Coffee Cake Cookies bring that cozy cinnamon bakery smell straight to the Thanksgiving table. Each cookie has a soft cinnamon sugar base, a buttery brown sugar streusel center, and a sweet vanilla glaze. They feel familiar like coffee cake, yet they fit neatly beside pies, bars, and other holiday treats.
Table of Contents
Coffee Cake Cookies at a Glance
These Coffee Cake Cookies combine three simple layers. First, you get a thick cinnamon cookie. Then, a crumbly streusel fills the center. Finally, vanilla glaze adds a smooth, sweet finish.
They make about 18 cookies, although smaller portions may give you 20. Also, each cookie has tender edges, a chewy center, and plenty of buttery crumbs.
What Do Coffee Cake Cookies Taste Like?
Coffee Cake Cookies taste warm, buttery, and full of cinnamon. The dark brown sugar also adds a deeper caramel note to the cookie dough.
Meanwhile, the streusel gives each bite a crumbly coffee cake texture. Then, the vanilla glaze adds sweetness without hiding the cinnamon flavor.
Yield, Prep Time, Chill Time, and Baking Time
This recipe makes about 18 cookies. Prep takes about 15 minutes, while baking takes around 10 minutes.
However, plan for another 30 to 60 minutes of chilling. So, although the listed working and baking time comes to about 25 minutes, the full recipe takes longer once you include chilling and cooling.
Coffee Cake Cookie Ingredients
Simple baking ingredients create all three layers of these Coffee Cake Cookies. For the best texture, measure the flour carefully and bring the cookie dough butter, egg, and egg yolk to room temperature.
Ingredients for the Cinnamon Cookie Dough
You will need 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup dark brown sugar. Also, gather 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 tablespoon whole milk, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
Next, measure 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
Ingredients for the Streusel Topping
For the streusel, combine 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour with 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar. Then, add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
Finally, you need 1/4 cup melted and slightly cooled unsalted butter plus a small splash of vanilla.
Ingredients for the Vanilla Glaze
Use 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
Also, keep a little extra powdered sugar and milk nearby. That way, you can quickly adjust the glaze consistency.
How to Make Coffee Cake Cookies
The process stays simple when you work one layer at a time. Most importantly, give the filled dough enough time to chill before baking.
Step 1: Make the Cinnamon Streusel
First, stir together the flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Next, pour in the melted butter and vanilla. Stir until chunky crumbs form, then set the streusel aside.
Step 2: Prepare the Cookie Dough
Beat the room temperature butter with both sugars for 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should look light and fluffy.
Then, mix in the egg, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in another bowl.
Next, gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears.
Step 3: Scoop and Shape the Cookies
Scoop roughly 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Then, roll each portion gently into a ball.
Next, lightly flour the back of a tablespoon. Press it into the center of each dough ball to create a shallow indentation.
Step 4: Fill the Cookies With Streusel
Add about 2 to 3 teaspoons of streusel to every indentation. Press the crumbs gently so they sit securely in the center.
However, do not flatten the whole cookie. You want a thick rim of cookie dough around that buttery streusel center.
Step 5: Chill the Filled Cookie Dough
Refrigerate the filled Coffee Cake Cookies for 30 to 60 minutes. Chilling helps the dough hold its thick shape.
Meanwhile, line your baking sheets with parchment. Near the end of chilling, heat your oven to 350°F, or 175°C.
Step 6: Bake Until Soft and Set
Arrange the chilled cookies several inches apart. Then, bake them for about 10 minutes.
The edges should look set, while the centers should still look slightly underdone. If you want rounder cookies, gently circle each warm cookie with a round cutter or glass immediately after baking.
Step 7: Cool and Drizzle With Vanilla Glaze
Let the cookies rest briefly on the baking sheet. Next, move them to a wire rack and cool them completely.
Meanwhile, whisk the powdered sugar, milk or cream, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Then, drizzle the glaze over the cooled Coffee Cake Cookies.
Tips for Soft and Thick Coffee Cake Cookies
A few small baking choices make a noticeable difference here. In particular, flour measurement, butter temperature, chilling, and baking time affect the final texture.
Measure the Flour Correctly
Spoon flour into your measuring cup, then level the top. Alternatively, weigh the flour with a kitchen scale.
Too much flour can make Coffee Cake Cookies dry and dense. Therefore, avoid scooping flour straight from the container with your measuring cup.
Use the Right Butter Temperature
Use room temperature butter for the cookie dough. It creams smoothly with the sugars and helps create a tender texture.
However, use melted, slightly cooled butter for the streusel. That butter helps create the chunky crumbs you want in the center.
Avoid Overmixing the Cookie Dough
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture only until the flour disappears.
Otherwise, too much mixing can make the cookies less tender. So, stop the mixer as soon as the dough comes together.
Don’t Skip the Chilling Time
Chill the filled dough for at least 30 minutes. This step helps reduce spreading and keeps the streusel indentation intact.
As a result, your Coffee Cake Cookies bake thicker and hold their coffee cake inspired shape better.
Avoid Overbaking the Cookies
Pull the cookies from the oven when the edges look set but the centers still seem slightly underdone.
Then, let the heat from the baking sheet finish setting the centers. Overbaking can quickly turn a tender cookie into a dry one.
Let the Cookies Cool Before Glazing
Wait until the cookies cool completely before adding the vanilla glaze.
Otherwise, the glaze can melt into the warm cookies. Instead, cooling gives you pretty drizzles and a better contrast between the soft cookie and sweet topping.
Coffee Cake Cookie Variations
You can make small changes while keeping the cozy character of Coffee Cake Cookies. Nuts, coconut, and gluten free flour all work well.
Add Pecans or Walnuts to the Streusel
Finely chop pecans or walnuts and mix them into the streusel.
Then, every bite gets a little extra crunch. Pecans work especially well for a Thanksgiving dessert spread.
Add Shredded Coconut for Extra Texture
You can also stir shredded coconut into the streusel.
The coconut adds a slightly chewy texture alongside the buttery crumbs. However, use a modest amount so cinnamon remains the main flavor.
Make Gluten-Free Coffee Cake Cookies
Replace the all purpose flour with a 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour.
Then, follow the recipe in the same order. Because flour blends vary, watch the dough texture and baking time closely.
Make-Ahead Tips
Holiday baking gets much easier when you split the work across a few days. Fortunately, several parts of this recipe work well ahead of time.
Make the Streusel Ahead of Time
Prepare the streusel up to 3 days ahead.
Then, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate it. When you start the cookies, the cinnamon crumbs will already be waiting.
Prepare and Freeze the Filled Cookie Dough
Shape the dough, make the indentations, and add the streusel. Next, freeze the filled cookies until firm.
Then, transfer them to a freezer safe container. You can keep the unbaked Coffee Cake Cookies frozen for up to 3 months.
How to Store Coffee Cake Cookies
Good storage keeps the cookies soft while protecting the glaze and crumbly topping.
Storing at Room Temperature
Store cooled Coffee Cake Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 to 4 days for the best texture.
Also, place parchment between stacked layers. It keeps the vanilla glaze from sticking to the cookies above it.
How to Freeze Baked Coffee Cake Cookies
Cool and glaze the cookies completely before freezing.
Then, pack them carefully in a freezer safe container with parchment between layers. They can stay frozen for up to 3 months.
How to Bake Coffee Cake Cookies From Frozen
You can bake filled cookie dough straight from frozen at 350°F.
Simply add about 1 to 2 minutes to the normal baking time. Again, remove the cookies while the centers still look slightly underdone.
Serving Coffee Cake Cookies for Thanksgiving
Coffee Cake Cookies fit naturally on a Thanksgiving dessert table because cinnamon, brown sugar, and buttery streusel already feel right at home with fall flavors.
How to Add Them to a Thanksgiving Dessert Table
Arrange the cookies beside pumpkin pie, apple desserts, and other bite sized sweets. Also, place a few on a small raised plate to show off those streusel centers.
Because guests can grab them without slicing anything, these cookies work especially well when everyone wants just one more little dessert.
What to Serve With Coffee Cake Cookies
Serve Coffee Cake Cookies with hot coffee, tea, cold milk, or warm apple cider.
Meanwhile, you can find more holiday baking ideas from Kai Recipes on Pinterest and follow new recipe inspiration on Facebook.
More Such Recipes
- apple coffee cake with cinnamon streusel
- gluten-free pumpkin coffee cake with cinnamon streusel
- glazed orange cookies with cinnamon and cloves
- soft and chewy carrot cake cookies
- peach cobbler cookies with cinnamon crumble and glaze
- chewy banana bread chocolate chip cookies with cinnamon
Final Thoughts
Coffee Cake Cookies give you everything I want from a cozy holiday cookie: soft cinnamon dough, buttery crumbs, and a simple vanilla drizzle. Even better, you can prepare parts ahead when Thanksgiving baking starts filling the kitchen.
So, give the dough enough chilling time and pull the cookies from the oven while their centers still look soft. Then, let them cool, add that sweet glaze, and watch how quickly the cookie plate empties.
PrintCoffee Cake Cookies Recipe With Cinnamon Streusel and Glaze
Description
Soft and thick Coffee Cake Cookies combine a cinnamon sugar cookie with a buttery brown sugar streusel center and a smooth vanilla glaze. The tender, chewy texture and cozy cinnamon flavor make these cookies a lovely Thanksgiving dessert.
Ingredients
- For the cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp whole milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- For the streusel:
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- Splash of vanilla
- For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar, plus more if needed
- 2 Tbsp milk or heavy cream
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla or clear vanilla
Instructions
- Combine the streusel flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the melted butter and vanilla until crumbly, then set aside.
- Cream the room-temperature butter with the granulated sugar and dark brown sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the egg, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda.
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until incorporated.
- Portion the dough into roughly 2-Tbsp balls.
- Lightly flour the back of a tablespoon, then press an indentation into the center of each dough ball.
- Add about 2 to 3 tsp streusel to each indentation.
- Refrigerate the filled cookies for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the chilled cookies several inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges look set while the centers still appear slightly underdone.
- If desired, immediately reshape the warm cookies into circles with a round cutter or glass.
- Cool the cookies briefly on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whisk the powdered sugar, milk or heavy cream, salt, and vanilla until smooth and drizzleable. Add extra powdered sugar or milk as needed to adjust the consistency.
- Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the completely cooled cookies.
Notes
Use room-temperature butter for the cookie dough and melted, slightly cooled butter for the streusel.
Measure flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it, or use a kitchen scale. Too much flour can produce dry cookies.
Mix the cookie dough only until the dry ingredients disappear to keep the cookies tender.
Chill the filled cookie dough for at least 30 minutes to limit spreading and help preserve the center indentation.
Avoid overbaking. The centers should still look slightly underdone when you remove the cookies because they continue setting as they cool.
Apply the glaze only after the cookies have cooled completely.
Prepare the streusel up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container.
For extra texture, add finely chopped pecans, walnuts, or shredded coconut to the streusel.
For a gluten-free variation, replace the all-purpose flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour.
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 to 4 days. Place parchment between layers to prevent the glaze from sticking.
Freeze fully cooled and glazed cookies for up to 3 months.
Freeze filled unbaked cookie dough for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen at 350°F, adding about 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time.
Nutrition values are automatically calculated estimates and can vary according to the ingredients used.