For the Dough:

The Night Before You Want to Bake:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm milk with the yeast and let it sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, sugar, and salt in another bowl and set aside.
3. To the yeast mixture, add the egg and egg yolk and begin mixing at low speed.
4. Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix again on low speed for 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Mix until everything is incorporated and a smooth dough has formed.
5. With the mixer running on low, add the cubed butter and mix for another 2-3 minutes or until a smooth but tacky dough forms.
6. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
7. After the dough has risen, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it generously with nonstick cooking spray.
8. Coax the dough onto the parchment paper and divide the dough in half. Form each dough half into a square.
9. Cover the entire baking sheet with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.

On Baking Day:

1. Remove the baking sheet from the fridge and coat two 9 x 4-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line each pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to overhang the edges of the pans.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough square out to form a 16-inch square. Prepare the filling next.

For the Filling:

1. Melt the butter and set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse the cookies until fine crumbs form.
3. Add in the brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, and salt and pulse to combine.
4. With the machine running, stream in the melted butter. Run the machine until the mixture resembles wet sand.

To Assemble:

1. Divide the filling between the two dough squares, spreading it out in even layers and leaving a ½-inch border around each piece of dough.
2. Starting at the long edge of the dough squares, tightly roll up each square to form a tight log (as if you were making a jelly roll or cinnamon rolls).
3. Using a sharp knife, cut the rolls in half lengthwise so you have two long strips per dough roll.
4. Gently twist the halves around each other (there are tons of YouTube videos on how to do this – that’s how I figured it out!). Don’t worry if some of the filling escapes – the mess won’t matter in the end. Tuck the ends and pinch slightly to hold together.
5. Gently lift each formed babka loaf and place in the prepared loaf pans.
6. Cover the pans with a towel and allow to proof until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

1. Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.
2. Brush the risen babka loaves with the melted butter and then generously (and I mean GENEROUSLY) coat the tops of the babka with the cinnamon sugar. Press it into all the nooks and crannies and don’t worry if it looks like a very thick layer of cinnamon sugar. It will all sink into the bread and create a sugary crust on top. Trust me!

To Bake: 

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Uncover the loaves and bake for 45 minutes, or until puffed and well browned on top.
2. Cool slightly in the pans and then lift the babka loaves out of the pans using the overhanging parchment paper. Place the loaves on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet.

Slice and enjoy!