The ultimate indulgence: Chewy Coffee Cake Cookies! If you’re looking for a special treat that tastes like it came straight from your grandmother’s kitchen, then look no further. These delectable little morsels combine the flavor of rich coffee cake with the convenience and portability of cookies.
These absolutely delicious chewy coffee cake cookies are one of my family’s favorite cookies. A combination of all of our favorite things! We love coffee cake, coffee, cake, and cookies!
To me, these are reminiscent of bakery style cookies, large enough to enjoy while sipping on my coffee. A soft and chewy tender crumb is exactly what I crave in a cookie.
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Important Ingredients with Substitutions
- Cake Flour – See below for how to make your own cake flour.
- Salt - Salt is always great for balancing sweetness and enhancing flavors.
- Unsalted Butter – Softened to room temperature
- Brown Sugar – Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, whichever is your preference. I tend to buy both and just mix them together in a large container.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – Vanilla bean paste can be used as a 1:1 swap for the liquid.
- Egg & Egg Yolk - Makes for a chewy texture cookie with extra flavor.
Streusel Ingredients
- Brown Sugar - Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, the choice is up to you.
- Cinnamon - If you want more spice you can add nutmeg.
- Unsalted Butter – Softened to room temperature is fine. We will be putting it in the fridge once the ingredients are combined to firm up a bit more. If your butter is cold, dice it up into cubes.
Icing Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter – Melted butter, slightly cooled
- Heavy Cream – Half and half or even whole milk would be a great swap.
- Powdered Sugar - Try to use a good quality powdered sugar. Sometimes off brands or expired powdered sugar can give off a funky taste. The sugar should taste sweet, not floral or of chemicals.
- Pure Vanilla Extract - A liquid vanilla will mix better than vanilla paste for the icing drizzle.
- Pinch of salt - Helps to balance out the sweetness
See the recipe below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Cake Flour
For this recipe, put 1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch in a ¾ measuring cup, then fill it with all-purpose flour.
Instructions for coffee cake cookies
To prepare the cinnamon streusel topping
Step 1: In a small mixing bowl add the flour, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, salt, and butter. Using your hands, or a fork, mix together until the butter and the dry ingredients come together in a crumbly streusel texture.
Step 2: Set this bowl aside in the fridge to chill while we prepare the cookie dough.
TO PREPARE THE COOKIE DOUGH
Prepare a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Two baking sheets may be needed depending on the size of your cookie dough balls. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 1: In a large bowl sift together the flour, cake flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: In the bowl of your stand mixer add the unsalted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Cream butter and sugars with the paddle attachment for 3-5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the egg yolk, egg, and vanilla. Continue mixing to combine.
Step 4: Add in your sifted flour mixture ⅓ at a time, and continue mixing until a smooth dough forms. Turning the speed up on your stand mixer as necessary.
Step 5: Using a large cookie scoop, create 8 cookie dough balls. In the center of each cookie dough ball place an indent, either with your thumb or the back of a tablespoon. Then fill the indent with a tablespoon of the cinnamon streusel topping.
Step 6: Cookies bake for 8-12 minutes or until the edges are a golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
TO PREPARE THE COOKIE ICING
Step 1: In a small bowl add the ingredients for the icing topping. After the cookies have cooled, drizzle the icing over the top of the cookies then serve!
Level Up with a Top Tip!
Hint: Pour the vanilla glaze into a piping bag to easily drizzle it on top of the cookies. You can also dip half of the cookie into the glaze.
Recipe Variations
- Chocolate Chip: Stir in some chocolate chips for an extra sweet treat!
- Nuts: Mix in chopped pecans for some added texture and nuttiness.
- Apple Pie Spice: Swap out the cinnamon for our apple pie spice.
- Browned Butter: Brown the butter before mixing it in to give the cookies a richer, nuttier flavor. Try my Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter or these Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Brown Butter if you're a fan of brown butter desserts.
Storage Recommendations
Leftover Coffee Cake Cookies: Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Alternatively, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months.
If you plan on stacking your cookies, place a piece of parchment paper between each cookie so the icing doesn't stick to the other cookies.
Leftover Cookie Dough: If you have any leftover dough, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to five days. You can also freeze it for up to two months. To thaw frozen cookie dough, set it out on the counter until softened before rolling and baking as directed.
Level Up With Expert Tips & Tricks
Use a large circular cookie cutter or glass to give your freshly baked cookies a perfect circle shape right out of the oven.
Using room temperature ingredients is best for baking. Your batters, doughs, and mixes will all come together more easily if the ingredients are all at the same temperature. Unless otherwise noted, the best practice is room temp ingredients.
Recipe FAQs
No, coffee cake cookies do not actually contain any coffee. They are named after similar flavors and toppings found in coffee cake.
Similar Sweets
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Coffee Cake Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup All Purpose Flour
- ¾ cup Cake Flour
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- ½ cup Brown Sugar packed
- ¼ cup White Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Egg Yolk
Streusel
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour
- ⅓ cup Brown Sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 5 tablespoons Unsalted Butter softened
Icing
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter melted & cooled
- 3 tablespoons Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
To prepare the cinnamon sugar streusel
- In a small mixing bowl add the flour, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, salt and butter. Using your hands, or a fork, mix together until the butter and the dry ingredients come together in a crumbly streusel texture.
- Set this bowl aside in the fridge to chill while we prepare the cookie dough.
To prepare the cookie dough
- Prepare a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Two baking sheets may be needed depending on the size of your cookie dough balls. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl sift together the flour, cake flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer add the unsalted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Cream butter and sugars with the paddle attachment for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the egg yolk, egg, and vanilla. Continue mixing to combine.
- Add in your sifted flour mixture ⅓ at a time, and continue mixing until a smooth dough forms. Turning the speed up on your stand mixer as necessary.
- Using a large cookie scoop, create 8 cookie dough balls. In the center of each cookie dough ball place an indent, either with your thumb or the back of a tablespoon. Then fill the indent with a tablespoon of the cinnamon streusel topping.
- Cookies bake for 8-12 minutes or until the edges are a golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Prepare the coffee cake cookie icing
- In a small bowl add the ingredients for the icing topping. After the cookies have cooled, drizzle the icing over the top of the cookies then serve!
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