These coffee cake cookies are stuffed with a cinnamon brown sugar filling, topped with buttery brown sugar streusel, and drizzled with vanilla glaze. They're ultra chewy, with a slightly crispy crumb, and are the perfect bakery-style cookie to have with coffee, tea, or a glass of milk.
These treats taste just like coffee cake in cookie form! But, if you'd rather have cake, try this apple streusel coffee cake, pumpkin sour cream coffee cake, or cinnamon apple crumble muffins.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Multiple textures - soft cookie dough, perfectly chewy cinnamon brown sugar filling, soft and slightly crispy crumble topping, and sticky vanilla glaze.
No chill cookie - no part of this cookie needs to be chilled, making assembly much more quick and easy.
Coffee cake in cookie form - these coffee cake cookies have every component of a coffee cake, but are made into a cookie! They're more dense (and delicious) and should definitely be enjoyed with breakfast.
Ingredients
- Corn starch. Used in the filling (instead of flour), this keeps the filling ultra chewy.
- Sugars. Brown sugar is used in the cookie dough, filling, and streusel. Granulated sugar is used in the cookie dough. And powdered sugar is used in the vanilla glaze.
- Eggs. Only egg yolks are used in the recipe to create an ultra-chewy cookie. Looking for ways to use up the leftover egg whites? Try your hand at these S'mores Macarons!
- Rolled oats. Used for extra texture in the streusel topping.
- Cinnamon. Quite a lot of cinnamon is used in this recipe, so be sure you have enough!
- Milk. Any type of milk can be used to create the glaze. If you don't have milk, water can be used.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
While there aren't many ways to change up this recipe, you can:
- Add 2 tablespoons of finely chopped nuts to the streusel topping.
- Omit the icing, if desired.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl until a paste forms.
Two: Measure out heaping ½ tablespoon dollops of the filling until you have 12 even pieces.
Three: Roll the filling into balls and set aside.
Four: Mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, and salt with a fork until small crumbles form. Set aside.
Five: Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, then scrape down the sides.
Six: Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat the mixture again. Scrape down the sides.
Seven: Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined and no flour remains.
Eight: Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out 12 even balls of dough.
Coffee Cake Cookie Assembly
Nine: Flatten a piece of cookie dough in between your palms.
Ten: Add a ball of cinnamon sugar to the center, then wrap the dough around the filling and press to seal.
Hot tip! Squeeze both the filling and cookie dough a few times to re-soften it before assembling.
Eleven: Roll the ball between your hands to smooth it out completely.
Twelve: Gently flatten the dough with the palm of your hand and make a very slight indent in the center.
Thirteen: Add a heaping tablespoon of streusel into the middle, pressing it in gently.
Fourteen: Repeat with all balls of dough, adding 6 cookies to each baking sheet. Bake until set.
Fifteen: Mix together the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until a thick glaze forms.
Sixteen: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the pan, then drizzle or pipe the icing over each cookie.
Expert Tips
- Use a digital scale to measure the flour. Adding too much flour to this recipe will prevent the cookies from spreading appropriately. If you don't have a scale, follow the fluff, spoon, and level method.
- Re-squeeze both the filling and dough before assembling the cookies.
- Don't overbake the cookies. They will finish cooking and set up on the hot pan.
Recipe FAQs
A combination of sugar, flour, and butter. Oats, spices, or nuts can also be added for additional flavor or texture.
This is likely because too much flour was added to the dough. It's very important to use a digital scale in cookie recipes or use the fluffy, spoon and level method.
While this method has not been tested, Bob's Gluten Free 1-1 Baking Flour is a great swap with mostly accurate results. Let me know if you try it!
Storage
Store in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Add a piece of parchment paper or wax paper in between the cookies if they need to be stacked while storing.
The coffee cake cookies can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to two months. Thaw completely at room temperature before enjoying.
More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
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📖Recipe
Cinnamon Coffee Cake Cookies
Equipment
- Digital scale highly recommended
- Mixing bowls
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
- Rubber spatula
- 2 large baking sheets
Ingredients
Cinnamon Filling
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 5 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large egg yolks room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3-4 teaspoons water or milk
Instructions
Cinnamon Filling
- In a bowl, mash together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and salt until completely combined. Measure out the mixture into ½ tablespoon pieces, roll into a ball, then add to a parchment-lined plate, and set aside.¼ cup unsalted butter, 5 tablespoons light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ cup cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Streusel Topping
- In another bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter with a fork until completely combined and crumbles form. Set aside.½ cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup rolled oats, ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ cup unsalted butter
Cookie Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer). Cream together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat on medium speed for another two minutes. Scrape down the sides again.3 large egg yolks, 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and add to the creamed ingredients. Mix on low until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and mix in any leftover dry ingredients by hand.2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookies and place six onto each cookie sheet. Flatten out each piece of cookie dough with your hands, then add a dollop of the cinnamon sugar filling. Tip: squish the cinnamon ball in between your fingers a few times to re-soften, then add to the cookie dough.
- Fold the dough around the filling and roll in between your hands to smooth. Repeat with all cookies.
- Press each cookie down gently with the palm of your hand until 1cm thick.
- Fluff the streusel topping with a fork, then press a heaping scoop of streusel onto the top of the cookie dough. Repeat with all cookies. Almost all streusel should be used.
- Bake one pan at a time for 8-10 minutes until the edges are set.
- Scoot the cookies immediately after they come out of the oven to sure up the sides, then cool completely on the pan.
- Whisk together the glaze, then drizzle over the fully cooled cookies.¾ cup powdered sugar, 3-4 teaspoons water or milk
Rachel Goldstein
Can you use melted butter instead for the base of the cookie?
Callan Wenner
Hi Rachel, you should not use melted butter. It's important to use room temperature butter to help aerate the dough with the incorporation of the sugar to create a soft cookie.
Ana
These are really tasty cookies! Make sure to toggle the recipe to Metric if you want to weigh your ingredients to have a more successful bake. I subbed browned butter in the filling and it was quite delicious! Thank you for the recipe, Callan!
Callan Wenner
Thanks so much for the feedback Ana! YES on the metric toggle, I'll add a tid bit to the notes section, since these cookies specifically really benefit from accurate measurement!
Elizabeth Richwine
These are delightful! Unique flavor combos and textures, and as eye-catching as they are delicious. Although the assembly might look rather involved, they come together in a snap, and the results are worthwhile. My husband (who typically doesn't acknowledge anything that doesn't have chocolate) is working on a plan to get them into his breakfast tomorrow. My drizzle didn't end up looking as pretty as I had imagined, but that was definitely user-error on my part. Try this recipe!
Callan Wenner
I mean, this is the PERFECT breakfast cookie, so I'm all for it! Thanks so much for the feedback - I used a piping bag to add the icing but that was mostly just to make the pictures look extra pretty 😉