Mardi Gras King Cake Cinnamon Roll Cookies Recipe
Celebrate Mardi Gras with these festive King Cake Cinnamon Roll Cookies. Soft, buttery dough rolled with a cinnamon-sugar filling, baked to golden perfection, and topped with a creamy cream cheese frosting and colorful purple, yellow, and green sprinkles for a fun and flavorful treat that captures the spirit of the season.
- Author: reem
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 30 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Dough
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp butter flavor extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp salt
Filling
- 2 tbsp butter (melted)
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 2½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tsp light or dark corn syrup
Frosting
- 3 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 3 oz butter (softened)
- 1¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp milk
- ¾ tsp cream cheese flavoring extract
- ½ tsp butter extract
- ⅛ tsp almond extract
Decoration
- Purple sprinkles
- Yellow sprinkles
- Green sprinkles
- Cream butter and sugars: In a large bowl, beat 1 cup softened butter, granulated sugar, and ⅓ cup light brown sugar together until creamy and smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Add egg yolk and extracts: Mix in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, butter flavor extract, and almond extract until well combined.
- Whisk dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and ½ tsp salt to evenly distribute the dry ingredients.
- Combine wet and dry: Gradually add the dry mixture into the wet mixture, mixing on low speed just until incorporated to form the dough.
- Chill the dough: Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or overnight. If chilled overnight, allow the dough to come to near room temperature before rolling.
- Prepare surface: Lightly flour your working surface or use two sheets of parchment paper for easier rolling.
- Roll out dough: Roll the dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle with even thickness.
- Make filling: In a small bowl, melt 2 tbsp butter and stir in ⅓ cup light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ⅛ tsp salt, and corn syrup until combined.
- Spread filling: Immediately pour the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the dough, then carefully spread it with a spatula, leaving a ½-inch border on all sides uncovered.
- Roll dough into log: Starting from the longer 12-inch side, carefully and tightly roll the dough into a log, using the parchment paper to help keep it tight and uniform.
- Freeze dough log: Wrap the log in parchment paper and freeze it on a sheet pan for 15 minutes to firm up for easier slicing.
- Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet: Heat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice cookies: Cut the dough log into ¼-inch thick slices, about 30 slices total.
- Bake cookies: Place slices on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are lightly golden. Let cool completely.
- Make frosting: Cream the softened cream cheese until smooth, then add softened butter and blend. Add salt and powdered sugar, milk, and flavoring extracts, beating until creamy.
- Frost cookies: Spread the cream cheese frosting over cooled cookies.
- Decorate: Top the frosted cookies with purple, yellow, and green sprinkles to complete the Mardi Gras theme.
Notes
- For best results, chilling the dough overnight enhances flavor and texture.
- Use parchment paper to roll and shape dough for easy handling and a tighter roll.
- If you don’t have the specific flavor extracts, vanilla and almond extracts alone can provide good flavor.
- Store frosted cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- These cookies are perfect for Mardi Gras celebrations or any festive occasion.
Keywords: Mardi Gras, King Cake, Cinnamon Roll Cookies, festive cookies, cream cheese frosting, holiday treats