Bring the ultimate cereal-milk nostalgia into your kitchen with these thick, bakery-style Crumbl Inspired Cinnamon Crunch Cookies. Perfectly engineered to recreate the famous bakery’s signature texture, these cookies feature a warm, buttery sugar cookie base that is incredibly soft, thick, and perfectly spiced. They offer the ultimate combination of cozy cinnamon warmth and decadent sweetness, bringing the best part of a bowl of cereal straight to your dessert table.
To take things to a gourmet level, each cookie is generously topped with a velvety, smooth cream cheese glaze, a buttery Cinnamon Toast Crunch streusel, and an optional sweet cinnamon sugar dusting. Whether you are baking for a weekend party, prepping treats for a local market, or simply indulging your inner child, these show-stopping cookies deliver an incredible contrast of textures—from the creamy frosting to the satisfying, sweet crunch of the cereal—that will have everyone begging for the recipe.
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
The Perfect Copycat Texture: Dense, thick, and perfectly soft in the center, just like the real deal from Crumbl.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Streusel: A buttery, toasted cereal topping that adds an incredible, sweet crunch to every single bite.
Velvety Cream Cheese Glaze: A rich, tangy glaze that balances the warm spice of the cookie beautifully.
Simple, High-Yield Recipe: Formulated to yield exactly 11 massive, bakery-sized cookies that keep their shape perfectly in the oven.
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Base:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (227g)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed (100g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (10mL)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon (8g)
- 2 tsp baking powder (10g)
- 1/2 tsp salt (3g)
For Rolling:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon (8g)
For the Velvet Cream Cheese Glaze:
- 4 oz cream cheese, well-softened (113g)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, well-softened (28g)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (180g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (5mL)
- 1-2 tbsp whole milk or heavy cream, room temperature (15-30mL) (just enough to thin to a smooth, spreadable consistency)
For the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Streusel:
- 1 1/2 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, slightly crushed with some large pieces kept for texture (approx. 60g)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (28g)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar (12g)
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (0.5g)
For the Final Dusting:
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar (12g)
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (0.5g)
Instructions:
Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cream the Base: In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to cream the softened butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar together for about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add Wet Ingredients: Add the room-temperature eggs and vanilla extract to the bowl. Beat with the hand mixer on low speed until the eggs are fully incorporated and the mixture looks creamy and uniform.
Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
Combine: Add the dry dry mixture into your wet ingredients. Use a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon to fold the ingredients together. Mix just until the flour disappears and a thick, soft cookie dough forms. Avoid over-mixing once the flour is added so the cookies stay tender.
Portion, Roll, and Shape: In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon for rolling. Divide your dough into exactly 11 equal-sized balls (about 3.3 oz or 93g each). Roll each ball generously in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, place them on the prepared baking sheets, and gently flatten them into large, thick discs.
Bake: Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 11 to 13 minutes. The edges should look set, but the centers should still look soft. Baker’s Tip: I highly recommend baking exactly one test cookie first! This lets you gauge your oven’s exact bake time and spread before committing the whole batch.
Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Streusel: While the cookies bake or cool, toss together the slightly crushed cereal, melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
Beat the Glaze Base: In a clean bowl, use your handheld mixer (or a stiff spatula) to beat the well-softened cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until completely smooth and entirely free of lumps.
Finish the Glaze: Gradually add the powdered sugar and room-temperature milk one tablespoon at a time. Stir gently by hand with a spatula just until the texture becomes perfectly smooth and spreadable.
Important Note: Do not over-mix or use a high speed on a hand mixer at this stage, or the ingredients will separate and the mixture will become grainy! Ensure your butter and cream cheese are thoroughly softened to room temperature before mixing to prevent lumps.
Assemble: Frost each cooled cookie with a generous spread of cream cheese glaze, top with a heavy handful of the prepared cereal streusel, and finish with a light dusting of the final cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Tips for Success
Softened is Key: Cold cream cheese or cold butter will result in a lumpy glaze. Let them sit out on the counter until they are completely soft to the touch.
Watch the Glaze Mix Time: Mix your glaze ingredients just until they combine. Overworking cream cheese causes its structure to break down, leaving you with a runny, split glaze.
Slightly Crush the Cereal: Keep some larger pieces of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in your streusel to guarantee that ultimate, satisfying bakery crunch on top of each cookie.
Storage and Freshness
Store these decorated cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days due to the cream cheese in the frosting. For the best texture, let them sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before serving so the cookie base softens back up!
Baking sheets, flavor extracts, my favorite hand mixer, cookie boxes for small business owners and tons of other items I use to bake with is linked for you in my Amazon Storefront!
Cinnamon Crunch Cookies (Crumbl Dupe)
Ingredients
Method
- Prep and Cream: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to cream the softened butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar together for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the room-temperature eggs and vanilla extract to the bowl. Beat with the hand mixer on low speed until the eggs are fully incorporated and the mixture looks creamy and uniform.
- Combine Wet with Dry: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry dry mixture into your wet ingredients. Use a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon to fold the ingredients together. Mix just until the flour disappears and a thick, soft cookie dough forms. Avoid over-mixing once the flour is added so the cookies stay tender.
- Portion, Roll, and Shape: In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon for rolling. Divide your dough into exactly 11 equal-sized balls (about 3.3 oz or 93g each). Roll each ball generously in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, place them on the prepared baking sheets, and gently flatten them into large, thick discs.
- Bake and Cool: Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 11 to 13 minutes. The edges should look set, but the centers should still look soft. Baker's Tip: I highly recommend baking exactly one test cookie first! This lets you gauge your oven's exact bake time and spread before committing the whole batch. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Streusel: While the cookies bake or cool, toss together the slightly crushed cereal, melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
- Beat the Glaze Base: In a clean bowl, use your handheld mixer (or a stiff spatula) to beat the well-softened cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until completely smooth and entirely free of lumps.
- Finish the Glaze: Gradually add the powdered sugar and room-temperature milk one tablespoon at a time. Stir gently by hand with a spatula just until the texture becomes perfectly smooth and spreadable. Important Note: Do not over-mix or use a high speed on a hand mixer at this stage, or the ingredients will separate and the mixture will become grainy! Ensure your butter and cream cheese are thoroughly softened to room temperature before mixing to prevent lumps.
- Assemble: Frost each cooled cookie with a generous spread of cream cheese glaze, top with a heavy handful of the prepared cereal streusel, and finish with a light dusting of the final cinnamon-sugar mixture.