The Memory Behind This Treat
The first batch of these Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls happened on a Saturday that was going downhill fast. I had promised my nephew “a blue breakfast like in the cartoons,” and of course I was out of blueberries, food dye, and any kind of exciting cereal. What I did have: half a package of Oreos, cinnamon roll dough proofing on the counter, and a 6-year-old rummaging through my baking drawer like a tiny health-code violation. He grabbed the blue gel food coloring and said, “Can we make them look like Cookie Monster… but, you know, fancy?” Challenge accepted. We stained our fingers bright blue, sprinkled cookie crumbs everywhere, and by the time the rolls came out of the oven, the kitchen looked like a bakery collided with a kids’ craft aisle.
As we tore into those soft, warm spirals, I realized these Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls feel like the exact middle point between breakfast and birthday cake. The blue dough tucked around that Oreo-cinnamon-chocolate filling reminded me a little of the first time I swirled cookies into ice cream as a teenager and thought, “Is this even legal?” These rolls tap into that same rebellious joy: cookies for breakfast, chocolate chips melting into the layers, and cream cheese icing dripping down the sides like a dessert you’d find at a theme park. Now I pull them out for things like sleepovers, first day of school breakfasts, or any Sunday when the week ahead feels a little too serious. They’re the kind of treat that makes kids gasp, adults raise an eyebrow, and everyone reach for a second roll before they’ve finished the first.
How To Make It (Mix & Ingredients)
To get your Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls started, you’ll build a soft, enriched blue dough that feels like working with a cozy pillow. Warm your milk to about 110°F (comfortably warm but not hot to the touch), then sprinkle in the yeast and let it sit until foamy—if it doesn’t foam after 10 minutes, your yeast is likely dead and you should start over. Whisk in the sugar, whole egg, extra yolk, melted butter, and vanilla bean paste until the mixture looks creamy and slightly thick. Add about 2 cups of flour and the salt first, stirring with a wooden spoon or using the dough hook on low speed; you want a shaggy dough before you add the last cup of flour. Once it begins to pull away from the bowl, add your blue gel food coloring a bit at a time and knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and evenly colored (no streaky Smurf patches). Pop it into a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until puffy and doubled, about 1–1½ hours depending on how warm your kitchen is.
Instructions Process of Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls
While the dough rises, you’ll mix the filling that makes these Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls feel like a cookie jar exploded in the best possible way. In a medium bowl, mash the softened butter with brown sugar and cinnamon until it forms a thick, spreadable paste. Fold in the crushed chocolate sandwich cookies and mini chocolate chips—if you crush the cookies too finely, you’ll lose that chunky texture, so aim for pea-size bits. When your dough is ready, roll it into a 14×9-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface, dusting your rolling pin if it starts to stick. Spread the filling from edge to edge, leaving just a tiny border on the long side to help seal the roll. Then roll it up tightly from the long side into a spiraled log, slice into 12 rolls (a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss works best), and you’re ready for the second rise before baking and topping with that silky cream cheese icing and extra cookie crumbles.
Make-Ahead & Storage
These Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls are playful, but the make-ahead options are very grown-up and practical. For overnight rolls, assemble them fully: roll, slice, and place in a greased baking dish, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 18 hours. The next morning, pull the pan out, let the rolls sit at room temperature for 45–60 minutes to finish puffing, and then bake as directed. You can also chill the blue dough before shaping; after the first rise, gently punch it down, cover the bowl, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours, then continue with rolling, filling, and slicing. If you love super-fresh icing, make the cream cheese frosting the day you bake, but know that it also keeps well in the fridge for 3–4 days.
Once baked, let your Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls cool completely before you think about storage—warm rolls trapped under plastic will turn soggy. For room-temperature storage, keep unfrosted rolls in an airtight container for up to 2 days; add a piece of parchment between layers if you stack them so the blue swirl and cookie crumbs don’t smear. Frosted rolls belong in the refrigerator, well covered, for 3–4 days. Reheat single rolls in the microwave for 15–20 seconds, or in a 300°F oven, covered loosely with foil, for about 8–10 minutes until soft and warm again. If you want to plan way ahead, freeze baked (but unfrosted) rolls for up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge, warm them, and finish with fresh icing and a sprinkle of cookie crumble right before serving for that bakery-style just made magic.
Best Ingredients & Party Variations
When you’re building these bold blue Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls, ingredients really matter. Use whole milk if you can—the extra fat makes the dough softer and the crumb more tender. For food coloring, stick with gel instead of liquid so you get that deep Cookie Monster blue without flooding the dough and making it sticky. I love classic Oreos, but any good chocolate sandwich cookie with a firm crunch will work; avoid super-soft or filled varieties that turn mushy. And don’t skimp on the cinnamon—freshly opened ground cinnamon gives a warmer, more fragrant swirl than that jar that’s been sitting in the back of your pantry since last Christmas.
For parties, you can turn one pan of Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls into a whole little dessert event. For kids’ birthdays, press extra mini chocolate chips and cookie crumbs on top right after icing, then add candy eyes so each roll looks like its own little blue monster. For a sleepover or movie night, bake them slightly under (by 2 minutes) so they’re extra gooey and serve them warm with a small scoop of vanilla or cookies-and-cream ice cream. You can also do a “cookie bar” version: bake the rolls in a larger pan, slice them smaller, and set out toppings like extra crushed cookies, sprinkles, and mini marshmallows so everyone decorates their own. If you’re hosting brunch, pair these rolls with something simple like a basic vanilla sheet cake or classic chocolate chip blondies so the blue swirl can shine without competing flavors.
Serving of Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls
Conclusion
There’s a certain kind of magic that happens when a pan of warm, blue-swirled cinnamon rolls comes out of the oven and everyone leans in at once. These Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls aren’t just about frosting and fun colors (though they deliver big on both). They’re about sticky fingers, shared laughs over that first messy bite, and kids proudly announcing, “I helped make these!” It’s the kind of recipe that turns an ordinary morning into a little celebration.
If you’ve been waiting for a sign to try something playful and a bit whimsical in your kitchen, this is it. Don’t worry if your spirals aren’t perfect or your drizzle gets a little wild—those quirks are exactly what make homemade baking feel so special. I hope this recipe becomes one of those “remember when we made…” moments for you and your favorite people, the kind you look back on with a smile.
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What’s the best way to color the dough for Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls?
For that true Cookie Monster-blue, use a concentrated blue gel food coloring rather than liquid. Gel color gives you intense color with just a few drops and doesn’t water down your dough or change the texture. Add the gel after you’ve mixed in most of the flour, then knead until the color looks even; if there are streaks, just keep kneading. Start with a small amount of gel, because you can always add more if the shade isn’t bold enough. If you only have liquid coloring, use it sparingly and be ready to add an extra tablespoon of flour if the dough feels too sticky.
Recipe
Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup warm milk 110°F
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Blue gel food coloring
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened (for filling)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup crushed chocolate sandwich cookies
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened (for icing)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/2 cup crushed chocolate sandwich cookies for topping
- 2 tbsp mini chocolate chips for topping, optional
- Nonstick spray or butter for greasing the pan
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the warm milk and active dry yeast, stir once, and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Whisk in the granulated sugar, whole egg, egg yolk, melted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla bean paste until smooth.
- Add 2 cups of the all-purpose flour and the salt to the bowl and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Add the remaining 1 cup flour and knead by hand or with a dough hook until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Add blue gel food coloring a little at a time and continue kneading until the color is evenly distributed and the dough is soft and elastic.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in size.
- While the dough rises, make the filling by mixing 1/2 cup softened butter, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon in a medium bowl until well combined.
- Stir the 1/2 cup crushed chocolate sandwich cookies and 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips into the cinnamon-sugar mixture until evenly distributed.
- Lightly flour a work surface, punch down the risen dough, and roll it out into a 14 by 9 inch rectangle with the long side facing you.
- Spread the cookie-cinnamon filling evenly over the dough, leaving a small border along the far long edge.
- Starting from the long edge closest to you, roll the dough up tightly into a log, pinching the seam to seal.
- Slice the log into 12 equal rolls using a sharp serrated knife or unflavored dental floss.
- Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish and arrange the rolls cut side up in the dish, leaving a little space between each roll.
- Cover the pan and let the rolls rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes, until puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F while the rolls complete their second rise.
- Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden and the centers are just set.
- While the rolls bake, make the icing by beating the cream cheese and 1/4 cup softened butter together in a bowl until smooth and creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste to the bowl and beat until combined, then add the milk and mix until the icing is smooth and spreadable.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes, then spread or drizzle the cream cheese icing over the warm rolls.
- Sprinkle the 1/2 cup crushed chocolate sandwich cookies and additional mini chocolate chips over the iced rolls before serving.
Notes
- Store leftover rolls covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and rewarm gently in the microwave or oven before serving.