Churro Cookies

What Ingredients Are in Copycat Crumbl Churro Cookies?

Before you can bake up this spot-on copycat recipe at home, you’ll need to round up the following ingredients:

• Granulated Sugar: Used in the cinnamon sugar coating and in the churro cookie dough, granulated sugar adds sweetness and contributes to the texture of the cookies.
• Ground Cinnamon: A key spice in both the coating and frosting, ground cinnamon imparts a warm, aromatic flavor characteristic of churros.
• All-Purpose Flour: The base of the churro cookies, this flour provides structure to the cookies.
• Cornstarch: Added to the cookie dough, cornstarch helps in creating a tender texture.
• Baking Soda & Baking Powder: These leavening agents help the cookies rise, making them light and fluffy.
• Salt: A touch of salt in both the cookies and frosting balances the sweetness and enhances overall flavor.
• Salted Butter: Used in both the cookies and frosting, butter adds richness, flavor, and contributes to the cookies’ tender crumb.
• Vegetable Shortening: This ingredient in the cookies helps in creating a soft texture.
• Light Brown Sugar: Used in the cookies and frosting, brown sugar adds moisture and a hint of caramel-like flavor.
• Eggs: Eggs bind the ingredients together in the cookies, adding structure and richness.
• Vanilla Extract: This flavoring agent adds a subtle, sweet aroma to both the cookies and frosting.
• Powdered Sugar: The primary sweetener in the frosting, powdered sugar creates a smooth, spreadable consistency.
• Milk (Optional): Used to adjust the frosting’s consistency, milk makes it smoother and easier to spread.

What are Crumbl Cookies?

Crumbl Cookies is a cookie bakery famous for its unique cookie-making approach. It operates with a rotating inventory of cookie flavors that changes weekly, which keeps its offerings fresh and exciting for customers. What truly sets them apart is their signature style of cookies—they are famously large and slightly underbaked for that perfect gooey center.

While the exact recipes that Crumbl uses are unknown, this copycat version strives to be as close to Crumbl’s own churro cookie as possible, allowing you to enjoy your favorite cookie any time you’d like.

Do You Have to Use Vegetable Shortening?

While the vegetable shortening helps contribute to the overall soft texture of these cookies, using it isn’t required. There are alternatives you can use that will still yield delicious results. Here are some options:

• Unsalted Butter: Replace the shortening with an equal amount of unsalted butter. This will give a richer flavor but may slightly alter the texture.
• Margarine: Use the same amount of margarine as you would shortening. This can be a good alternative, though it may affect the flavor and texture slightly.

When substituting, keep in mind that the texture and spread of the cookie might change slightly. Butter, for instance, might make your cookies spread more and give them a richer flavor. It’s all about personal preference and the cookie experience you want to have.

Can You Use Store-Bought Frosting?

Yes, you can certainly use store-bought frosting for convenience. But to closely mimic the flavor of the homemade cinnamon buttercream frosting included in this recipe, you might want to customize the store-bought frosting a bit. Here are some suggestions:

• Vanilla Buttercream Frosting: A good base for adding flavors. Mix in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon per cup of frosting to get that cinnamon kick.
• Cream Cheese Frosting: This will add a tangy note to your cookies. Blend in 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per cup of frosting.
• Whipped Frosting: Light and fluffy, this can be a good option. Again, add cinnamon to taste, starting with 1/2 teaspoon per cup.

Do You Have to Chill the Dough?

No, chilling the dough is not required for these Crumbl churro cookies. The recipe is designed to go from mixing to baking without a chilling step, producing cookies with the desired texture and flavor. However, if you have the extra time to chill the dough for about 30 minutes, it’s not wrong to do it, as it can help the cookies bake more uniformly—but it’s not a required step for this recipe.

Can You Make the Cookies Smaller?

Absolutely! For the most part, any cookie recipe can be made to yield bigger or smaller cookies – you only need to adjust the cooking time.

To use this recipe to create more “standard” size cookies, use only 2 tablespoons of dough instead of the listed 1/4-1/3 cup in the recipe. These smaller cookies can be baked at 350°F for 6-8 minutes.

With smaller cookies, this recipe should yield at least 24-30 cookies total, if not more.

How should they be stored?

These cookies, especially considering their cinnamon buttercream frosting (which contains butter), are best stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It’s important to refrigerate them to ensure the buttercream remains stable and doesn’t spoil.

How long are they good for?

When stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, these churro cookies should remain good for up to 3-5 days.

Can You Freeze Them?

Certainly! These cookies freeze well, both with and without the frosting. Here’s a step-by-step guide to freezing them:

• Ensure cookies are completely cooled to room temperature.
• Place cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. This prevents them from sticking together later.
• Once solid, wrap each cookie individually in plastic wrap or place them in a single layer in a freezer-safe bag or container.
• Churro cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.

When ready to eat, allow the cookies to thaw at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. If they were frozen without frosting, you can add the frosting after they’ve thawed.

Step 1 – Start off by whisking together granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Set this bowl aside for now.

Step 2 – In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Whisk these dry ingredients together, then set the bowl aside.

Step 3 – Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), cream together butter, vegetable shortening, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, which should take about 3-5 minutes.

Step 4 – Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in eggs and vanilla extract, then gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix just until the dry ingredients are well incorporated.

Step 5 – Using an ice cream scoop, portion out the cookie dough, aiming for about 1/4-1/3 cup per cookie. Roll each portion into a ball, then coat each ball in the previously prepared cinnamon sugar mixture. Arrange these coated cookie balls on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper (6 cookies per sheet) then gently press down on each ball to flatten into disks, smoothing out any cracks if necessary. Make sure the cookie disks are at least 2 inches apart.

Step 6 – Bake!

Step 7 – While cookies bake and cool, prepare the frosting. Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), whip the butter on high speed until it becomes pale and fluffy, which should take about 5-7 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually blend in powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt.

Step 8 – Once the cookies have cooled, add the frosting to a pastry bag, fitted with a large round piping tip. Decorate the tops of the cookies with the frosting, using a spiral pattern (or any design you’d like). If you’d like, you can also sprinkle a bit more of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the frosting.

Step 9 – Serve and enjoy!