Crumbl copycat: Churro Cookies from Dirty Dishes Messy Kisses

Crumbl copycat Churro Cookies - made dough January 1, 2023 from Dirty Dishes Messy Kisses

Cookies

1 cup butter

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup brown sugar + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cookie dusting

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup margarine (substitute butter if desired)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pound powdered sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar on high until well combined and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to keep mixture even textured. Add egg and vanilla, mixing to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 2 additions, mixing on low speed after each addition until just combined and no floury streaks remain. Do not overmix.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Add to dough and mix on low until stirred in; it does not need to be completely incorporated into the dough.
5. Cookie dust: combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
6. Roll dough into 2 1/2-inch balls and roll each ball in the cookie dust. Evenly space on prepared baking sheets. 
7. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Remove from oven, let rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
8. Make the frosting: beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt, mixing to combine. 
9. On low speed, gradually add powdered sugar and water. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
10. Add in brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon, beating until just combined.
11. Once cookies have cooled, top with cinnamon sugar frosting; garnish with additional sprinkle of cookie dust on top if desired.

The different lighting in these pictures are because a) I don't know how to do proper food photography and b) I bake at odd hours which means it's often dark when fresh cookies come out of the oven and light when I do or don't take the pictures before I package them up for mailing.

Odd lighting aside, although I'm not going to Crumbl as often as I once did, I still like trying the copycat recipes for their cookies. The Crumbl Churro cookie remains one of my favorites so I'm always seeking new copycats for them.

I was intrigued by this one as it has a slightly different approach with having "cookie dust" swirled through the dough after mixing the rest of the ingredients in. It could have the effect of adding more brown sugar-cinnamon flavor throughout the cookie itself and perhaps even a little crunch.

I don't eat real (i.e. non-cookie-form) churros that often as I find them too sweet with the brown sugar coating. These were good cookies in their own right but I also found them a little too sweet between the cookie itself, the cookie dust and the rolling in cinnamon-sugar-brown sugar.

I did like the cookie so maybe it's just my taste buds hitting their sweets-level-max (noooooooo) or next time, I wouldn't have such a heavy hand with the rolling in the sugar mixture and sprinkling more of the mixture after the cookies come out of the oven.

Texture-wise, these were not as fluffy as the original Crumbl Churro Cookie but I don't know if that's because I ate the taste test cookie at room temperature while I'd had the Crumbl one when it was warm.  As you can see from the pictures, as usual, I skipped the frosting because these got mailed in military care packages as soon as they cooled.