Flaky Cinnamon Pinwheels with Pie Crust

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This is the only recipe you need to use up those pie dough scraps! Flaky pie crust gets rolled with melted butter and cinnamon sugar, then sliced into buttery cinnamon pinwheels that are perfect for your holiday cookie tray.

Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookies are made to use the leftover pie dough trimmed off your baking dish or that extra roll in the fridge. You can make the dough up to two days ahead, or freeze the sliced cookies and bake them straight from frozen, so they’re easy to fit into a busy holiday baking schedule.

These are my mom’s signature cookies, and she still makes them to this day. They were always the result of extra pie dough trimmed off her apple pie, but since acquiring a couple of sons-in-law and grandchildren, she’s had to bump up the quantity, and now makes pie crust solely for these cookies. They are amazing.

If you want a puff pastry version of these flaky cinnamon swirls, try my easy Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls or my Puff Pastry Cinnamon Twists. Perfect for the holidays!

Why You’ll Love These Cinnamon Pinwheels

• They use up pie dough scraps. This is the old fashioned way to make sure nothing goes to waste on pie day. These are also known as cinnamon wheels or pie crust roll ups.
• Just a few pantry staples. Flour, butter, salt, sugar, and cinnamon. But if you use store bought pie dough, all you need is butter, cinnamon, and sugar.
• Flaky, not fluffy. Think pie crust cinnamon rolls without the yeast. You get crisp, buttery layers and a caramelized cinnamon sugar swirl.
• Made for the holidays. Make the dough ahead or freeze the pinwheels unbaked and bake them straight from frozen.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You only need a handful of pantry staples. Full amounts are in the recipe card below.

• All-purpose flour and salt. The base of the pie crust.
• Cold unsalted butter. Cold butter is what makes the crust flaky. As it bakes, the butter melts and leaves little pockets of steam that puff into layers.
• Ice water. Keeps the butter cold while you bring the dough together.
• Melted unsalted butter. This is the glue. It holds the cinnamon sugar in place so it stays inside the swirl instead of falling off.
• Granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. There’s no sugar in the crust, so all the sweetness comes from this filling.

Note: If using store-bought pie dough, you can skip the flour, salt, and ice water.

How to Make Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookies

Make the Pie Crust

1. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Set it aside.
2. Make the pie crust by pulsing the flour and salt in a food processor.
3. Add the cold, cubed butter. Pulse until it looks like coarse sand. No food processor? Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips, and work fast so the butter stays cold.
4. Drizzle in the ice water and pulse until the dough starts to clump. If it won’t hold together when you squeeze it, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time.
5. Dump the dough onto plastic wrap and gently press it into a rectangle. Don’t knead it. Working the dough builds gluten, and that’s what makes a crust tough instead of flaky.
6. Wrap it up and chill for 1 hour. Cold dough rolls out cleaner and bakes up flakier.

Roll, Fill, and Slice

1. Heat the oven to 375°F and set a rack in the middle, this will keep the tops and bottoms from being too close to the heating element and burning.
2. Cut the chilled dough in half. Roll one half into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick and twice as wide as it is tall. Trim the edges if you want neater pinwheels.

3. Brush on 1 tablespoon of melted butter, all the way to the edges.
4. Sprinkle a generous 2 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar over the butter.
5. Starting at the long bottom edge, roll the dough up into a tight log. Tight is the key. A loose roll opens up in the oven.

6. Trim off the ends and cut the log into 1-inch slices.

7. Place the slices swirl side up on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
8. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

You’ll probably have some cinnamon sugar left over. Sprinkle it on top of the cookies before they go in the oven.

Tip: If the dough feels soft or warm, chill the cookie sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes first. Warm dough melts and spreads before the crust has time to set.

Bake

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the sides are puffed and the bottom edges are lightly golden.

Using Leftover Pie Dough or Store-Bought Crust

This is the whole reason pie crust pinwheels exist. My mom’s always came from the extra dough trimmed off her apple pie.

Leftover Pie Dough Scraps

• Gently press the scraps together into a flat rectangle. Don’t knead them into a ball, or they’ll bake up tough.
• Chill the scraps before rolling if they’ve gotten warm.
• Use about 1 tablespoon melted butter and 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar for each rectangle you roll out. Depending on how much dough is leftover, you might not use all of it. We used our leftover cinnamon sugar another day, sprinkled on pancakes or oatmeal.

Store-Bought Pie Crust

• Refrigerated pie crust, like Pillsbury, works for these pie crust roll ups.
• Let it sit on the counter for a few minutes so it unrolls without cracking.
• Fill, roll, and slice the same way, you might not use all the cinnamon sugar, but make sure there’s a even and generous layer with no bare spots of pie dough visible.
• Since the pinwheels are smaller, start checking them around the 10-minute mark. If you smell any burning, pull them out or cover them.
• Store-bought dough doesn’t puff up quite like homemade. Expect thinner layers that aren’t as tightly baked together.

Tips for Flaky Pinwheels That Don’t Burn

• Keep the oven rack on the middle level. The cinnamon sugar goes from caramelized to burnt on the bottom in an instant.
• Use parchment, not wax paper. Sugar leaks out as the cookies bake. Parchment keeps it from welding the cookies to the pan.
• Be gentle with the dough. Less handling means more flaky layers.
• Bake the dough cold. If the cookies go in warm, they melt into flat puddles.
• Don’t skimp on the cinnamon sugar. The crust isn’t sweet, so a skimpy layer of filling gives you a bland cookie.
• Use a sharp knife. A dull knife squashes the log and flattens the swirl.

Can You Make Cinnamon Pinwheels Ahead?

Yes. These are a great make-ahead holiday cookie.

Make the Dough Ahead

Make the pie crust up to 2 days ahead. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge. Roll, fill, and bake when you’re ready.

If it’s too firm to roll, let it sit on the counter for a couple of minutes. Don’t let it get warm. The butter needs to stay cold for flaky cookies.

Freeze Unbaked Pinwheels

1. Fill, roll, and slice the pinwheels as the recipe says.
2. Freeze the slices on a sheet pan until solid.
3. Move them to a freezer bag or freezer safe container.
4. Bake straight from frozen on a parchment lined sheet at 375°F on the middle rack for 17 to 19 minutes. No need to thaw.

How to Store Cinnamon Pinwheels

Store baked cinnamon pinwheels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Easy Variations

• Glaze: Drizzle the cooled cookies with a simple powdered sugar and milk glaze so they taste like mini cinnamon rolls.
• Puff pastry: Want something even flakier? Try my Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls or Puff Pastry Cinnamon Twists.

Cinnamon Pinwheel FAQs

How do you get cinnamon sugar to stick to pie crust?

Melted butter. Brush a generous layer over the dough before you add the cinnamon sugar. It holds the filling in place so you get a full swirl in every slice.

Are cinnamon pinwheels the same as cinnamon rolls?

Not quite. Cinnamon pinwheels are pie crust cinnamon rolls. They have the same swirl and flavor, but they’re made with pie dough instead of yeast dough. That makes them crisp and flaky, not soft and bready.

What can I make with leftover pie crust?

Cinnamon pinwheels are the classic answer. Press the scraps together, roll them out, and fill them with butter and cinnamon sugar. Even a small handful of scraps makes a few cookies. You can also roll out scraps, cut out circles, and fill with jam or pumpkin to make pumpkin pie cookies or blueberry pie cookies.

Why are my cinnamon pinwheels tough?

The dough was overworked. Kneading or rerolling builds gluten, and gluten makes pie crust chewy. Press the dough together gently and handle it as little as you can.

Other Cookies You’ll Love

Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies

The Best Blueberry Pie Cookies

Puff Pastry Cinnamon Twists

Simple and Easy Iced Oatmeal Cookies

Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers

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