many of the chemicals in traditional parchment paper. While it is coated with silicone, it doesn't contain PFAs above the 10mm threshold, is chlorine-free, and made from 100% wood pulp.
We use parchment paper in this recipe not only for baking, but also wrapping the dough for its time in the refrigerator. You can use a linen towel to wrap the dough, if desired, but don't put the towel in the oven for baking! We prefer the use of parchment paper over that of plastic wrap because of its ability to biodegrade after use.
Leftover cinnamon sugar. If you have any cinnamon sugar leftover, repurpose it instead of washing it down the drain! I enjoy keeping it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and sprinkling it over steel cut oats in the morning.
❓ frequently asked questions
Can you add cinnamon to shortbread?
Yes, you can add spices like cinnamon to shortbread both within the dough itself and as a topping. To incorporate into the dough, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients and whisk together so they are fully incorporated. This helps prevent clumping when combined with the wet ingredients. You can also sprinkle cinnamon over shortbread prior to and just after baking.
What not to do while making shortbread?
The two primary culprits that will negatively impact shortbread are (1) allowing the dough to get too soft from overmixing, starting with warm butter, or overkneading when removed from the refrigerator and (2) overbeating the dough with a hand or stand mixer to develop gluten and create dense discs of cookies instead of a tender crumb. When the dough is too warm, the cookies are more likely to spread while baking and you won't get the crisp edges of a traditional shortbread cookie.
Is powdered sugar or granulated sugar better for shortbread cookies?
Both powdered sugar and granulated sugar will work for shortbread cookie recipes, but will result in a slightly different texture. Powdered sugar has a finer grain, so typically results in a more tender crumb. Granulated sugar will create a more a little more crunch due to the larger crystals that don't fully dissolve into the dough. Either sugar is delicious and you can experiment with both to determine the texture that's right for you!
Should you chill shortbread dough before baking?
Yes, it is recommended to allow shortbread dough to chill before baking. The cooler temperature not only helps prevent the cookies from spreading in the oven, but makes it easier to work with when cutting cookie shapes. If the dough becomes too warm, the cookies will lose their beautiful crisp edges that display a beautiful shortbread texture and are more likely to break when manipulated.
more cinnamon desserts
Wendy/HappyAppleVegan says
What a blissful snickerdoodle-shortbread balance! All the warm cinnamon spice--and such a fun bonus that they can be cut into shapes!
Melanie Lorick says
Thanks so much, Wendy!! This was a fun recipe to create (and taste test...😂). I love the flavors, but the aromas it creates while baking are *almost* my favorite part. I hope it's something everyone will love!