If I had a dollar for every time I whipped up these Coffee Cake Cookies at, like, midnight (don’t judge), I’d probably have enough to buy a fancy new stand mixer—and if you saw the rattling old one I use, you’d know how badly I need it. Anyway, these cookies started as a happy accident because I wanted coffee cake but was way too lazy to make an actual cake. You know the drill. Plus, the only pan I could find was the one I usually use for roasting veggies. Long story short, cookies happened, and now my neighbor asks for them almost every week. Swapping stories and cookies over coffee? That’s my idea of an afternoon well spent.

Why I’m Forever Making These

I make these whenever I want something cozy and a little fancier than just plain old sugar cookies—like for rainy Sundays, awkward book club meetings (where everyone is low-key judging the snacks), or just because I’m craving that cinnamon-crumb thing but I can’t be bothered to faff about with layers of batter and filling. My family basically attacks the tray before the cookies have cooled (so maybe make a double batch if you’ve got snack monsters at home). Oh, and sometimes I mess up the crumble topping a bit, but no one seems to care; if anything, they say it makes the cookies “rustic.” I’ll take it.

Here’s What You’ll Need (Mostly)

1 cup (225g-ish) unsalted butter, room temp (I’ve used salted butter before and just skipped the extra salt, turns out fine actually)
1 cup brown sugar—My grandmother swore by Demerara, but I just use whatever’s in the cupboard honestly
1/3 cup granulated sugar (sometimes I just do all brown sugar if I’m out)
2 large eggs—Straight from the fridge is okay if you forgot to take them out
2 tsp vanilla extract (my bottle’s always running low, so sometimes I top up with the fake stuff—nobody notices)
2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (if you’re in a pinch, 1/4 cup oat flour subs in nicely, but it makes them a bit chewier)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon (Or go wild and use pumpkin pie spice. Your kitchen, your rules)

For the crumb topping (the best bit!):

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar (or white, but it’s less caramel-y)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (I’ve used margarine once when out of butter… eh, won’t do that again, but it did the job)
A tiny pinch of salt

How I Usually Make ‘Em (But Honestly, You Can Wing It a Bit)

Preheat your oven to 350°F (about 180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment or, if you’re like me, a wrinkled bit of foil. Works fine.
First, beat the soft butter with both sugars till it’s pale and fluffy—I usually use an electric hand mixer. Or a big wooden spoon and some determination if the mixer’s lost its beaters (again).
Crack in your eggs and vanilla. Keep mixing! Don’t panic if it looks a bit strange right now. On second thought, it always sorts itself out with the flour.
In a separate bowl, whisk up the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. I tend to just toss it all together, but the internet says you should properly whisk. Up to you.
Add your dry ingredients to the wet. Go slow or you’ll have flour in your eyebrows (speaking from experience). Mix till you get a dough that smells just about perfect.
Now—make the crumb topping. Toss all topping bits into a small bowl and squish it around with a fork until you’ve got those clumpy crumbly bits. This is where I sneak a taste (so, you know, quality control).
Scoop tablespoon-sized dollops onto your tray. I don’t bother chilling, unless it’s a summer heatwave. Press a little well into each blob and sprinkle on a good pinch of crumble. Don’t be stingy.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden but middles still look a bit underdone. They firm up as they cool, promise.
Let them cool on the tray for, eh, five minutes (assuming you can wait that long). Transfer to a wire rack—or straight to a plate, no judgment.

Notes From My (Sometimes Messy) Kitchen

One batch I went heavy on the cinnamon and, wow, the kitchen smelled like a Yankee Candle shop. Not a bad thing, but maybe go easy unless you really love cinnamon.
I once forgot the parchment paper, so the bottoms got a bit toasty. Tasted good, just… crispy.
Actually, I find they taste better the next day—if any survive that long.

Fun Ways I’ve Tried to Change It Up

Added some mini chocolate chips once—kids loved ‘em, adults were a bit confused. Still tasty.
Tried swirling in a little cream cheese, but, uh, it oozed everywhere. Tasty, but messy.
Nuts! Pecans work well. Walnuts? Not so much, got a bit bitter.

What If You Don’t Have All The Gear?

You genuinely don’t need fancy kit. Missing a mixer? Use a whisk and some elbow grease, or even a good old wooden spoon (the one I use is so ancient, it probably remembers when coffee cake was invented). If you’re low on trays, bake them in shifts or even use that pizza tray with the holes—just line it well so nothing drips through.

Keeping ‘Em Fresh (Or Attempting To)

In theory, these store well in an airtight tin for 2-3 days, but honestly, in my house, they never last more than a day! You can freeze the dough balls (minus the topping), then bake off a few at a time if you’re more restrained than me. For some real science, here’s how to freeze cookie dough the proper way—but I tend to just wing it.

How We Serve Them ‘Round Here

For us? Always with coffee, obviously, but also nice with chai. My Aunt grabs hers with cold milk and dunks ’em in (no judgment, Aunt J). Sometimes I warm a couple in the microwave for, like, 10 seconds—total game changer if you ask me. Oh, and on cold mornings, these with a big mug basically count as breakfast. If you want more creative snack pairings, you might get some ideas from The Kitchn here.

My Don’t-Make-My-Mistakes Tips

So, the first time I tried baking these in a rush, I skipped creaming the butter and sugar. Big mistake—the texture was completely off, sort of bread-y (not what you want!).
Bake just until the edges go golden; some days I forget and, well, let’s just say crunchy cookies aren’t the plan.
Tried doubling the cinnamon out of excitement and nearly blew everyone’s socks off. Keep it balanced!

Questions I Actually Get (And My Honest Answers)

Do these really taste like coffee cake?
Sorta! They’ve got the cinnamon and streusel vibe, but, uh, there’s no coffee in coffee cake, funnily enough (shocking, right?). Try adding a teaspoon of instant espresso for a little coffee flavor if you want though—my friend Mark does this and swears by it.
Why do my cookies spread too much?
If your kitchen’s hot, chuck the dough in the fridge for a bit. Also, too much butter will do it (I measured “a bit too generously” once, whoops).
Any way to make these gluten free?
I haven’t tried it, but my cousin uses a 1:1 gluten free blend from the shop and says it works okay—maybe a bit more crumbly, but still delicious.
Can I halve the batch?
Yep! Maths was never my strong suit, but just eyeball half the ingredient amounts. Won’t hurt.
Do I really need the wire rack?
Honestly, they just cool on the tray in my house. Sometimes right onto a tea towel if I’m low on racks. They “disappear” either way!

And that’s the whole shebang. If you make these, let me know how it goes—or feel free to send your least photogenic cookie pics so I don’t feel alone. Happy snacking!