Make these Cinnamon Cookies with salted dulce de leche quickly! They are gluten-free, full of warm spices, and have a texture similar to molasses cookies!
Table of Contents
Cinnamon Cookies Recipe
It's cookies galore! Don't you love this time of the year, my cookie monsters?
Our Cinnamon Cookies recipe is quite simple to make and super flavorful, resembling ginger crinkle cookies, but softer.
The only difference is there is a lot of cinnamon and cloves in this recipe... and no ginger at all!
To put a Latin flair on these cinnamon cookies, we topped them with a patch of dulce de leche, making them irresistible.
Then, we sprinkled some coarse sea salt on top, enhancing the sweetness of the dulce de leche while providing a balance of flavors.
Ready to learn how to make them and give away this affordable Christmas gift to your friends?
How to Make Cinnamon Cookies
- First, preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Second, cream solid shortening with sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer at low speed until combined.
- Third, sift the flour into the bowl and add baking soda, salt, spices, and orange peel. Mix in until homogenous.
- Fourth, whisk in molasses and the egg until combined (PIC. 1). Transfer the dough to a surface lined with plastic wrap and form a log (PIC. 2).
- Fifth, wrap and place to rest in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight (PIC. 3).
- Sixth, use a tablespoon as measurement roll dough into balls, and then roll in sugar. Place onto the lined sheet, leaving about 2 inches apart between them.
- Seventh, bake for about 11-13 minutes or until set. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the Cinnamon Cookies cool fully.
- Lastly, spread dulce de leche on top in an artistic way and sprinkle salt on top. If you want to, place an orange rind on top. Enjoy!
Tips for Making the Best Cinnamon Cookies
- This cookie recipe with cinnamon is cinnamon molasses cookies with mounds of ground cinnamon, cloves, and orange peel in them.
- You can substitute the same amount of all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour.
- These cinnamon cookies with molasses by themselves are also dairy-free unless you top them with dulce de leche.
- Although orange rind is optional, they give a nice citric touch to these dulce de leche cookies.
- Variations: Cinnamon roll cookies, Mexican cinnamon cookies, cinnamon sugar cookies, apple cinnamon cookies, cinnamon chocolate chip cookies, and apple oatmeal cinnamon cookies.
FAQ's
Molasses adds 2 things to cookies: 1. A cozy brown-sugar flavor to cookies or to any other baked goods; 2. It also adds moisture and chewiness so that cookies stay moist longer than those made with white sugar.
Yes, you can use Blackstrap exactly in the same amount that the recipe calls for regular molasses. But be aware that if you use blackstrap in a recipe that only calls for regular molasses, you may end up with a baked good with an overpowering flavor. Blackstrap has a stronger flavor than regular molasses, and it is darker and more viscous.
How to Store
- Store cinnamon cookies in a clean airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days.
- Freeze unbaked dough (without rolling in sugar) for 3 months. You can also freeze baked cookies (without dulce de leche) for 3 months.
- Thaw in the fridge!
More Cookie Recipes
- Walnut Cookies (No Chill)
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies (Sugar-Free)
- Pumpkin Spice Latter Breakfast Cookies (No Bake)
- Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies (Low Carb/GF)
- Pecan Cookie Balls (No Bake)
- Mexican Wedding Cookies
- Venezuelan Polvorosas Cookies
- Mantecaditos (Dominican Butter Cookies)
- Cake Mix Christmas Crinkle Cookies
- Buttery Almond Thumbprint Cookies
- Low-Carb Christmas Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Swirl Cookies
- Eggnog Madeleines
- Argentinian Alfajores (filled with dulce de leche)
PIN AND ENJOY!
Best Cinnamon Cookies
Equipment
- 1 oven
- 1 mixer
Ingredients
- ¾ cup solid shortening (Crisco)
- 2 cup sugar plus extra ½ cup to roll cookies
- 2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour sifted (if desired, use a NON GF flour -- same amount)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon orange peel optional (but it gives a nice flavor)
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 large egg room temp
- 35 teaspoon dulce de leche
- coarse sea salt to sprinkle
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cream solid shortening with sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer at low speed until combined. Sift flour into the bowl and add baking soda, spices, and orange peel. Mix in until homogenous. Whisk in molasses and the egg until combined. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Transfer the dough to a surface lined with plastic wrap and form a log. Wrap and place to rest in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight. Use a tablespoon as measurement and roll dough into balls and then roll in ½ cup of sugar. Place onto the lined sheet, leaving about 2 inches apart between them.
- Bake for about 11-13 minutes or until set. Transfer pan to a rack and let cinnamon cookies cool fully. Lastly, spread dulce de leche on top on a artistic way and sprinkle salt on top. If desired, place an orange rind on top. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Store cinnamon cookies in a clean airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days.
- Freeze unbaked dough (without rolling in sugar) for 3 months. You can also freeze baked cookies (without dulce de leche) for 3 months.
- Thaw in the fridge!
Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
Bobbie Schillo says
You say to add salt to flour mixture, but you don’t say salt in ingredient list except for sprinkling on top. How much salt goes into the flour mixture.
Denise Browning says
Hi Bobbie! I apologize for not specifing the amount of salt that goes into the flour mixture. In baking recipes, if the amount is not specified, it gets implied that is a pinch. However, salt in sweet baked goods is actually optional. The purpose is to balance the sweetness but in this recipe, the final product (cinnamon cookies themselves) are not too sweet at all. It gets sweeter after adding dulce de leche as a topping but again it gets balanced by the sprinkle of salt on top of the dulce de leche. If you don't enjoy salt-sweet flavors, you cna also omit the coarse salt on top of the dulce de leche. It depends on your preference!
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Cookie season is such a wonderful time of the year! And this is an excellent recipe to add to my collection -- wow, this looks wonderful! Love the flavors in this -- thanks.