Streusel Coffee Cake Cookies
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Cookies with a crumbly coffee cake center, combining flour blends and spices. Creamed butter and sugars give rich texture; a swirl of cinnamon streusel folds inside. Baked ’til edges firm but center soft. Finished with cinnamon glaze drizzle. Has all flavor and aromas of coffee cake, but hand-held. Subtle crisp outside, tender crumb within. Uses mix of cake and all-purpose flour for bite balance. Cornstarch adds tender chew. Baking soda and powder for lift, cinnamon for warmth. Brown sugar in streusel adds depth. Butter in streusel for clumps that hold their shape after baking. Frosting adds sweet cinnamon finish.
Prep:
20 min
Cook:
11 min
Total:
31 min
Servings:
8 large cookies
#American
#cookies
#streusel
#coffee cake
#baking
#cinnamon
#dessert
Streusel nestled inside a cookie? Yes. Coffee cake vibes but with hands. Tried it first with less cake flour: cookie too dense. Adding cake flour and cornstarch changed texture exponentially: tender but hold shape. Butter mid-soft, not warm. Too soft and dough spreads like butter puddle. Indenting dough is key: scooping well makes neat pockets for streusel; if you just pile streusel on, it runs off. Baked cookies crisp on edges but centers stay moist, just set when pressed lightly. Straighter edges come from swirling with glass right when out of oven; tried rolling cookies after baking—too crumbly. You want that soft crumb but no mess or extra cracking.
Ingredients
- ==Streusel Filling==
- 35 grams all purpose flour (about 1/4 cup, loosely packed)
- 40 grams light brown sugar (just shy of 1/4 cup)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch table salt
- 28 grams cold unsalted butter (2 tablespoons), cubed
- ==Dry Ingredients==
- 110 grams all purpose flour (3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
- 55 grams cake flour (1/3 cup)
- 15 grams cornstarch (1 tablespoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- ==Wet ingredients==
- 113 grams unsalted butter (1/2 cup or 1 stick), cubed and softened
- 100 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
- 65 grams light brown sugar (1/3 cup)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ==Icing==
- 45 grams powdered sugar (about 1/3 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-5 teaspoons whole milk or cream
- pinch ground cinnamon
About the ingredients
Measuring butter: use firm cold cubes in streusel for crisp crumbly bits after baking. If you only have salted butter, reduce salt in dry mix by half. Cake flour—skip if none; replace with equal all-purpose flour but add a teaspoon cornstarch to keep tenderness. Brown sugar in dough and streusel adds moisture; don’t replace with white sugar alone or flavor dulls. Vanilla: quality matters; use pure extract or a tiny splash of bourbon for twist. Powdered sugar in icing: sift before whisking to avoid lumps. Milk or cream: thicker cream makes icing richer, but too thick won’t drizzle well. Don’t substitute with water; icing flat and tasteless. Common mistake: working butter too warm makes dough greasy and spreads too much, making dough balls lose their shape.
Method
Prepare streusel| mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt in medium bowl| pinch butter cubes in with fingers until small clumps form| refrigerate minimum 15 minutes: keeps crumbly texture setting up|
Prep oven & sheets| preheat oven to 405°F (raise slightly for stronger crust formation)| line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats| set aside|
Dry mix| whisk all purpose flour, cake flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt together in large bowl| set aside|
Cream butter & sugars| stand mixer with paddle attachment| add cubed softened butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar| beat 1.5-2.5 minutes till fluffy and light, scraping sides| don’t overbeat–aim for air but no melting|
Add eggs, vanilla| add whole egg, yolk, vanilla to mixture| beat till combined thoroughly| stop and scrape sides with rubber spatula| mix again briefly|
Incorporate dry mix| add dry ingredients in 3 additions (not quarter cups, better for texture)| mix slow to medium speed only till flour disappears| dough should be soft but not sticky| don’t overmix or gluten toughens|
Shape cookies| roll dough into 8 large balls (or 22 smaller if desired)| place spaced on baking sheets (2-3 inches apart)| press lightly to flatten slightly|
Indent centers| press thumb or spoon end into each ball to create 1-inch-diameter shallow well| dust pressing tool in flour if sticky| makes room for streusel without overflow|
Fill with streusel| spoon ~1 tablespoon streusel clumps into each indentation, pressing to compact but not level top| streusel stays moist inside but bakes crumbly without sliding|
Bake| place sheet in preheated oven| bake 9-12 minutes watching edges set but centers remain slightly soft to touch| watch color for light golden on edges, not dark brown| remove even if cookie looks slightly underbaked - carryover heat finishes cooking|
Shape correction (optional)| right out of oven, use circular glass or cookie cutter bigger than cookie edge| put cutter around one cookie and spin gently to smooth lumpy edges| dimple should remain intact but edges levels out| do this on warm sheet, fast before cooling stiffens dough|
Rest & cool| let cookies rest on baking sheets 5 minutes| transfer to wire rack to cool completely| streusel firms yet stays tender inside|
Make icing & drizzle| whisk powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, enough milk to thin to drizzling consistency| once cookies fully cool, drizzle or pipe icing in zigzags or circles| lets sweetness balance cinnamon notes|
Cooking tips
Start chilling streusel first: gives it firm bits during bake. Mixing dough: combine dry ingredients separately so baking powder and soda distribute evenly; skipping this leads to uneven rise. Cream butter and sugars just enough to aerate; too fast or long melts butter and ruins dough structure. Incorporate flour gently; overmixing triggers gluten, tough cookie. Scraping bowl sides keeps texture consistent and distributes wet/dry well. Indenting dough is so important: deep enough for streusel but don’t pierce bottom or it’ll leak. Bake watchers, smell is key: cinnamon aroma strong, edges light golden, centers still soft when touched gently. Too crunchy? Reduce bake by a minute or two next round. Shaping with glass right out of oven smoothes edges and keeps cookies round—skip this only if rugged shape is your vibe. Cooling on sheets 5 minutes helps settle structure; transfer too soon and cookies break. Drizzle icing once cookies cool completely or icing melts and slides off. Use a fork or squeeze bottle for icing application. Don’t pour directly or you lose control over design.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Keep butter cold and cubed for streusel. Warm butter clumps melt on baking sheet and lose crumbly texture. Pinch with fingers till pea-size lumps before chilling. Streusel rests 15 min minimum. Crucial for clump formation in oven and moist inside.
- 💡 Cake flour adds tenderness but too little makes dough dense and dry. If skipped, swap with all-purpose flour plus teaspoon cornstarch to mimic softness. Cornstarch also helps chew. Balancing flours changes cookie bite and crumb; test batches helpful.
- 💡 Indent dough balls about one inch deep; shallow pockets keep streusel contained. Dust thumb or spoon in flour if sticky or it drags dough. Pockets stop streusel from spilling over edges and keep neat clumps inside while baking.
- 💡 Do not overmix dry with wet ingredients. Add dry mix in thirds, mixing low speed just to combine. Overmix triggers gluten—tough, dense cookie with flat edges. Dough stays soft but not sticky is right texture here. Scrape bowl sides frequently.
- 💡 Right out of oven, smooth edges with glass or cookie cutter - spin gently on warm tray. This step reduces cracking and gives neater shape. Skip only if rugged look wanted. Wait too long and dough stiffens, glass won’t glide; must be done fast and warm.
Common questions
Why add cake flour and cornstarch?
Cake flour breaks down proteins so cookie tender not tough. Cornstarch adds chew, prevents dryness. Tried all AP flour, cookie came out dense and crumbly. Adding cake flour improved structure. Cornstarch little but important little trick.
What if dough too soft or spreading?
Butter too warm usually culprit melts too fast. Chill dough balls well or refrigerate rolled dough before baking. Cold butter slows spreading. Adjust oven temperature slightly higher can help edges firm faster, avoiding puddles.
How to store cookies?
Keep in airtight container at room temp for 2-3 days. Streusel might soften but stays crumbly inside. Longer storage refrigerate wrapped, bring to room temp before eating. Freeze is option, cool completely then wrap tight. Icing can soften when stored, drizzle just before serving better.
Can I skip glazing?
Yes but glaze balances sugar and cinnamon sharpness. Without glaze flavor less rounded, more dry mouthfeel sometimes. Use powdered sugar and cinnamon with splash milk till thin to drizzle. Water thins too much, flat flavor no body.
