Coffee Cake Cookies (Cinnamon Streusel + Brown Butter)

Cookie Batter:

• 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter
• 1 TBSP milk powder
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated or cane sugar
• 3/4 cup (155g) light brown sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 1 TBSP pure vanilla extract
• 2 TBSP sour cream - room temp
• 1 3/4 cups (210g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled if not using a food scale to measure the flour
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon powder

Brown Butter Cinnamon Streusel:

• 6 TBSP (85g) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (110g) light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon - (you can increase to 1 TBSP if you like a lot of cinnamon)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt

Cookie Topping:

• 1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar

1. Brown butter from the cookie batter in a saucepan over medium heat until golden and nutty.* (see notes if you want to brown all the butters from the batter and streusel at once)**
2. Remove from heat, pour in a large mixing bowl and stir in milk powder. *** Refrigerate until solid but scoopable, about 45–60 minutes. Do not skip this step. If the butter is warm or melted when mixing, the cookies will spread too much.
3. To make the streusel, in the same saucepan, brown 6 TBSP butter until lightly amber and fragrant. Remove from heat. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients from the brown butter cinnamon streusel list: brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon powder, vanilla extract and salt. Pour the browned butter over the dry ingredients and mix until crumbly. Use your hands to create a mix of small and larger crumbs for texture. Refrigerate the streusel mixture.
4. When the brown butter has solidified, cream it with the granulated sugar and light brown sugar until light and fluffy. A stand mixer or handheld electric mixer works best. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Mix until smooth and fully combined.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients: flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a silicone spatula until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in one third of the chilled streusel mixture. Approximately 1 cup (120g). Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 10 large portions. Roll into balls and place spaced at least 3 inches apart  on the prepared baking sheet. Using the back of a spoon, gently press the center of each dough ball to create a shallow well. Fill each indentation generously with the remaining streusel topping. For extra thick bakery-style cookies, chill the shaped dough for an additional 15–20 minutes before baking. This is optional.
8. Bake at 350°F for 11–13 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden. The centers should look slightly soft. If the cookies spread more than desired, immediately place a large round object like a mug or bowl around the cookie and gently swirl to reshape into a perfect circle.
9. Cool the baked cookies for 5 minutes on the sheet pan, then transfer baked cookies to a cooling rack to fully cool. The centers will appear underbaked at first and will continue to cook through even on the cooling rack.
10. Cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar or drizzling with glaze.****

Notes: 

*How to Brown Butter (The Right Way)

1. Place the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat.
2. Let it melt completely, then continue cooking. It will foam, then quiet.
3. Swirl the pan occasionally. Watch for golden bits forming on the bottom.
4. When it smells nutty and looks amber, remove from heat.
5. Immediately stir in the espresso powder and milk powder.

You want golden, not burnt. Think toasted hazelnut, not coffee ash.

**Browning All the Butter at Once

You can brown all the butter for the recipe at the same time (1 cup + 6 TBSP total). After browning, weigh the butter and divide it proportionally: about 73% for the cookie dough and 27% for the streusel. This accounts for natural water loss during browning and keeps the ratios accurate.

***Milk Powder
Milk powder deepens the brown butter flavor, giving it that bakery-style, toasted richness. It’s usually found in the baking aisle near evaporated milk or in the international foods section.

• If you can’t find it, you can skip it. Just add 1 TBSP room temp milk to the wet batter.
• The cookies will still be delicious.
• You’ll simply lose a little of that layered, nutty depth.

Think of it as a flavor amplifier, not a requirement.

****Optional Glaze Instead of Powdered Sugar:

Whisk together:

• 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
• 1 TBSP milk
• splash vanilla
• pinch salt

Add milk gradually until desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

Storage:

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Cookies stay soft thanks to sour cream and brown sugar.

Freeze baked cookies up to 2 months.

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