My friend Jessica wouldn’t stop posting these Cookie Monster cinnamon rolls on Instagram. Every weekend for like a month – another picture of bright blue rolls with googly chocolate chip eyes. Her kids going crazy over them. Comments from other moms asking for the recipe. I kept scrolling past thinking “that’s cute but probably complicated.”Then Lina saw one of her posts over my shoulder and grabbed my phone. “Mom. MOM. We need to make these.” He showed the picture to his friend Tyler who was over, and Tyler started begging too.
Why You’ll Love These Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls
I’ve made these at least twenty times since copying that bakery’s version, and here’s why we keep making them. Kids lose their minds over them. Not just Lina – every kid who tries them asks when we’re making more. Something about blue food makes it automatically more exciting when you’re seven. Add the Cookie Monster cinnamon rolls pieces and chocolate chip eyes, and they act like it’s the best thing they’ve ever seen.
They’re not harder than regular Cookie Monster cinnamon rolls. If you can make normal ones, you can make these. The blue frosting is just cream cheese frosting with food coloring added. Chop up the Cookie Monster cinnamon rolls and mix them in. Stick chocolate chips on with extra frosting. Same steps, same time, just way more fun to look at. Lina helps roll the dough, decides where the eyes go, eats too much blue frosting off the spoon. Those kitchen moments beat having perfect-looking rolls any day.
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What You’ll Need for Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls
For the Dough:
- All-purpose flour
- Warm milk
- Active dry yeast
- Sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Salt
For the Filling:
- Softened butter
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Chocolate chip cookie dough
For the Blue Frosting:
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla
- Blue food coloring
- Heavy cream or milk
For Decorating:
- Chocolate chips
- Extra cookie pieces
- Mini chocolate chips if you want
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls Step By Step
Make the Dough
- Mix flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a big bowl
- Warm milk until it feels warm but not hot on your wrist
- Whisk together warm milk, melted butter, and eggs
- Pour wet stuff into dry stuff
- Mix until it looks shaggy
- Knead on floured counter for 5-8 minutes until smooth
- Poke it – if it bounces back, you’re good
- Put in greased bowl, cover with towel, let sit 1 hour until it doubles
Prep Your Cookie Chunks
- Grab that cookie dough tube from the fridge
- Cut into little pieces about pea-sized
- Keep them cold so they don’t get mushy
- Set aside
Roll and Fill the Dough
- Punch down the risen dough
- Roll into rectangle about 12×18 inches on floured surface
- Spread softened butter all over but leave a tiny border
- Sprinkle brown sugar evenly
- Dust cinnamon over everything
- Scatter cookie chunks everywhere
- Press cookie pieces in gently so they stick
Roll It Up Tight
- Start from the long edge and roll toward you
- Keep it tight so filling doesn’t squeeze out
- Pinch the seam when you get to the end
- Cut into 12 slices with a sharp knife
- Put them cut-side up in greased 9×13 pan with space between
- Cover with towel and let sit 30 minutes until puffy
Bake Until Golden
- Heat oven to 350°F while rolls rise
- Bake 25-30 minutes until tops are golden
- Centers shouldn’t be doughy
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes
Make That Blue Frosting
- Beat softened cream cheese and butter until fluffy
- Add powdered sugar one cup at a time
- Mix in vanilla
- Add blue gel food coloring drop by drop until you get Cookie Monster blue
- Add cream or milk if it’s too thick
- Should spread easy but not be runny
Decorate Like Cookie Monster
- Let Lina add whatever else he wants because he will anyway
- Spread blue frosting on warm rolls
- Press two chocolate chips into each roll for eyes
- Sprinkle leftover cookie crumbles on top
- Add mini chocolate chips if you want
How to Store Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls
Counter Storage (2-3 days):
- Let them cool completely
- Put in airtight container
- Don’t stack or they stick
- Room temperature is fine
- Microwave 15 seconds before eating
Fridge Storage (5-7 days):
- Cover pan with plastic wrap
- Or put in airtight container
- Warm them up or they’re hard
- Microwave 20-30 seconds
- Add damp paper towel when heating so they don’t dry out
Freezer Storage (2-3 months):
- Freeze before frosting works better
- Wrap each roll in plastic
- Put wrapped rolls in freezer bag
- Thaw overnight in fridge
- Frost after warming up
Make-Ahead:
- Make and cut rolls the night before
- Cover and stick in fridge overnight
- Let sit at room temp 30 minutes before baking
- Bake fresh in morning
- Frost while warm
Frosting Storage:
- Lina sneaks spoonfuls when I’m not looking
- Leftover frosting keeps in fridge for a week
- Bring to room temp before using
- Stir well before spreading
Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls Variations
Elmo Rolls:
- Red food coloring instead of blue
- Strawberry jam in the filling
- Orange M&M for nose
- Black frosting for mouth
Oscar the Grouch:
- Green food coloring
- Keep the cookie dough
- Grumpy eyebrows with chocolate
- Lina cracks up at these
Big Bird:
- Yellow food coloring
- Lemon zest in frosting
- Orange sugar sprinkles for feathers
- Candy corn for beak
Chocolate Monster:
- Brown/chocolate frosting
- Double the cookie dough
- Extra chocolate chips
- Brownie chunks mixed in
Rainbow Monster:
- Split frosting into different colors
- Swirl them together
- Sprinkles everywhere
- Every roll looks different
Birthday Version:
- Sprinkles in the dough
- Funfetti cake mix in filling
- Any color frosting
- Stick a candle on top
Equipment For Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls
- Big mixing bowl
- 9×13 baking pan
- Rolling pin
- Sharp knife
- Mixer (stand or hand)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Clean towel for covering
Smart Swaps for Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls
Dough:
- All-purpose flour → Bread flour (chewier)
- Whole milk → Any milk (even almond)
- Active dry yeast → Instant yeast (skip the waiting)
- Homemade dough → Store-bought tubes (way faster)
Cookie Filling:
- Chocolate chip dough → Sugar cookie dough
- Store-bought → Homemade if you’re feeling fancy
- Cookie dough → Chopped up actual cookies
- Chocolate chip → Whatever cookie Lina will eat
Frosting:
- Cream cheese → All butter (less tangy)
- Heavy cream → Regular milk (thinner but okay)
- Gel food coloring → Liquid (just need more)
- Blue → Any color (Lina wanted purple once)
Decoration:
- Chocolate chips → M&Ms for eyes
- Cookie crumbles → Crushed Oreos
- Regular chocolate chips → White chocolate
Super Quick Version:
- Done in 30 minutes
- Buy Pillsbury cinnamon roll tubes
- Skip the cookie dough, just add chocolate chips
- Use the frosting that comes in the tube
- Add blue food coloring to it
The Secret My Cousin Won’t Admit
My cousin makes these Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls for every family thing now, and she won’t tell anyone it’s my recipe. She took full credit at Thanksgiving last year and I sat there watching her lie to our aunt about “coming up with the blue frosting herself.” I texted her after like “Seriously?” and she just sent back a laughing emoji.
Here’s what she won’t say – she called me three times the first time she made them. First call was her dough wouldn’t rise. She used cold milk straight from the fridge instead of warming it. Yeast just died. Second call was panic because her rolls were flat. She skipped the second rise, just cut them and shoved them in the oven. Third call was the blue frosting looked “gross and greenish.” She used liquid food coloring and accidentally added yellow trying to make it brighter.
Top Tip
- Lina and I figured out something about the blue frosting that totally changed these rolls. The first few times, I used regular liquid blue food coloring. Took forever to get the right shade – I’d add drop after drop and it just looked wimpy and pale. Lina kept saying “Mom, that’s not Cookie Monster cinnamon rolls blue, that’s baby blue.” One batch I added probably thirty drops trying to make it brighter. The frosting tasted gross and bitter from all that coloring.
- Then my friend mentioned she uses gel food coloring for cakes. I grabbed a little tube at the store for three bucks. Used maybe three tiny drops and boom – perfect Cookie Monster cinnamon rolls blue instantly. Bright, vibrant, exactly what Lina wanted. No bitter taste. Barely stained anything. Now Lina is in charge of adding the drops because he’s super particular about the shade. He holds his Cookie Monster cinnamon rolls animal next to the bowl to compare. Sometimes he makes me add one more drop.
What to Serve With Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls
Back making these for Lina’s birthday and probably twenty times since, here’s what ends up on the table. For parties, I put out strawberries, grapes, melon, some bacon because kids always want bacon, and juice boxes. Regular weekend breakfast is scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, orange juice. When friends come over for brunch, I add yogurt parfaits, sausage, hash browns. But honestly? Most times we just eat the rolls alone. They’re so sweet and full of cookies that you don’t need anything else. Lina eats one roll with milk and he’s done.
If you’re doing full Cookie Monster cinnamon rolls theme like we did, our Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe makes sense. Sugar Cookies with blue frosting work too. Chocolate Milk is what Lina always grabs. For less sugar, Banana Bread or Blueberry Muffins help. But don’t stress about sides. These rolls are the point. Everything else is just there so you can say it’s a real meal. Lina ate three rolls at his party and ignored the fruit completely. Other kids did the same. Sometimes you just let them eat blue frosting.
FAQ
What are some common mistakes when making Cookie Monster cinnamon rolls?
I’ve made basically every mistake possible with these. Using milk that’s too hot kills the yeast and your dough won’t rise at all – learned that the hard way my first time. Not letting the dough rise long enough gives you dense hard rolls instead of fluffy ones. Rolling the dough too thin makes all the filling leak out the sides and burn on the pan.
How long does cinnamon roll dough take to rise?
First rise takes about an hour until the dough doubles in size. You can tell it’s ready by poking it – if the indent stays, it’s good to go. Second rise after you cut the rolls takes around 30 minutes until they puff up and touch each other in the pan. Don’t rush either rise or you’ll regret it. I tried cutting the first rise short once because Lina was hungry and they came out like hockey pucks.
Do you need to refrigerate cinnamon rolls after baking?
If you’re eating them within two or three days, counter is fine. Just keep them covered so they don’t dry out. But if it’s really hot in your house, or you want them to last longer than that, stick them in the fridge. The frosting can get kind of melty sitting out in warm weather. Fridge keeps them good for about a week. Just warm them up before eating or they’ll be hard and the blue frosting gets this weird stiff texture.
Can I let cinnamon rolls rise too long?
Yeah, over-risen dough is a real thing. If it rises too much, the dough collapses and gets this sour yeasty taste. I forgot about a batch once because I got distracted helping Lina with homework – they sat for three hours instead of one. They were completely flat in the pan and tasted funky. The yeast basically ran out of food and started eating itself or something.
Time to Make Some Blue Magic!
Now you’ve got everything to make these Cookie Monster cinnamon rolls that started from copying that overpriced marketplace bakery. From the gel food coloring trick to Lina’s super picky eye placement rules, you know all the shortcuts that took me six batches to figure out. These rolls prove that stuff bakeries charge thirty bucks for, you can make at home for way less and have more fun doing it.
Want more fun baking projects? Try our Easy Homemade Pecan Tassies Recipe for bite-sized treats everyone loves. Craving carnival food? Check out 10 Delicious Funnel Cake Recipes to Try for that fair taste at home. Or make our Best Oatmeal Creme Pies Recipe that tastes better than the store-bought kind Lina used to beg for.
Share your Cookie Monster cinnamon rolls! We love seeing your blue creations, especially the ones where kids picked the chocolate chip placement.
Rate this Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls and show us your googly-eyed rolls!
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls
Cookie Monster Cinnamon Rolls
Bright blue, bakery-style Cookie Monster cinnamon rolls that are kid-approved, easy to make, and packed with cookie chunks and cream cheese frosting. Great for birthdays, weekend baking, or fun brunches.
Ingredients Â
Equipment
MethodÂ
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Mix flour, sugar, yeast, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
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Whisk warm milk, melted butter, and eggs in a separate bowl until smooth.
-
Pour wet mixture into the dry and stir until a shaggy dough comes together.
-
Knead dough on a floured surface for about 5-8 minutes until smooth.
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Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Nutrition
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
