Coffee Cake Cookies

I'll just have one.

Ever notice that you go through phases? And sometimes your brain says "yeah, sure, this is nice, but you know it's just a phase."  And then your Second Thoughts says "well it might not be, this time." First Thoughts says "yeah, but it probably is."  Third Thoughts says "wouldn't it be nice if it weren't though?"

Lately I've been getting into the all-natural skincare scene. My dermatologist told me to use a certain commercial brand of facial cleanser and moisturizer, but I really only think she said that because she was in a hurry and had coupons.  That and it's perfectly legal for pharmaceutical companies to give doctors kickbacks for recommending their products. Yeah, I have no idea how that's okay, but whatever.

Maybe two.

So anyway the commercial cleanser that my doctor recommended for me because I was having no luck with commercial cleansers was just not doing the job. Protip: if your skin feels really clean after you wash it, and then starts to feel greasy a few hours later, then you're not getting enough moisture.

Anyway, thanks to some new friends at The Nurtury on Main Street in Gloucester, VA, and Juniperseed Mercantile on Etsy, I now have red clay face wash, rosemary & vinegar toner, coconut lime verbena shampoo, and apple cider conditioner. Woo! I'm excited.  Doesn't take much to get me excited.

That and I just painted our bedroom dresser purple.

Because why not.

Three and that's my final offer!

So in the spirit of yay new stuff, here's some coffee cake cookies. They're really big and soft and lovely, and chock full of cinnamon sugar goodness. Also, you get to use a pastry cutter

This recipe was taken directly from the lovely blog Cookies & Cups. Normally I adapt and update and change things a smidge, but not this time.  Well, ok, that's not quite true; I cut the streusel topping amounts in half, because I have a lot leftover. But that's it.

Scoop!

Ingredients

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter (not softened)
-
10 tablespoons (1¼ stick) butter
1/3 cup Crisco
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar

Fill!

2 eggs
1½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3⅓ cup flour

1) Preheat oven to 350º.
2) Whisk together the first 4 ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
3) Cut in the butter, then use a pastry cutter or a couple of forks to combine until you get chunky crumbs.
4) Put this bowl of chunky crumbs in the fridge and start the cookies.
5) Mix together the Crisco, butter, and both sugars in a mixing bowl until they resemble mashed potatoes.

Now this is too brown.

6) Add eggs one at a time and keep mixing.
7) Add the cinnamon and vanilla and keep mixing.
8) Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix on low until combined into a nice cohesive dough.
9) Scoop cookies with a medium cookie scoop, or form into nice round balls, and place on a lined cookie sheet. Using the back of a teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indent in the top of each cookie.
10) Fill the indent with the streusel topping from the fridge.
11) Bake at 350º for 10 minutes or so, until the edges just start to tan. Do not overcook these!
12) Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

I was going to make a vanilla glaze to drizzle on top but honestly I just couldn't wait to eat these. They are so good, all soft and warm and pillowy. And you can eat them for breakfast because coffee cake is okay for breakfast, right? And these are coffee cake cookies so it's mostly the same thing.

Mmmm, breakfast cookies!