Coffee cake cookies are soft, thick and buttery cinnamon sugar cookies topped with a brown sugar crumb topping and creamy vanilla glaze. This cozy coffee cake cookie recipe is easy to make and requires no chill time.
Jump to:
Why Should You Make This Recipe
There are few things I love more than a soft and cozy cookie. My Honey Cookies, Date Cookies, Chewy Molasses Cookies and Chewy Maple Pumpkin Cookies are just a few cozy cookie recipes I love from the blog. I know you’ll love these cinnamon crumb cake cookies because:
- Layers of cozy flavors and textures. From the soft and cake like cookie made filled with cozy cinnamon to the brown sugar crumb topping, these coffee cake cookies will delight your senses.
- They are quick and easy to make. These cozy cake like cookies need no chill time. Simply prepare the crumb topping and cookie dough, scoop, top, bake and enjoy.
Ingredients
This soft coffee cake cookie recipe requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, an egg and egg yolk and vanilla extract.
- Crumb Topping: Gather all purpose flour, sugar, light brown sugar and butter.
- Vanilla Glaze: Gather powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these coffee cake cookies if you need them.
- All purpose flour: Make these soft honey sugar cookies, gluten free, by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based on weight (240 g) rather than volume in cups.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Both of these are required for this cookie recipe to work as intended.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon and honey are a perfect match of flavors. Feel free to omit or use another ground spice such as ginger you like.
- Cornstarch: This gives the cookies a softer texture and helps prevent them from spreading too much.
- Unsalted Butter: Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter.
- Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugars: Maple sugar would also work well to make these cookies refined sugar free.
- Egg and Yolks: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
How To Make
Learn how to make coffee cake cookies in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for about 20-30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line 1 - 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Make the crumb topping by whisking the flour and sugars together until well combined. Work in the cubes of butter until a crumb texture forms. There will be a few bigger crumbs, but most should be finer, smaller pieces. Place the bowl in the fridge until the cookies are ready for topping.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Set aside for now.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the cubes of butter and light brown sugar on medium speed for 2 - 3 minutes or until the butter and sugars are well combined. On low, cream in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons, 45 ml), scoop the cinnamon sugar cookie dough into large cookie dough balls and place them onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart. Use the back of a large cookie scoop or simply press the bottom of a glass cup thats slightly smaller than the width of the cookie to create a small well for the crumb topping. Top the cookies with about 1 tablespoon of the chilled crumb topping.
- Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 11 - 13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and lightly golden brown. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature. Dust the cookies with powdered sugar or drizzle a vanilla glaze on the top by whisking powdered sugar with vanilla extract and milk.
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Make Ahead: Prepare the cookies according to the recipe directions up to mixing the dry ingredients into the wet and decide which storage method meets your needs. The crumb topping can be made separately and stored in a separate air tight container for up to 3 - 4 days.
- Store: Place the coffee cake cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days. To store unbaked cookie dough in the fridge, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and store in an air tight container for up to 2 days. Before baking, allow the chilled cookie dough to sit at room temperature for 20 - 30 minutes before scooping into balls, topping and baking.
- Freeze Cookie Dough: Prepare the crumb cake cookies through to the scooping step. Scoop the dough into balls onto small lined baking sheet or large plate. Freeze the balls for 20 minutes then transfer them to a freezer proof container for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookie dough balls in the fridge overnight and proceed with the cookie recipe as written starting topping the cookies with the crumb topping.
- Freeze Baked Cookies: Place each of the baked cookies in a freezer proof container in a single line with parchment paper between each layer. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw the cookies by setting them out at room temperature for a few hours or until thawed. I highly suggest warming the cookies in the microwave for that “fresh from the oven” taste.
M’s Expert Tips
- Prepare the crumb topping first. The crumb topping works the best when it has a chance to chill for a few minutes before topping the cookies for baking.
- Measure the flour properly. I highly recommend using a food scale to get perfectly measured ingredients every time.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Create a small “well” for the crumb topping. Use the back of a large cookie scoop or simply press the bottom of a glass cup thats slightly smaller than the width of the cookie to create a small well for the crumb topping. This will keep most the crumb topping on the cookie while the cookie rises during baking.
FAQs
What are coffee cake cookies?
Just like their namesake, these cozy coffee cake cookies retain the elements of the classic coffee cake in cookie form. The cookie itself is soft, fluffy and more cake like. The crumb topping and glaze that tops the cookies is the exact same as one typically used on a traditional coffee cake.
What do coffee cake cookies taste like?
They taste just like a coffee cake in cookie form.
Are these the Gilmore Girl cookies?
They are exactly like the cookies made famous on Gilmore Girls.
Can I make these cinnamon crumb cake cookies smaller?
I find that a large cookie scoop makes the perfect coffee cake cookie. If you want to try and make the cookies smaller, I would use at least 2 tablespoons of cookie dough. This is the smallest sized cookie that will hold the crumb topping. Bake a medium sized cookie for about 10 - 12 minutes.
Other Coffee Cake Recipes to Try
If you try this Coffee Cake Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Coffee Cake Cookies
Coffee cake cookies are soft, thick and buttery cinnamon sugar cookies topped with a brown sugar crumb topping and creamy vanilla glaze. This cozy coffee cake cookie recipe is easy to make and requires no chill time.
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- 2 - 3 mixing bowls
- 1 large cookie scoop (3 tbsp, 45 ml) optional
- 1 - 2 baking sheets
- 2 sheets parchment paper
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup (60 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
Coffee Cake Cookies
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
Vanilla Glaze
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 - 2 tablespoons (15 -30 ml) milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for about 20-30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line 1 - 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the crumb topping by whisking the flour and sugars together until well combined. Work in the cubes of butter until a crumb texture forms. There will be a few bigger crumbs, but most should be finer, smaller pieces. Place the bowl in the fridge until the cookies are ready for topping.½ cup (60 g) all purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, 4 tablespoons (57 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- In a large mixing bowl whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Set aside for now.2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon , ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Slice the cold butter into tablespoon sized slices. Warm in the microwave for 20 seconds to very slightly melt the edges of the butter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the cubes of butter and light brown sugar on medium speed for 2 - 3 minutes or until the butter and sugars are well combined. On low, cream in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar, 1 large egg, room temperature, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- Using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons, 45 ml), scoop the cinnamon sugar cookie dough into large cookie dough balls and place them onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart. Use the back of a large cookie scoop or simply press the bottom of a glass cup thats slightly smaller than the width of the cookie to create a small well for the crumb topping. Top the cookies with about 1 tablespoon of the chilled crumb topping.
- Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 11 - 13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and lightly golden brown. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
- Dust the cookies with powdered sugar or drizzle a vanilla glaze on the top by whisking powdered sugar with vanilla extract and milk.1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , 1 - 2 tablespoons (15 -30 ml) milk
Notes
Store: Place the coffee cake cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram
Leave a Reply