If You’ve Never Tried a Churro Cookie, You’re in for a Laugh…

You know, whenever I bake these Crumbl Churro Cookies, it takes me right back to my first (disastrous) try at making actual churros at home—what a mess. Oil everywhere, dog hiding under the table, and me covered in sugar. So when someone told me you could get that same cinnamon sugar goodness but in a thick, chewy cookie form (less frying, more eating), I couldn’t grab my mixing bowl fast enough! And honestly, I’ve never looked back…except maybe the one time I doubled the cinnamon accidently and created a cinnamon bomb; but hey, it woke us all up that morning!

Why You’ll Love Making These

I make these whenever someone needs cheering up—or just cheering on (which, after a Tuesday, might be anyone). My family goes bonkers for these because they’re a little crispy on the edges, but still soft in the middle…my son says they’re basically the cat’s pajamas, which is funny since we don’t own a cat. Oh and if you’ve ever had the real deal from Crumbl Cookies, you’ll know why I had to try this at home—without needing a second mortgage. If I forget to make the cream cheese frosting, there’s actual mutiny.

What You’ll Need (and What I Swap In When the Pantry’s Bare)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (sometimes I use salted if that’s all I have; just cut back on extra salt)
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar (my granny swore by the dark stuff, honestly it’s fine either way)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I’ve used turbinado—gives it a bit of crunch, not bad!)
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract (imitation vanilla will do in a pinch—don’t let the cookie snobs hear you)
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (done it with bread flour once—came out chewier, but not life-changing)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt (I usually eyeball this; probably shouldn’t…)
2 tsp cinnamon (a must—but if you fancy nutmeg, go nuts! Pun intended)

For the cinnamon sugar topping:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon (sometimes I round up… more is rarely a problem here!)

For the cream cheese frosting:

4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (if you accidentally dump a bit more in, like I did one morning—just add splash of milk)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

How I Throw These Together

Turn your oven on to 350°F (175°C). If you’re using a dodgy oven like mine, check at 8 minutes or you’ll have crispy hockey pucks.
Cream the butter with both sugars in a big bowl until it’s fluffy-ish (I use a stand mixer, but a good ol’ wooden spoon works too—arm workout!).
Mix in eggs one at a time, then vanilla. If one shell bit falls in, fish it out—don’t beat yourself up. Happens to everyone.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Or just sprinkle on top of the wet mix and mix slow if you’re in a hurry. I won’t tell.
Combine wet and dry. Don’t overmix—just until combined. (This is where I always sneak a little taste. Raw eggs? Yeah, I live dangerously.)
Plop golf ball-sized scoops of dough onto a lined baking sheet; I use my trusty cookie scoop. If you don’t have one, two spoons work fine.
Mix the cinnamon and sugar topping, then roll each dough ball in the mix before baking. Seriously don’t skip this part.
Bake 10-12 minutes. They should look a bit underdone—trust me, they firm up as they cool, and nobody likes a brick in cookie form!
While they cool, whip together the frosting ingredients until smooth and creamy. If you forgot to set the cream cheese out, give it 10 seconds in the microwave (in a bowl, not the foil wrapper… guess how I learned that one).
Frost cookies once cool. I use a piping bag with a star tip for ‘fancy’. Otherwise, a zip bag with the corner snipped or, honestly, a butterknife will do.

Here’s What I Figured Out (the Hard Way)

If your dough gets too soft, pop it in the fridge for 15 mins—otherwise it sort of pancakes out all over the tray.
If you forget the cinnamon sugar coating, it’s not the end of the world. Just more motivation to try again, right?
I tend to think these taste even better on day two, but that might just be me and my nearly empty cookie jar talking…

Variations I’ve Messed With (Not All Winners!)

I swapped half the flour for oat flour—gives a nice chew, but not really what I wanted.
Added mini chocolate chips once. Kids loved it. I kinda missed the straight-up churro thing, though.
Tried skipping the frosting when I was out of cream cheese: don’t. Not the same vibe. Maybe a vanilla glaze if you’re in a pinch?

If you’re curious about more baking experiments, Serious Eats has some cool cookie guides. Or check King Arthur Baking, though I bet you won’t find quite this much cinnamon on their homepage!

The Stuff I Use (But Improvise if You Have To)

Big mixing bowl (if you only have a salad bowl, it’ll do—you might get stray lettuce, but whatever)
Stand mixer or hand mixer or, for some arm pain, a wooden spoon
Baking tray and parchment paper (or use foil, but lower the temp and watch like a hawk)
Wire rack for cooling (…sometimes I forget and the bottom gets soggy. Eh, live and learn)
Piping bag for frosting (Honestly, I just use a baggie with the corner cut and nobody says anything. Less dishes!)

How to Store ’Em (if Miraculously You Have Leftovers)

These keep in an airtight container on the counter for 2–3 days. Or in the fridge for nearly a week—but, honestly, in my house it never lasts more than a day! Occasionally I freeze ’em (sans frosting), then defrost and slather on fresh. Works a treat.

Serving Traditions (aka: Cookie Time at Our House)

I like these just with coffee, but my kids have this whole production—microwave for 10 seconds so the cookie’s extra gooey, big scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a tiny sprinkle of extra cinnamon sugar on top. Sometimes I join in, sometimes I just sneak one plain outta the tin. Both solid choices.

The Mistakes I’ve Learned Not to Make (Well, Mostly)

If you try to rush the creaming step, the cookies won’t spread right. I once did this, and ended up with weird muffin-top blobs. Wait it out, trust me.
Don’t overbake—pull them when they look almost underdone. They firm up just enough as they cool. If you’re heavy-handed on time, they’ll be dry. (And nobody wants a dry churro, let’s be honest.)

People Always Ask Me…

Can I double the recipe?

Yeah, totally. I’ve done it for birthday parties—just grab a bigger bowl. Oh, and you’ll need an extra tray unless you want to play baking musical chairs. Don’t try to cram two trays in at once unless your oven bakes even (mine definitely doesn’t!).

Can I make this gluten free?

Actually, yes! Use a cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend. It’s a bit crumblier (get it?), but the flavor is spot on.

What if I don’t like cream cheese?

Skip the frosting or try a basic buttercream. Honestly, these cookies don’t need a hat, but it’s nice for the full churro vibe.

Will other types of sugar work?

I’ve used coconut sugar in a pinch. The taste gets a bit funkier, but not in a bad way. If you’re curious about sugar types, Bon Appetit has a handy guide.

Do I have to chill the dough?

Mmm… not strictly. But if you want perfectly thick cookies (and your kitchen’s a steam bath), pop the dough in the fridge for a bit. Makes a world of difference.

So that’s pretty much how I’ve weaved my way (somewhat clumsily) to the best Crumbl Churro Cookie recipe my kitchen’s seen. If you give these a shot, let me know—unless you’re going to complain about dirty bowls, then we’ll bond over that instead!

Crumbl Churro Cookie Recipe: My Home Kitchen Take