Love coffee cake? You’ll adore these coffee cake cookies that combine soft, buttery cookies with a classic streusel filling!
These coffee cake cookies bring all the cozy flavors of classic coffee cake into a delicious, bite-sized treat. With a buttery cookie base, a crumbly streusel filling, and a sweet glaze on top, they’re perfect for pairing with your favorite coffee or tea. Whether you’re serving them for dessert or an afternoon snack, these cookies are sure to satisfy any coffee cake lover!
Why You’ll Love This Coffee Cake Cookie Recipe
- Streusel-filled goodness. The buttery, crumbly streusel topping adds an extra layer of flavor and texture that elevates these cookies beyond the ordinary.
- Beautiful presentation. The thumbprint filled with streusel and finished with a drizzle of glaze makes these cookies as pretty as they are delicious.
- Sweet simplicity. The combination of vanilla, brown sugar, a hint of cinnamon, and a light glaze brings a comforting sweetness without being too heavy.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Unsalted butter – Let this soften at room temperature. Learn more: How to Soften Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar – You’ll need brown sugar for both the cookies and the streusel.
- Egg – Set this out along with the egg to let it come to room temperature. I recommend baking with large eggs.
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour – As always, measure by weight or use the spoon and sweep method for accuracy. Learn more: How to Measure Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Confectioners’ sugar – Also labeled as powdered sugar or 10X sugar.
- Milk – I prefer whole milk here, but any kind you have should be fine.
How to Make Coffee Cake Cookies
- Mix the wet ingredients. Beat the butter and both sugars, and then add the egg and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate the dough for an hour.
- Make the streusel. Combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter until crumbs form.
- Prepare for baking. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Portion and assemble. Form the dough into balls and make an indentation in the center of each cookie dough ball. Fill each indentation with streusel mixture.
- Bake. One pan at a time, bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until light golden brown.
- Make the glaze. Combine confectioners’ sugar and milk, and drizzle over cooled cookies.
Tips for Success
- Chill the dough. Don’t skip chilling the dough! It helps the cookies keep their shape and prevents spreading during baking. I suggest an hour of chilling time as a minimum, but you can refrigerate overnight. If your first batch spreads too much for your liking, refrigerate the dough longer before your next batch.
- Use a cookie scoop. It will make quick, consistent work of portioning the dough. With all your cookies the same size, they’ll bake more evenly and thoroughly. Learn more: A Baker’s Guide to Cookie Scoops
- Perfect the thumbprint. Use a rounded measuring spoon to press an indentation in each ball of dough. (Dip it in flour to keep it from sticking.) Don’t press too firmly or your dough can crack and spread too much. If the dough cracks when you make the indentation, gently press it back together with your fingers. You can also reshape the dough slightly if needed.
- Even streusel distribution. When filling the indentations with streusel, press it gently into the indentation. You can fill the cookies quite full; the indentation will help keep the streusel in place during baking.
- Easy glaze drizzling. For neat glaze drizzling, use a small spoon, a fork, or a small piping bag. If the glaze is too thick, add a little more milk to thin it to your liking.
Variations
- Nutty streusel. Add a small handful of chopped nuts, like pecans or almonds, to the streusel for extra crunch and flavor.
- More spice. Instead of just cinnamon, try using a favorite spice blend for a different flavor profile. I like my fall spice blend for these, too.
- Citrus zest. Add a touch of lemon or orange zest to the cookie dough or glaze for a bright, zesty flavor.
How to Store
After the cookies have cooled, place them in an airtight container. Store at room temperature up to 4 days. Wait until just before serving to add the glaze if you want to keep the cookies looking extra fresh!
Can Coffee Cake Cookies Be Frozen?
Yes! They’ll freeze best without the glaze, as the texture and appearance of the glaze doesn’t always hold up well. If you choose to freeze the glazed cookies, first place the cookies in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze until the glaze has solidified. Place the unglazed or frozen glazed cookies in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Properly stored, they should keep in the freezer up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
More Thumbprint Cookie Recipes
Coffee Cake Cookies
These coffee cake cookies combine a soft, buttery cookie with a crumbly streusel filling and a sweet glaze, bringing the flavors of classic coffee cake into a delicious bite-sized treat!
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (67g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 & 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the streusel:
- 1/3 cup (67g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (40g) flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
For the glaze:
- 1 cup (110g) confectioners' sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
To make the cookie dough:
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and both sugars in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix just until combined.
- Chill the dough for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.
To make the streusel and assemble the cookies:
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter. The mixture should look crumbly.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Scoop the dough using a #40 cookie scoop (about 1 & 1/2 tablespoons), and roll into balls. Place the dough balls about two inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Use the bottom of a rounded tablespoon to make a well in the middle of each cookie dough ball and then fill it with streusel. Dip the measuring spoon in a bit of flour to help prevent sticking.
- Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown and the cookies appear set.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes, and then transfer them from the pans directly onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons of the milk. Add small amounts of the remaining milk if needed to reach the desired glaze consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies and allow to set before serving.
Notes
Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.
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