If you love coffee cake, you are going to love these coffee cake cookies! A quick and easy dessert, these soft and chewy bakery-style cookies are rich, buttery, and completely irresistible. Made with a cinnamon dough base, they are packed with crunchy cinnamon sugar crumbs and drizzled with vanilla glaze!
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I'm a sucker for a good coffee cake dessert, so naturally, coffee cake cookies eventually came to my mind!
The flavor is JUST like coffee cake, and they of course pair perfectly with a glass of cold milk or with your next cup of coffee!
What makes these cookies so special is the buttery cinnamon crumbs that are packed into the dough and sprinkled on top. The crumbs give the cookies a crunchy bite that then melts in your mouth just like the real deal.
They are so quick and easy to make and SO freaking delicious, that you won't be able to keep your hands off them!
why this is the best recipe
- Soft, chewy, rich, and buttery cookies
- A quick and easy recipe you can make without a mixer
- Packed with buttery cinnamon sugar crumbs that give the cookies a nice crunch
- They taste JUST like a slice of coffee cake!
ingredient notes
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below!
- Brown sugar: Both light and dark brown sugar will work in this recipe!
- Milk: The milk is used in the vanilla glaze that is drizzled on the cookies after baking. I used 2% milk but any milk or alternative milk will work!
- Butter: Unsalted butter is used in this recipe but can be substituted with salted butter as well. In this case, I recommend leaving out ¼ teaspoon of the salt so they are not too salty.
recipe instructions
Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine the melted unsalted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, flour, and vanilla until it sticks together to form crumbs. Pour them out onto a lined baking tray and bake the cinnamon crumb at 300 F/150 C for 20 minutes. Let it cool completely, then break up any large chunks with your hands.
Step 2: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until combined. Whisk in the egg and vanilla, then fold in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until almost combined.
Step 3: Add the cinnamon crumb and finish folding it into the dough, stopping when there are no more visible streaks of flour.
Step 4: Scoop the dough with a regular-sized cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) and place them on a lined baking tray. Sprinkle the tops with more cinnamon crumbs, saving some crumbs for after they are done baking. Place the tray in the freezer and allow the dough balls to freeze solid for about 20-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and bake them 2-3 inches apart for 11-12 minutes, or until just the edges are lightly golden brown.
Step 5: Once removed from the oven, sprinkle more of the cinnamon crumbs on top of each baked cookie, then allow them to cool completely. Once cool, drizzle with the vanilla glaze and enjoy!
expert cookie baking tips
- Use a kitchen scale: Baking with a scale is faster, easier, and overall much more accurate than cup measurements.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients creates a smooth, fully blended batter that will result in a uniform texture and even baking.
- Don't over-bake them: The cookies will just have light golden brown edges when they are done baking. They will look underdone but will continue to bake on the tray after coming out of the oven!
- Break up the cinnamon crumbs: After baking, the cinnamon crumbs will have some small and large pieces. Break up the large chunks into pea-sized crumbs otherwise, the cookies will not spread when baking!
- Dark vs. light baking trays: Baking trays conduct heat differently depending on what color the pan is. If your tray is dark or black you should decrease the heat to 325 F/163 C.
storage & freezing
- Room temperature: Once baked, store the cookies in a sealed container or ziplock bag on the counter for 2-3 days.
- Freezer: Once scooped, the dough can be frozen then transferred to a bag or container and frozen for up to 3 months!
faq's
Yes! I prefer making large, bakery-style cookies sometimes. Scoop the dough with a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons), and give them 1-3 minutes longer bake time.
I have not personally tested this recipe with gluten-free flour but I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
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Recipe 📖
Coffee Cake Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie scoop (2 tablespoons)
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Crumb
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cookie Dough
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 large whole egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp cinnamon crumbs
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
For the Vanilla Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoon 2% milk or milk of choice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Before You Start
- Preheat the oven to 300F/150C.
To Make the Cinnamon Crumb
- In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, baking powder, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla until crumbly.2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted, ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour, ¼ cup white granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spread out onto a baking tray and bake at 300F/150C for 20 minutes. Let the crumb cool compeltely, then use your hands to break up any large chunks until they are all pea-sized or smaller.
To Make the Dough
- Cream the butter and sugars together.6 tablespoon unsalted butter, ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- Mix in the egg and vanilla.1 large whole egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fold in the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until almost combined, then add the cinnamon crumbs and continue folding until there are no more streaks of flour.1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ cup + 2 tablespoon cinnamon crumbs
- Scoop the dough with a regular sized cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) and place them on a lined baking tray.
- Sprinkle the tops with some of the leftover cinnamon crumbs, then place the tray in the freezer to freeze solid, about 20-30 minutes.
- Increase the oven temperature to 350F/180C and bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown but the middle is still pale.
- Immediately out of the oven, sprinkle the tops with the last of the cinnamon crumb.
- Let cool completely.
- Whisk the vanilla, milk, and powdered sugar together until you get a semi-thick glaze.½ cup powdered sugar, 1-2 teaspoon 2% milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Drizzle the cooled cookies with the glaze and enjoy!
Notes
- Use a kitchen scale: Baking with a scale is faster, easier, and overall much more accurate than cup measurements.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients creates a smooth, fully blended batter that will result in a uniform texture and even baking.
- Don't over-bake them: The cookies will just have light golden brown edges when they are done baking. They will look underdone but will continue to bake on the tray after coming out of the oven!
- Break up the cinnamon crumbs: After baking, the cinnamon crumbs will have some small and large pieces. Break up the large chunks into pea-sized crumbs otherwise, the cookies will not spread when baking!
- Dark vs. light baking trays: Baking trays conduct heat differently depending on what color the pan is. If your tray is dark or black you should decrease the heat to 325 F/163 C.
- For larger cookies: Scoop the dough into 3 tablespoon balls. Make sure they are frozen solid before baking and give them an extra 1-3 minutes extra baking time!
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Kathrin says
Do not skip past this recipe!!! They truly taste like coffee cake and are perfectly soft and chewy but with little crunches of the cinnamon crumb. So easy to make too!!