Cinnamon sugar pillow cookies are soft and delightful holiday cookies, with a surprise cream cheese filling hidden inside!
Fluffy cinnamon sugar pillow cookies
These pillow soft cookies are like a cinnamon roll, a sugar cookie, and a cream cheese Danish all in one incredibly delicious cookie.
Each year around Christmas, they are always one of the first cookies to disappear on the holiday cookie tray, and for very good reason.
If you haven’t started baking cookies this holiday season, why not begin today?
One pillowy bite, and you will fall in love.
Also try these Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
The best pillow sugar cookies
Today’s recipe is an update of an incredibly popular sugar cookie recipe I first posted all the way back in 2012.
This new and improved version of the recipe is easier to follow and makes a bigger batch, because you will definitely want more of these cookies once you try them!
They are hands down the best stuffed sugar cookies you will ever taste.
The light and fluffy homemade cookies are always a big hit with both vegans and non vegans, and they are the perfect holiday cookie to give as a gift.
But if you do want to send them to others, I definitely recommend making extra so you can keep a few for yourself.
Use leftover cream cheese for this Oreo Fluff Recipe
Cinnamon sugar pillow cookie recipe video
Above, watch the step by step video
Ingredients for the recipe
The cookie base calls for flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, oil or butter, water, and pure vanilla extract.
You will need equal parts ground cinnamon and sugar for the optional coating. The cheesecake filling ingredients are simply powdered sugar and cream cheese.
Flour – Spelt flour is my preference here. It is a healthy, whole grain alternative to white flour yet yields a lighter texture than whole wheat flour. All purpose flour, oat flour, and some brands of gluten free flour also work.
Sugar – This can be traditional white sugar, unrefined coconut sugar, or granulated xylitol for sugar free cookies. I have not tried pure maple syrup or honey so cannot recommend either of those options as substitutions.
Cream Cheese – Dairy cream cheese and nondairy cream cheese work equally well in these cookies. As a fun alternative, you can stuff the cookies with something entirely different, such as crunchy peanut butter or Homemade Nutella.
Butter – Look for salted or unsalted butter at the grocery store. For vegan pillow cookies, go with a full fat plant based alternative. Or substitute melted coconut oil or vegetable oil for crispier sugar cookies without butter.
Vanilla Extract – Buy pure vanilla extract for the best results. Imitation vanilla flavor is less expensive but will impart an artificial aftertaste that you do not want.
How to make the cookies
Start by gathering all of your base and filling ingredients.
For the optional filling: Let the cream cheese come to room temperature so it will be easier to blend smoothly.
Add the powdered sugar to the softened cream cheese, and beat in a stand mixer or with hand beaters. If you do not own either of these, you can also patiently whip it together by hand until thick and smooth.
Set the filling aside while you make the sugar cookies.
For the cookies: Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir well, then add in the melted butter or oil, water, and vanilla extract to form a sugar cookie dough.
If the dough is too dry for some reason (climate, humidity, elevation, etc.), very slowly add a little more water or oil.
Use your hands to smush the cookie dough into one giant ball. Or use my less messy trick of transferring the mixture to a large Ziploc bag and smushing it into a ball from inside the bag.
Break off large cookie sized amounts, and roll into balls.
If filling the cookies, break each ball in half. Add about a half teaspoon of cream cheese filling to one half, then place the other piece of dough on top and roll back into a ball.
For soft, chewy cookies, chill the unbaked cookie dough balls for at least thirty minutes or until cold to the touch. You may skip this step if in a rush.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Roll the balls in cinnamon sugar and place them on a cookie baking tray.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for eleven minutes. The cookies should look underdone when you take them out of the oven.
Let cool before handling, during which time they will firm up considerably.
Pillow cookie storage tips
Once cooled, transfer cookies to a serving tray or container.
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to five days on the counter. Or freeze leftovers in a covered container for up to about three months.
If you like soft pillow cookies, go with a plastic container. For chewy cookies with a slightly crispy texture, store them in a glass container.
Cinnamon Sugar Pillow Cookies
Ingredients
Pillow Cookies
- 1 1/2 cup flour (spelt, white, or oat)
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar (or coconut sugar or xylitol)
- 6 tbsp oil or butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp milk of choice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Filling (optional)
- 1/4 cup cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
- 1 1/2 tbsp powdered sugar or sugar free powdered sugar
- equal parts cinnamon and sugar or xylitol if desired for coating
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine first five ingredients, and stir well. Stir in the oil, milk, and vanilla to form a cookie dough. Only add extra milk if it's still too dry after a full minute of stirring. (I've never had to add more than the 1 1/2 tbsp milk.) Smush into a giant ball with your hands, or transfer dough to a plastic bag and smush into a ball once the dough is inside the bag. Now roll into balls. Break balls in half, flatten each half a bit and add a little filling to one half, then place the other half on top and re-roll. For softer cookies, chill 30 minutes or up to a day. Preheat oven to 325 F. Roll balls in cinnamon sugar, place on a baking tray, and bake on the center rack 11 minutes. They'll look underdone when you take them out, so let them cool fully on the baking tray and they will firm up as they cool.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
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just a new fan of yours, and hmm, my family doesn’t like too much sugar, so i don’t think i’ll be making this, anyways, why not try baking some healthy gingerbread cookies? i would really, really, really love to try it out if you have a recipe for healthier version of gingerbread cookies, anyways wish you good health! 🙂
http://cookiesandcups.com/cream-cheese-filled-snickerdoodles/
just sayin’.
I know! It seems like Katie complains a lot about other bloggers stealing her recipes…she never links to other recipes, and it’s clear that her ideas are inspired from others often. Maybe inspired by a combination of multiple bloggers, but no one else ever gets credit.
What are you talking about? I have seen plenty of her posts that start out, “This recipe was inspired by…” Maybe you should actually read some of the recipes before commenting!
It’s not like Katie outright said she came up with these on her own.. And also, these cookies are vegan, and the ones you linked are not. Obviously on food blogs there are going to be similar recipes, it doesn’t mean they were “stolen.” I mean do you know how many cookie dip recipes there are out there?!
In her own “rules” she tells people they aren’t allowed to repost her recipes, even if they change ingredients. They must link to her page instead. If she asks this of people, she should be able to give the same courtesy to others, since there are times that she changes ingredients from existing recipes.
Ok… this is crazy. I just now saw all these comments and clicked over to the link the commenter left. That recipe isn’t anything like mine, and it definitely wasn’t my inspiration, as I’d never even seen it until now! If I’m inspired by another recipe, I specifically state it in the post. I’m pretty sure there are very few recipes that are 100% unique on the internet anymore, but just because two recipes are similar doesn’t mean one person copied the other. It most likely means they just both had the same idea.
Grow up, Greg/Dee.
Just sayin’.
There’s a difference between stealing a recipe and having a similar one. Just because both are snickerdoodles filled with cream cheese, doesn’t mean they’re anything alike, nor that anyone “copied” anyone else. I’m sure if we go into cookbooks from years before the above blooger made this cookie, we’ll find a similar recipe too. The point is > Katie’s cookie is a different shape, has different ingredients, cooking instructions, etc.
From the food blog alliance:
The rules that most cookbook authors and food writers follow are these:
1. If you’re modifying someone else’s recipe, it should be called “adapted from“.
2. If you change a recipe substantially, you may be able to call it your own. But if it’s somewhat similar to a publisher recipe, you should say it’s “inspired by“, which means that you used else’s recipe for inspiration, but changed it substantially.
3. If you change three ingredients, you can in most instances call the recipe yours.
Pretty sure OVER three ingredients are different between the two.
I agree. This is way different than the recipe posted. However, when I looked at Katie’s rules for people wanting to post hers, she tells them they aren’t allowed to even if they have changed ingredients. It just seems a little greedy in the blog world to not allow others to even post the recipe if they change ingredients if there is so much overlap anyway.
hmm- just looked at her FAQ :
“I do ask, though, that you link back to the recipe instead of posting it on your site, even if you’ve made minor changes.”
But those are not substantial changes, as mentioned above. If I was to look at one of Katie’s Recipes, get an idea, and make, let’s say, brownie cookies, completely full of dairy, with a dash of cayenne, etc etc. I could totally put that on my own site. I think Katie’s referring to someone who uses 1 cup of soy milk versus 3/4, or changes 2 apples to 1. That’s minor, and as such, I could see her wanting someone to link back
Yes, Liz has it right. If you make big changes to one of my recipes, then it’s now YOUR recipe. 🙂 You don’t even need to link back to mine at all if you don’t want to.
It takes a lot of trials (and often in my case, a lot of error!) to come up with a good recipe–figuring out the best amounts of liquid, fat, and even seemingly-minor things like salt. What I’m talking about in my FAQ page is if someone takes the recipe, changes just the amount of salt or does something like subs raisins for chocolate chips, and then posts the recipe as his/her own without having to do any of the hard work. That’s why I say “minor changes” on the faq page.
You should try to make a pie flavored cookie! Or even an eggnog flavor
Ultra fluffy cookies are my favorite, and once December hits, I cannot have enough cookies in my life. Thanks Katie!
Yummy!! These cookies look devine! I have to try them out! I have baked so many cookies this weekend, yet I love doing it! Yours on my list to make next! Have a great day!
What about Yule Logs or Coal Cookies? They don’t appear particularly scrumptious, but these made me giggle: http://www.morestylethancash.com/2011/11/coal-cookies-for-christmas-with-printable-label.html
Fruitcake cookies (I dunno… I like a nicely spiced fruitcake, others might not be fans); pistachio/cranberry/white chocolate; apricot white chocolate; blueberry cheesecake; cranberry/hazelnut; maple/brown sugar/cinnamon; Starbucks white chocolate peppermint mocha.
I’ve always wanted to find a recipe for Egg Nog Cookies….in keeping with the holiday theme. 🙂
Little pillows of deliciousness! These look amazing!
it’s not new combination but i would also love to see a healthier version of gingerbread cookies and speculaas biscuits please!!:)
One of my FB friends mentioned a hazelnut pie crust — I googled it an found it to be the most amazing recipe and can honestly say I will NEVER make normal pie crust again. So, now that I’m addicted to hazelnuts, hazel nut coconut cookies.
yeah roasted hanzelnut and cocnut it is soooo delicious:) am totally additced to it- today i had it for may breakfast- roasted hanzelnut powder,cocnut and oats + one stevia 🙂 Yummylicious 😉
I just made these this morning, using regular low-fat cream cheese for the filling, all-purpose flour, and canola oil. I did have to add more almond milk than the amount in the recipe – I just kept adding it bit by bit until the dough could stick together enough to form a ball. They turned out great – after freezing the balls for 15 minutes, they kept their shape so the cookies were nice and tall and round! I loved the cinnamony sugar cookie taste, and the filling inside made them more special (and tasty)!
My gramma used to make a cookie like this, only it was a chocolate cookie filled with PB. Make that!
Also, I had potato chip cookies once and they were AMAZING. Salty, sweet, buttery, and strangely delicious.
I followed you on Pinterest and repinned your amazing crustless pumpkin pie! <3
You sure do make this recipe hard to resist! Three delicious treats rolled into one!? You’re a genius! I’ll have to give these a go as soon as I can get into the kitchen!
Ooh these look like soft yummy goodness. I’d really like a naturally sweetened version (ie no sugar) of the festive cookies you see around – the ones covered in red and green sprinkles or with red and green Smarties or M&Ms in…I always feel so left out not being able to have those and they look so festive! I’m just way too busy right now to get in the kitchen and experiment. I know that’s not really a ‘crazy’ flavour though…