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Chocolate Chip Cookie Coffee Cake. Homemade and super easy coffee cake with brown sugar, maple syrup, and sweet chocolate chips! This coffee cake is nothing fancy, yet SO DELICIOUS. It tastes like the best chocolate chip cookies, but in cake form! Every bite is layered with sweet cinnamon streusel, vanilla cake, and melty chocolate. Enjoy each slice warm with a smear of salty honey butter. So yummy!
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When I was in middle school, around 7th or 8th grade, I slept over at a friend’s house on a Friday night. If you knew me then, and even now, you’d know this was a very rare thing for me. I didn’t love sleepovers. But for whatever reason, I decided on this night, I would actually just stay the night.
When we awoke the next morning my friend’s parents had just returned from picking up coffee cafe at the bakery. When it comes to breakfast, I grew up mainly with Eggo waffles, my dad’s pancakes, eggs, and cinnamon toast (the best). Occasionally my mom would bake a strata. She’d make Dutch Babies all the time. And on Christmas morning she’d make monkey bread and a waffle strata.
Ingredients
- Salted butter
- Maple syrup
- Apple butter
- Vanilla extract
- Large eggs
- Whole wheat pastry flour
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Kosher salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Streusel
- All-purpose flour
- Packed brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Salted butter
I did not grow up with coffee cake. So when my friend’s parents served it to us, I thought we were eating cake for breakfast. I remember it being so good. It was a chocolate chip cookie coffee cake. But honestly, from my memory, it tasted like a warm cookie.
Most likely my memory is making the cake out to be way better than it was. But I got to eat a cookie cake, and for breakfast too. Hey, I was in middle school, I didn’t know any differently, and the cake was delicious.
Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure I didn’t have coffee cake again until I started to take over cooking and baking. It was then that I realized that chocolate is not necessarily common in most coffee cakes.
But I’ve always wanted to recreate that cake! And here we are.
With Mother’s Day just over a week away, I knew this was a good time for this recipe. Serve this up at brunch or for dessert. It’s so great either way, and everyone will love it.
Details
This is one of my simpler sweets. First, the batter. We need to mix melted butter with maple syrup, apple butter, vanilla, and eggs. Now, I know the apple butter will throw some of you off. But I promise it’s the secret to creating a really light cake crumb with just the right amount of sweetness.
You don’t taste any apple flavor, just rich notes of brown sugar and vanilla. You could use apple sauce too, but apple butter is best. I always keep my homemade sauce in the fridge, but store-bought is just as great.
Now, the dry ingredients. I like to use whole wheat pastry flour, then baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Next mix, mix, mix. Then stir in lots of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Last up, add the streusel topping: flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter, all mixed together and sprinkled overtop of the cake. No layering or anything fussy.
And now you bake, which only takes about thirty minutes.
I always serve this warm with homemade honey butter. You just have to spread the honey butter all over your warm cake. It’s the most indulgent addition, and it’s absolutely what your cake needs.
Looking for other berry desserts? Here are some favorites:
Strawberry White Chocolate Blondies
Baked Strawberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast
Double Strawberry Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Coffee Cake
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Carrot Cake Muffins
Blender Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Bakery Blueberry Vanilla Crunch Muffins
Lastly, if you make this Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup maple syrup, (or brown sugar)
- 1/3 cup apple butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Streusel
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch spring form pan.2. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, maple syrup, apple butter, vanilla, and eggs until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the chocolate chips. 3. To make the streusel. In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the butter and use your fingers to mix the butter into the flour until a crumble forms.4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Top evenly with the buttery streusel mix.5. Bake 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 5 or so minutes. Serve the cake slightly warm or at room temperature. Serve with salty honey butter spread over each piece. Trust me, make the honey butter (see notes).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Can you make this in any other pan, like 9×13, square, or loaf?
Yes.
Hi Angel,
I bet it would work in a 9×13 pan as well, you’ll just want to leave the cake in the pan:) Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
This looks amazing! What would you suggest for making it gluten free? Sometimes just switching out the flour changes texture, what would you add for additional moisture and best texture?
Hey Kathleen,
I would use an equal amount of Bob’s Red Mill GF flour. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
can we add coffee? if yes how much?
Hi there,
Sure, I would use about 1-2 teaspoons of instant coffee powder:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Can I sub butter for apple butter?? I have all the ingredients except apple butter
Hi Jennifer,
Sorry, you definitely don’t want to sub butter for apple butter. You can try using a thick apple sauce to see how that works! Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Can you make this gluten free? Almond flour? Gf 1 to 1 flour?
Hi Patrice,
I think using an equal amount of gluten free flour should work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Hello, I’d just like to know how many grams is a stick of butter? In NZ we buy butter in 500g blocks.
Also, we can’t get apple butter here, what could you substitute this with?
Many thx
1 stick of butter = 115g!
Hey Laura,
1 stick of butter is equal to 113 grams. I have a homemade apple butter recipe here:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/homemade-slow-cooker-maple-apple-butter/
You could also try using a thick apple sauce. I hope this helps! Let me know if you give the recipe a try:) xT
Can regular pastry flour be used instead of whole wheat?
Hi Angia,
Sure, that should work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
If I can’t find apple butter do you think apple sauce would work?
Hi Joni,
I think a THICK apple sauce should get the job done! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
sounds delish…going to make this for my next brunch thanks !!!!
Thanks so much Joy!! I hope this turns out well for you:) Have a great Tuesday! xx
If you use a bundt pan, grease it well and place the struesel on the bottom and the cake batter on top. Let cool after baking, then run a knife around the edges and the middle ting to release the cake.
Thanks Maria!! Please let me know if you try this recipe, I hope you love it:) xx
This looks so delicious! Could you suggest a type of gluten free flour that might work?
Hey Patricia,
Sure, I think Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour would work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s delish! xT
Could I sub oil instead of butter in the actual cake? If you think it might work how much oil? I appreciate butter will be needed for the streusel topping. Thank you. Take care…
This looks amazing!
I do have a question though – How do you manage to upload a new recipe every day! Tell me!!! That is the definition of hard working!!!
Keep up the hard work! Well Done, You do so well!
Awe, thanks so much Susie!! I wouldn’t be able to do it without the help of my parents and small team working on the backend, but I love creating new recipes to share with my readers!! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Sounds amazing! Can’t wait to make it next time we have overnight company. Thank you!
Thanks so much Pam!! I hope you love this recipe, let me know if you give it a try! xT
I’m confused…your cake doesn’t have a whole in it like a Bundt and the streusel is on top instead of on bottom like when you use a Bundt. Please explain.
Thank you
I’m confused also what type of pan should we bake this in a springform pan nothing about how to release the cake after it’s baked
Hi Angie,
You will want to use a spring form pan for this recipe, and you pan should just release on the side:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
This isn’t a Bundt cake. It’s a regular chocolate chip coffee cake with a streusel on top. Your confusion stems from the fact that for some reason you seem to think this is supposed to be a Bundt cake, but nowhere does it say that.
Kara, The recipe states to butter a bundt pan in the directions.
Sorry for any confusion Carol, I fixed the recipe, you will want to use a spring form pan! I hope you love this cake! xx
Must have missed that. I looked at the pictures, read the directions, and made a non Bundt cake with no issues. Damn critical thinking. Gets me every time. 🤔
Ehhh, sorry…where do you see this? I only see a springform pan in the directions which is what I used with a great result.
The picture of the cake alone would tell you this was not a Bundt cake. 🤔
She had accidentally said Bundt pan, & later went back & corrected her mistake.
Thanks Michelle:)
It’s 100% clear from the picture that there is no Bundt pan involved.
True. Mistake or not, most would have glossed right over that, and made it in a springform. The picture would be all you need to know to make it in a normal round cake pan. This cake was superb. My kids would have eaten until they ruptured if I hadn’t set some limits. 😀 The texture and crumb were perfect.
Hey Melanie,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
Yes, but I’m sure you can see how reading one thing and seeing another might cause confusion. Hence the correction from Tieghan.
I hope you’re still planning to delete non-constructive negative comments. Because telling another reader who asked a genuine question that “anyone with a few neurons” would have known what kind of pan to use (even when there was a mistake in the recipe originally) is not very kind.
Hi Tina,
We sure are! We don’t have someone monitoring comments 24/7, it’s just not possible, but we try to take care of everything within 24 hours! Have a great weekend! xT
Tina, it’s the mob nit-picking about a non existent Bundt pan, just to have something to complain about on this site that aren’t very kind. They are consistent/persistent, however. This week it’s Bundt pans, next week it will be some other false drama. The comment regarding neuron use was hypothetical – “anyone using a few neurons” refers to nobody in particular. If someone sees themself in that reference, so be it. 🤷♀️
Hey Jennifer,
So sorry for any confusion, you are going to want to use a springform pan for this recipe, I don’t know why I wrote bundt pan:) I hope this helps! xx