Large cinnamon-sugar cookies with tender vanilla dough and a hidden soft chocolate-ganache center.
The feature to preserve is the shaping: Divide dough into sixteen portions about 65 g each. Flatten each, enclose a frozen 15 g ganache mound, pinch seams shut and roll in cinnamon sugar. Freeze formed balls 10 minutes, then arrange 3 inches apart.
Before mixing, measure without packing the flour. Frozen filling is easier to enclose. Keep an even dough layer underneath and pinch every seam closed. A thin patch can split as the cookie expands. Reserve any extra ganache separately rather than overfilling.
Use the observable baking cues as well as the timer. Allow the crumb to cool before packing; the texture continues to settle after the tray leaves the oven.
Churro Sugar Cookies
Per tray: 12–13 minutes · 3 batches, about 6 pieces per 13 × 18-inch half-sheet pan.
Allow about 149 minutes: 40 hands-on, 40 required chilling, 39 baking all batches sequentially, 30 cooling including pan rest, and 0 finishing/set time. Preheat during preparation or final chilling. Extra trays and optional decoration add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- US measuring cups and spoons or kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl and silicone spatula
- Electric mixer
- Microwave-safe bowl
- Freezer tray
- Baking sheets
- Parchment
- Cooling rack
Large cinnamon-sugar cookies with tender vanilla dough and a hidden soft chocolate-ganache center.
Ingredients
Scale ingredients and US equivalents, including eggs; weigh beaten egg for fractional batches. Keep piece size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. Extra trays increase whole-batch time.
Ganache filling
Cookie dough
Cinnamon coating
Instructions
Mixing
- Make the doughGently heat chocolate with cream in short microwave bursts, stirring smooth. Cool until scoopable, portion sixteen 15 g mounds and freeze. Separately cream butter and both dough sugars, add egg, yolk and vanilla, then mix in whisked flour, cornstarch, leaveners and salt.
Thermal management
- Prepare for shapingAllow about 15 minutes for ganache to become scoopable, then freeze the mounds 15 minutes. After shaping, freeze balls 10 minutes more. The 40-minute chilled/set allowance includes these stages conservatively; some dough mixing can overlap.
Shaping
- Shape the batchDivide dough into sixteen portions about 65 g each. Flatten each, enclose a frozen 15 g ganache mound, pinch seams shut and roll in cinnamon sugar. Freeze formed balls 10 minutes, then arrange 3 inches apart.
Baking
- Bake to the right textureHeat a conventional oven to 375°F (191°C). Bake on the center rack for 12–13 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers have lost their wet shine. Keep the tops lightly colored. Use cool pans for later trays.
Cooling
- Cool before servingRest on the baking sheet at least 10 minutes, then move carefully to a rack for about 20 minutes more. The chocolate center is very hot straight from the oven; let it cool before biting.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Seal the filling completely
Frozen filling is easier to enclose. Keep an even dough layer underneath and pinch every seam closed. A thin patch can split as the cookie expands. Reserve any extra ganache separately rather than overfilling.
Shape with purpose
Divide dough into sixteen portions about 65 g each. Flatten each, enclose a frozen 15 g ganache mound, pinch seams shut and roll in cinnamon sugar. Freeze formed balls 10 minutes, then arrange 3 inches apart. Bake similar-sized pieces together.
Serving and texture
Large cinnamon-sugar cookies with tender vanilla dough and a hidden soft chocolate-ganache center. Let the crumb cool fully before judging texture; pack only once the finish has set.
Storage & Make-Ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | Up to 2 days in a cool room | Keep finished cookies airtight; refrigerate promptly in a warm room. |
| Refrigeration | Up to 4 days | Refrigerate ganache-filled cookies airtight; bring the serving portion to room temperature. |
| Freeze raw | Up to 2 months | Freeze portioned dough balls on a tray, then seal in a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, allowing extra time and checking for a set center. |
| Freeze baked | Up to 2 months | Freeze fully cooled, plain cookies in a sealed container with parchment between layers. |
| Restore | 30–60 minutes | Thaw sealed, then warm briefly only if desired. Let the chocolate center cool before serving. |
Notes
- US measures are shown first; gram weights help avoid packed flour. Spice weights are approximate: use measuring spoons for small quantities. Egg weights exclude shells. Temperatures are for a conventional oven. Only sixteen 15 g filling portions are used; the listed ganache makes extra. Nutrition conservatively counts the full filling recipe and may overestimate actual servings.
Nutrition
Approximate nutrition per serving calculated from ingredient weights divided by 16; required fillings and toppings included, optional decorations excluded. Brands, unused coating and actual serving size affect the estimate.
RECIPE REVIEWEDREVIEWEDSUGAR COOKIES
Frequently Asked Questions
A few helpful answers before you bake.
Why is my chocolate filling leaking?
Frozen filling is easier to enclose. Keep an even dough layer underneath and pinch every seam closed. A thin patch can split as the cookie expands. Reserve any extra ganache separately rather than overfilling.
What makes churro sugar cookies different?
Large cinnamon-sugar cookies with tender vanilla dough and a hidden soft chocolate-ganache center. Seal the filling completely. Follow the specified technique rather than substituting the shaping method from a different sugar-cookie recipe.
Can I make churro sugar cookies ahead?
Prepare with the storage instructions below. Cool completely before sealing, and keep the stated piece size when baking refrigerated or frozen dough.
Follow The Cookie Index on Pinterest
Share a little sugar cookie joy
Send this recipe to someone who loves to bake.
