Crumbl Copycat Cinnamon Cookie
A soft and chewy copycat Crumbl cinnamon cookie with a swirl of cream cheese frosting (think cinnamon roll) and topped with a crunchy sprinkle of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. I make these a little smaller than the original for everyday munching!
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cookies
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (270g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter very soft (169g)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar (134g)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed (100g)
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting
- 3 ounces cream cheese (full fat, block style) (84g)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28g)
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (60g)
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 1/3 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
Instructions
Cinnamon Sugar
- Mix together 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
Cinnamon Cookie Dough
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until fully combined. Set aside.
- Use a medium bowl and a hand mixer on low speed to cream together the soft butter and the sugars until well combined. Turn the mixer up to medium and beat 1 more minute to mix everything up well. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Add in the sour cream, mixing just until combined.
- Pour the dry ingredients (flour mixture) into the wet (butter mixture) and use a spatula to fold in until just combined. The dough will be wet and a bit sticky.
- Divide dough into 16 equally-sized balls, about three tablespoons each (or about 50g per cookie). Use a cookie scoop for this or just a spoon or your hands. Roll each cookie in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on a baking sheet at least 3" apart. Gently press down with a small flat-bottom glass or your fingers until each cookie is about 1/2" thick.
- Bake cookies one tray at a time for 10-13 minutes or until edges are set and lightly golden brown. We want the cookies to stay soft (so slightly underbaked). The centers will remain quite soft, but not gooey. Cookies will be a bit puffed and then deflate as they cool.
- Let cool for 10 minutes then move to a cooling rack to cool for another 20-30 minutes.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- My favorite part! Measure out 3 ounces of cream cheese and place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave (medium power) in 5-10 second intervals until very soft. Careful not to burn. Transfer to a medium bowl. Use the same plate to soften 2 tablespoons of butter. Again, use 5-10 intervals in the microwave until very soft. Add to the bowl of cream cheese.
- Use a hand mixer inside the bowl to whip the cream cheese and butter together until completely combined (no lumps). Add in the confectioners' sugar and whip until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine. Then slowly add whole milk until desired consistency is reached (you will need anywhere from 1.5-2.5 tablespoons). Stir in a pinch of cinnamon (I like about 1/16-1/8 of a teaspoon for the pretty speckles of cinnamon throughout).
Assemble Cookies
- When ready to serve, apply frosting in a thin even layer to each cookie. Cookies should be mostly cool to prevent over-spreading of frosting. Warm frosting slightly in the microwave or add a little more milk if it seems too thick to spread. You'll use about 1/2-3/4 tablespoon for each cookie. Sprinkle with the cinnamon toast cereal and eat!
Notes
How to store these cookies: Unfrosted cookies (preferred storage method) can be stored for up to three days at room temperature in an airtight container.
Frosted cookies can be stored in fridge for up to three days. They do not stack (the frosting is too soft) so it's easiest to store them unfrosted. If stored with the cereal topping the topping won't stay crisp (it'll become soft and chewy from the frosting).
Freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 4-6 weeks.
Frosting Notes: Can be made ahead up to a few days in advance and warmed in the microwave before topping the cookies. Recipe for frosting makes about 3/4 cup.
Cookie size: I opted to make these cookies a little smaller than the Crumbl original. Rather than 4-4.5" inches, these cookies are about 3".