Last Updated on November 22, 2022 by Kimberly Stroh

Christmas cookies are my jam. I love baking during the holiday season and I’m always collecting unique recipes to add to my dessert trays. If you love a soft cookie texture, this Coffee Cake Cookie should be on your baking list! It’s sweet, with a streusel topping, and you can taste light notes of brown sugar and cinnamon. My family loves this cookie so much, it’s earned a spot on our regular rotation that we make yearly!

Having a variety of Christmas cookies to serve is important to me. I like to make some that are festive, some that are unique and ones that are down-right delicious. That’s where this Coffee Cake Cookie recipe comes in. It’s simply tasty and delicious.

The cookie is play on traditional coffee cakes. It has that nice soft texture, streusel topping and the light cinnamon brown sugar flavor. I enjoy mine with a cup of coffee, but the whole family seems to grab one of these when the dessert tray comes out.

Looking for even more great Christmas cookie recipes? I love baking during the holiday season and cookies bring me the biggest joy to make. Here are my favorites:

• Chocolate Toffee Kitchen Sink Cookies
• Pistachio Cranberry Shortbread
• Frosted Eggnog Cookies

How To Make Coffee Cake Cookies

I’m very particular when it comes to my baking technique for cookies. I swear by silicone baking mats. They help the cookies bake evenly, prevent the bottom of the cookies from burning and the cookies won’t stick to the cookie sheet. If you don’t have any silicone baking mats, try parchment paper. It works in a similar manner, but not quite the same.

When To Make Your Coffee Cake Cookie

I love making this cookie recipe for the Christmas season, but I think it’s also a great cookie for the fall. They transport easily and are pretty sturdy. So they’re great to bring to an event or give as a gift. I make these Coffee Cake Cookies for holiday potlucks, as part of a Christmas cookie dessert tray and I give them to my neighbors for a special holiday treat.

Tips For Making Drop Cookies

• Measure the ingredients perfectly and level the ingredients as you measure.
• Use a cookie scoop as you drop the cookies, so they’re the perfect same size.
• Silicone Baking Mats really help the bottoms of the cookies from sticking and the cookies will bake evenly.
• After the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, transfer them to a wire cooling rack.

How To Keep Your Cookies Fresh After Baking

Once your cookies have baked, and cooled, add them to an airtight food storage container. Keep them sealed and away from the air or moisture. For best freshness, enjoy the cookies within 4-5 days of baking. If you feel like they start to harden a bit, add a slice of white sandwich bread to the storage container and they’ll soften again.

Can You Freeze Coffee Cake Cookies?

Yes! There are two different ways you can freeze a Coffee Cake Cookie. The first way is to freeze the dough before baking. This is a great way to prepare for the holiday season, but bake fresh cookies to have on hand. Just keep the dough covered in plastic wrap (I make mine into a ball) and it’s good in the freezer for 2 months. Keep the dough in the back of the freezer where the temperature is more stable.

Secondly, you can freeze the cookies after they’ve baked. Place the cookies in a freezer bag after they’ve cooled. The cookies can stay frozen for up to 3 months. Let the cookies thaw to room temperature, on the countertop, to enjoy again.

Recipe Substitutions

If you want to use any sugar substitute, I always recommend following the brand’s package instructions to make the right substation amounts. I use unsalted butter in all of my baking, but salted sweet cream butter works well too.

What You Need From The Grocery Store:

• Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter
• Flour
• Cake Flour
• Ground Cinnamon
• Kosher Salt
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Granulated Sugar
• Light Brown Sugar
• Egg
• Vanilla Extract

Directions To Make Coffee Cake Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with baking silicone mats. Place 2 sticks unsalted butter in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 20-second bursts until fully melted.

Place 1 1⁄2 C flour, 1 1⁄4 C cake flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in a medium bowl and whisk until combined.

Add 1 C sugar, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract to the melted butter.

Whisk until smooth and glossy. Add the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula just until the flour is incorporated and a smooth dough forms.

To make the streusel topping: Place 1⁄4 C unsalted butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave 10-second bursts until fully melted, 30 to 40 seconds.

Add 1/2 c flour, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.

Using your fingertips, pinch and squeeze the dry ingredients into the melted butter until large, irregular clumps form and the mixture resembles wet sand.

Scoop out the dough with a medium cookie scoop and roll into a ball. Place at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheets, 6 per sheet.

Top the cookie dough balls with the streusel, mounding it at the top of the cookie dough balls. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let cool slightly on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.