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    Home » Recipes » Cookies

    Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Cookies

    Published: Oct 14, 2022 by Jocelyn at M+M · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Jump to Video
    pinterest graphic for cinnamon streusel coffee cake cookies.

    These cinnamon streusel coffee cake cookies are the perfect mix of a classic snickerdoodle, and all the best parts of a cinnamon coffee cake. Starting with a delicious sugar cookie dough, we'll roll the dough in cinnamon and sugar and then add a thumbprint center that's piled high with cinnamon streusel. Finally, we'll finish it all off with a beautiful vanilla glaze drizzle on top!

    overhead of coffee cake cookies stacked on white parchment with bite out of one cookie.
    Jump to:
    • What is coffee cake?
    • Ingredient Tips for Better Baking
    • Special Tools You'll Need
    • How to Make Coffee Cake Cookies
    • Full video tutorial!
    • Test Kitchen Tips for Sweet Success
    • More Tips + FAQs
    • Other Spiced Recipes You'll Love
    • 📖 Full Recipe
    • Comments

    What is coffee cake?

    If you're wondering what exactly defines a coffee cake that we've pulled into these addictively delicious coffee cake cookies, let me help you out...

    Traditional coffeecakes start with a moist vanilla cake. They tend to be pretty sweet, have a strong vanilla flavor, and definitely a nice and tender crumb. The middle of the cake usually has a "cinnamon filling" layer which is more or less composed of cinnamon, sugar and butter. The top is then coated in a beautiful layer of cinnamon streusel crumbs and then finished with a thin drizzle of vanilla glaze.

    And in case you were wondering, no - there isn't actually any coffee in the cake. The name comes from how this treat is typically enjoyed - with a cup of coffee.

    So how did all that become a cookie? Well...here's why I love this recipe and all the fun ways I kept this coffee break treat alive in this little hand-held sweet:

    • I tweaked this sugar cookie dough to include some extra eggs and baking powder (more like a cake batter) to give a little cakey-ness to these cookies amidst all the crunchy bits.
    • I used plenty of vanilla extract to make sure that pure vanilla flavor comes through all the cinnamony goodness.
    • I used a lot of cinnamon - but dividing it between different components of the cookie (the coating and the streusel) makes sure the flavor is strong, but not overwhelming.
    • I translated the cinnamon filling into a cinnamon coating to make sure we had multiple cinnamon layers on in this cookie.
    • I kept the classic streusel component in this recipe for that critical "crunch" on top.
    • I also added that traditional vanilla glaze drizzle in at the end, to really round out that traditional coffee cake profile.

    Ingredient Tips for Better Baking

    (Pssst…if you're ready to just get baking, get all the details in the recipe card below!)

    Jump to Recipe

    flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder, vanilla, salt, sugar, cinnamon and butter in individual bowls.
    cookie and cinnamon sugar ingredients
    sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon in individual bowls.
    streusel ingredients
    powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in individual pink and white bowls.
    icing ingredients
    • Cinnamon: because there’s a good deal of cinnamon in this recipe, I like to use a sweeter, more-mild cassia cinnamon, as opposed to a Vietnamese cinnamon which has a bit of heat to it, sort of like Red Hots candy.  The sweeter cinnamon allows the other flavors to come through more. But if you like that strong cinnamon heat, feel free to use that spicier Vietnamese cinnamon for a little extra kick. 
    • Vanilla, Almond, or Orange Glaze: while a traditional coffeecake would usually have a vanilla glaze, feel free to play around with the flavor. I like vanilla or almond extracts, or adding fresh orange zest as a citrusy twist that pairs really nicely with the cinnamon. Whichever option you choose, just check the recipe notes to see the adjusted amounts according to your chosen flavoring.

    (p.s. for all the basic tips that no one ever taught you, that are super important to help you bake your best, check out my Baking 101 series!)

    45 degree angle close up of icing drizzled coffee cake cookies on baking tray.

    Special Tools You'll Need

    • Hand or stand mixer: you'll need a mixer to get your butters and sugars light and fluffy, and to fully incorporate the eggs.
    • 1.5" ice cream scoop: a scoop is optional, but helpful for quick, even cookie portioning, especially because this is a softer dough

    How to Make Coffee Cake Cookies

    (Pssst…if you're ready to just get baking, get all the details in the recipe card below!)

    Jump to Recipe

    TO MAKE THE STREUSEL:

    1. Prep your baking sheets and pre-heat your oven. Stir together the dry streusel ingredients.
    a bowl of streusel dry ingredients and a glass pitcher of melted butter.
    1. Mix in the melted butter until large crumbs form with no dry pockets. Set aside.
    cinnamon streusel in a white cowl with a gold fork on white background.

    TO MAKE THE CINNAMON SUGAR:

    1. Combine cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
    cinnamon and sugar in a white scalloped bowl and white plaster table.

    TO MAKE THE COOKIES:

    1. Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. (More on why you want to add the vanilla early in this lesson on butterfat!)
    creamed butter and sugar in a tan bowl on white background.
    1. Beat in the eggs.
    butter sugar and eggs mixed in a tan bowl on a white background.
    1. Mix in the dry ingredients, just until combined.
    coffee cake cookie dough in a tan bowl on a white background.
    1. Scoop your cookies into 1.5" dough balls.  Round as needed, then coat in cinnamon sugar.
    overhead of tan baking sheet with plain and coated dough balls and bowl of cinnamon sugar.
    1. Tray up on prepared pans. Use your thumb to create a depression in the center of the dough balls.
    tan baking sheet with thumbprinted and filled coffee cake cookies spaced apart.
    1. Generously pile up the streusel in the thumbprint and on top of the cookie.
    side angle of streusel piled on thumbprinted cookies on tan tray.
    1. Bake just until the bottoms are golden brown and the tops feel completely dry and set on the edge. Cool completely.
    overhead close up of baked coffee cake cookies.

    TO MAKE THE ICING:

    1. Stir together all the icing ingredients until smooth and well combined.
    pink bowl with vanilla glaze and a white and wood spatula in it.
    1. Tray the cookies up, close together, then drizzle icing back and forth to desired level of coverage. Share and enjoy!
    a full tray of coffee cake cookies with vanilla icing drizzled in stripes on top.

    Full video tutorial!

    So that's the steps in a nutshell, and here's a little video tutorial on how to assemble these tasty cookies...

    And check out the full RECIPE WEB STORY for a click-through tutorial!

    Test Kitchen Tips for Sweet Success

    • Roll in cinnamon sugar immediately! Because the dough balls will dry out as they sit, I highly recommend coating them immediately after you scoop just a few. So when I make these cookies, I'll scoop 2-3 dough balls, then switch to coating them in the cinnamon sugar. Then I'll scoop another 2-3, then coat those, and repeat this process until all the dough it gone.
    • Compact the streusel: depending on how much your streusel has cooled, it may be easier or harder to keep it in clumps instead of dust.  For tips and working it back into clumps if needed, check out the recipe card notes below!
    • Use all the streusel: the crunchy streusel is definitely one of the best parts of these coffee cake cookies, so don't be afraid to pile it super high in those thumbprints. You should be able to use all the streusel across the 24 cookies, so if you get to the end and have some left, just keep piling it on! If you get to the end and run out, just grab some of the crumbs that fell on the tray to fill the remaining cookies.
    • Don't overbake: these cookies don't get much color at all on their tops in the oven. So, what you want to look for is a nice try top, and when you press the sides of the thumbprint, they feel fully set. You also want to make sure you don't see any raw-looking cookie dough in the middle near the streusel still. If you know your oven is true to temp, you should be able to stick to the bake times and be good to go!
    side view of a coffee cake cookie broken in half and stacked with other cookies in background.

    More Tips + FAQs


    Can you bake these cookies from the freezer?

    Because of the assembly method used for these cookies, I don't recommend them for fridge or freezer bake. There's nothing holding that streusel on before the bake, so you'll want to mix, assemble and bake the cookies all at once for best results.


    How do you store these cookies?

    Store cookies air-tight at room temperature for up to 5 days.


    Can you add nuts to these cookies?

    Yes! If you'd like to add some pecans or walnuts to the streusel, feel free! Make sure you chop them quite small, and I'd use ¼ cup at most or you might have difficulty mixing your streusel. I'd recommend fully mixing up the streusel and then adding the nuts in after to work them into the mixture.


    Can I skip the vanilla glaze?

    Absolutely. These cookies are delicious with or without the vanilla drizzle so feel free to make them either way.


    Is there actually any coffee in coffee cake?

    Nope - there isn't actually any coffee in the traditional coffee cake. Instead, the name comes from how this treat is typically enjoyed - with a cup of coffee.


    overhead of coffee cake cookies on white parchment with bowl of streusel in the corner.

    Other Spiced Recipes You'll Love

    Craving more delicious treats? Here are a few of my other favorite cinnamon and spice recipes:

    • Double Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
    • Cinnamon French Toast Pancakes
    • Fluffy Oreo Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
    • Cinnamon Streusel Apple Hand Pies
    • Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
    • Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling
    • Easy Snickerdoodles (with cream of tartar!)
    • Ginger Sandwich Cookies with Orange Cream Filling
    happy baking graphic font.

    ⭐ If you gave this recipe a try please give it a ⭐ rating and tag me on Instagram @mint.and.mallow.kitchen so I can see what you're baking up! ⭐

    📖 Full Recipe

    overhead of coffee cake cookies on white parchment with bowl of streusel in the corner.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Cookies

    By Jocelyn Salvatoriello
    A classic sugar cookie, a snickerdoodle, and a cinnamon streusel coffee cake combine to make these unbelievably delicious vanilla-glazed coffee cake cookies!
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Bake Time 14 mins
    Total Time 45 mins
    Servings 24 cookies

    Ingredients

    US Customary | Metric

    FOR THE STREUSEL:

    • ½ cup sugar
    • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)

    FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR:

    • ½ cup sugar
    • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

    FOR THE COOKIES:

    • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (softened)
    • 1 ¼ cups sugar
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon fine salt

    FOR THE ICING (optional):

    • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (sifted)
    • 2 tablespoons whole, 2% or skim milk
    • ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract*1
    Text me the ingredients please!

    Instructions
     

    TO MAKE THE STREUSEL:

    • Preheat and prep: preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
    • Stir together dries: use a fork to stir together the streusel’s sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
    • Mix in butter: add melted butter to dries and use a fork to blend until large crumbs form and there are no more dry patches in the mixture. Set aside.

    TO MAKE THE CINNAMON SUGAR:

    • Combine ingredients: stir together the ½ cup sugar and cinnamon in a separate small bowl and set aside.

    TO MAKE THE COOKIES:

    • Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla: cream together the butter, 1 ¼ cups sugar, and vanilla extract for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy on medium-high speed using a hand or stand mixer.
    • Beat in the eggs: add in the eggs, and beat for about 1 minute on medium-high until the batter is smooth, well-blended, and slightly fluffy (it’ll look a little like cake batter here).
    • Mix in dries: stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl until blended. Add that dry mix to the batter, and mix on low speed just until fully combined, about 30 seconds. A smooth, soft dough should form.
    • Scoop and coat: scoop dough into 1.5” round balls, using about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie (an ice cream scoop works well for easy portioning). Roll dough balls between your hands to fully round (if not using an ice cream scoop), then promptly roll in the cinnamon sugar until fully coated.*2
    • Tray and thumbprint: place cookies on prepared baking sheets, at least 2” apart. Use your thumb to create a depression in the center of the dough balls, leaving a thin layer of dough at the bottom of the depression (in other words, don’t make a full hole, just a deep indent).
    • Add streusel: generously pile up the streusel in the thumbprint and on top of the cookie as well.*3 You should use all the streusel by the time all the cookies are filled.
    • Bake: bake for 13-15 minutes, just until the bottoms are golden brown and the tops feel completely dry and set on the edge. There shouldn’t be any dough that still looks raw near the streusel in the center either, but the tops won’t have much color on them which is normal.
    • Cool fully: allow cookies to cool completely while you prepare the icing.

    TO MAKE ICING:

    • Combine icing ingredients: stir together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract*1 until smooth and fully combined. The glaze should be thick, but still drizzle smoothly off the end of the fork. Feel free to carefully thin with milk, a teaspoon at a time, or thicken with powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, if desired.
    • Tray up cookies: place fully cooled cookies on a wire rack or baking sheet, close together.
    • Drizzle, share, and enjoy: use a fork, pastry bag with small round tip, or zip-top bag with a small corner cut off to drizzle the glaze back and forth over the cookies to you preferred amount of coverage. Allow glaze to set for 15-20 minutes, then share this delicious cinnamony mash-up with family and friends for an extra-special coffee break treat!

    Video

    Test Kitchen Tips

    • *1Glaze flavoring: while a traditional coffee cake would usually have a vanilla glaze, feel free to play around with the flavor here. I like using ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract, or just a few drops of almond extract, or adding the fresh zest of half an orange for a citrusy twist that pairs really nicely with the cinnamon. Feel free to use whichever option sounds tastiest to you, or even skip the glaze altogether!
    • *2Roll in cinnamon sugar immediately! Because the dough balls will dry out as they sit, I highly recommend coating your dough balls immediately after you scoop one or two. If you scoop all the dough, then go back to coat it, you may have a harder time getting the sugar to stick due to the dried-out surfaces.
    • *3Streusel Tips: depending on how much your streusel butter has cooled after mixing, it may be easier or harder to keep it in clumps instead of dust.  To make the clumps if needed, squeeze a big chunk of streusel together in your hand, then gently break up that chunk over top of the thumbprint to pile smaller and larger clumps up in the hole and on top of the cookie (check out this Instagram reel to see this in action!)
    • Storage: store these cookies at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.
    • Fridge or freezer bake? because of the assembly of these cookies, I don’t recommend preparing them ahead of time at all.  For best results, mix, assemble and bake the cookies al

    Nutrition

    Serving 1 cookie | Calories 209kcal | Carbohydrates 38g | Protein 2g | Fat 6g | Saturated Fat 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat 2g | Trans Fat 0.2g | Cholesterol 28mg | Sodium 112mg | Potassium 26mg | Fiber 1g | Sugar 26g | Vitamin A 184IU | Vitamin C 0.01mg | Calcium 25mg | Iron 1mg
    ⭐ Did you bake up this tasty recipe? ⭐Please add a star rating and let me know in the comments how it went for you!

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    About Jocelyn at M+M

    Since 2011, Jocelyn has worked as a pastry professional in restaurants and test kitchens across the country, before creating M+M Kitchen to share all her knowledge with you. She'll help fuel your creative baking fire by showing you how to take all your bakes to the next level, so you can join her mission of bringing people together through the universal language of sweets.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Judy Bohnert says

      March 18, 2023 at 3:01 pm

      5 stars
      I made these and they are awesome! They got big so next time I need to roll the balls smaller! Taste just like a soft coffee cake! My husband and son love them! Will make again!

      Reply
      • Jocelyn at M+M says

        March 20, 2023 at 11:20 am

        I'm so happy you loved this recipe, Judy, and really appreciate you taking the time to come back here and let me know! Big or little, these guys are one tasty bite, and I'm so thrilled they were enjoyed by the whole family. Happy baking!

        Reply

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    ...the professional baker turned blogger here to help you live your best life through baking. I'll teach you how to bake everything better, and give you the confidence in the kitchen to know your food will not only taste incredible, but look beautiful as well. So let's get baking and spread some love and light in my favorite way - through the universal language of sweets!

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