Turn coffee cake into cookie form with these Gluten Free Coffee Cake Cookies. A soft gluten free cookie texture, crunchy crumble topping, and drizzle of dairy free icing make these cookies the perfect treat.
I'm obsessed with any sweet treat that has a crumble topping, it's why I put it on every dessert I can (see my blueberry crumble cheesecake, walnut crumble banana bread, pecan crumble zucchini bread, or raspberry and cream scones, just to name a few). Coffee cake is a classic crumble dessert full of warming cinnamon flavor, so I knew I had to try and make a cookie version. I mean who wouldn't want a batch of crumb cake cookies?!
This delicious coffee cake cookie recipe is comprised of a tender cookie with a crumb topping and drizzled with a dairy free icing. They've got all the coffee cake flavor you love, but in an easy to grab and dip in your coffee or tea version. Of course, I had to make them allergy friendly and healthier... and that is exactly what I did.
What Makes This Coffee Cake Cookie Recipe Healthy?
- These lovely cinnamon crumble cookies are completely gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and refined sugar free.
- We use maple syrup to keep this recipe lower glycemic index, which can also be a more mineral dense sweetener option.
- There is plenty of cinnamon in these cookies which is great for blood sugar balance. Between the maple syrup and cinnamon, you can enjoy a sweet treat without the sugar crash!
- MCT filled coconut oil is the fat in this cookie recipe. MCT's are known for supporting digestive health, metabolism, and cholesterol.
Gluten Free Coffee Cake Cookie Ingredients and Substitutions
- Tigernut flour: my favorite nut free flour alternative. Tigernuts are actually a tuber so if you have a nut allergy, you can eat them! I love using tigernut flour because it adds a natural sweetness to help us reduce the amount of added sugar needed. You can use almond flour instead, if tolerated.
- Gluten free flour: be sure to use a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour blend for best results.
- Tapioca starch: adding a little bit of starch to gluten free cookies helps with the texture. Arrowroot starch should also work.
- Coconut oil: our healthy fat for this cookie recipe! I have not tested these with butter or dairy free butter, but either should work.
- Maple syrup: an unrefined sweetener that pairs perfectly with the cinnamon in these cookies. This recipe is designed with a liquid sweetener, I have not tested a granulated sugar option.
- Eggs: you'll need 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk at room temperature.
- Baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon
- Powdered sugar: this is for the icing. You can make refined sugar free powdered sugar by blending 1 cup of coconut sugar with 1 tablespoon of starch.
- Yogurt: stick to a plant-based yogurt to keep this recipe dairy free.
How to Make Coffee Cake Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Sift all the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Beat the wet ingredients together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Alternatively, you can combine everything in a bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat on low (or use your paddle attachment) until just combined.
- Let the dough sit while you make the streusel topping. Mix all the crumb ingredients in a small bowl until combined and the texture resembles wet sand.
- Use a medium sized cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. Use the back of the cookie scoop or the back of a tablespoon measure if the scoop is too big, to flatten and create a small crater in the center of the cookies.
- Sprinkle the crumble topping over the cookie base, filling the middle of each cookie, and gently press down so it sticks to the cookies.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are just golden brown. Let cool for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Combine the powdered sugar and yogurt to make a simple glaze.
- Drizzle icing over cooled cookies and enjoy!
Variations
- If you tolerate nuts, try adding some chopped walnuts to the crumble topping. Add ¼ cup chopped nuts. You may need to add some extra coconut oil to make sure the crumble holds together.
- Add chai spice to the crumble topping instead of the cinnamon for more of a tea flavor cookie.
- Looking for a fruitier cookie? Try my Gluten Free Blueberry Crumble Cookies
Storage
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, unglazed. I suggest adding the icing when ready to eat. These cookies will get hard in the fridge, but the icing shouldn't be kept at room temperature since it contains dairy.
You can freeze these cookies, again unglazed, but they do taste best fresh. Be sure to freeze in a freezer-safe container.
FAQ
I have not tested an egg free version of this recipe.
There are three reasons why this could happen.
1) You used too much flour. Scoop flour into your measuring cup then level it off. This makes sure you don't overpack the flour.
2) You over mixed the batter. When you add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix until JUST combined. Or opt for folding the dry into the wet with a spatula to avoid over beating the batter.
3) You baked them too long. These cookies go from done to over baked quickly. Bake a test cookie for 8 minutes, let cool and see if it's done enough. The cookies will seem not quite done, that's how you know they are ready to pull from the oven as they will continue to cook a little as they cool.
This recipe calls for creating an indent in the cookies before adding the crumble topping. This helps the streusel topping stay on the cookie and not fall off. You can also gently press the topping into the cookie when you add it.
Looking for More Coffee Cake Recipes?
Gluten Free Banana Coffee Cake
If you try these cookies, please leave a rating and review below! Drop any questions in the comments and tag me on social media.
Gluten Free Coffee Cake Cookies
Equipment
- stand mixer or
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup 1:1 Gluten free flour
- ½ cup Tigernut flour or almond flour
- 2 tablespoon Tapioca starch
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup Maple syrup
- 1 Egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
Crumble Topping
- ¼ cup 1:1 gluten free flour
- ¼ cup Tigernut flour
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon Maple syrup
- 1-2 tablespoon Melted coconut oil
Icing
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon Plain yogurt of choice I use dairy free
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Beat the oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla together in a large bowl on medium speed until combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat on low (or use your paddle attachment) until just combined.
- Let the dough sit while you make the streusel topping. Mix all the crumb ingredients in a small bowl until combined and the texture resembles wet sand. Start with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and add more if needed.
- Use a medium sized cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. Use the back of the cookie scoop or the back of a tablespoon measure if the scoop is too big, to flatten and create a small crater in the center of the cookies.
- Sprinkle the crumble topping over the cookie base, filling the middle of each cookie, and gently press down so it sticks to the cookies.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are just golden. Let cool for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Combine the powdered sugar and yogurt to make a simple glaze.
- Drizzle icing over cooled cookies and enjoy!
Leave a Reply