Brown Sugar Cookies made with dark brown sugar and butter are sweet, soft, chewy, and the PERFECT spin on the traditional cookie ready in under 30 minutes!
We’re getting ready to serve up some classic desserts for the holiday, and to go with these cookies we’re also making Award Winning Gingerbread Cookies and the Ultimate Apple Crisp!
Brown Sugar Cookies
Brown Sugar Cookies are a great twist on this traditional cookie recipe, and gets its color and rich flavor from dark brown sugar and butter. They’re soft and chewy and super EASY to make. They also have a prep and cook total time of 30 minutes, which means you’ll be in cookie heaven in almost no time at all.
I hadn’t ever had these cookies before I spent a hosted weekend at the Kohler Food and Wine Festival eating the most delicious food I’ve EVER eaten.I know, I know, that’s a huge statement. But it is true. there is really no other way to describe a weekend so full of pampering and delicious food that I have already begun looking into the 2019 festival for a repeat trip.
If you were following along on my Instagram stories you saw some of the delicious food, but it was full of A5 Wagyu steak (The Immigrant Restaurant is a four star restaurant and the best restaurant meal I’ve ever had), beef cheeks, coffee, melt in your mouth pastries, the BEST chocolates ever (these Peppermint Crunch Terrapins were amazing) and I got to attend no less than three days of events where I learned how to make some delicious food including these Brown Sugar Cookies at the Cooks Illustrated Cooking event.
Plus, we stayed at the American Club (a five diamond resort) and the spa made us feel like we were in heaven. If you go, you have to try the healing waters treatment which is basically the best spa treatment I’ve ever had. Also its the only place in the world you can get it! Trust me, if it were available local to me, I’d need it in my life all the time.
You can use this recipe to cut out cookies in fun shapes, but I like to roll little cookie dough balls and let them drop into circles while they’re baking. You can roll the balls in light brown sugar or granulated sugar, to give the cookies extra sweetness. I’ve also used cinnamon sugar to top cookies in this recipe for some extra flavor.
HOW LONG DO SUGAR COOKIES LAST
Sugar cookies will last in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can also freeze them for several months to make them last longer, or get ahead on holiday baking!
You can make this dough ahead of time and freeze it for up to a month. Just pull it out and defrost in the refrigerator before rolling, cutting, and baking.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN COOKIES ARE DONE?
You’re going to want to take them out when the edge just barely start to brown and the middles still look wet.
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HOW DO YOU MAKE SUGAR COOKIES SOFT AND CHEWY?
For soft and chewy brown sugar cookies you want to add ingredients that have a lot of moisture in them. Dark brown sugar contains some molasses, so combining that with butter makes these cookies have an amazingly soft and chewy texture.
This recipe will also work with light brown sugar or white sugar, but the cookies may turn out less chewy and more crumbly. If your cookies are too crispy, try less baking time and making sure your oven is at the right temperature with an oven thermometer.
For a deeper flavor, try brown butter instead of regular. You can make brown butter by cooking butter over medium heat until it melts. Let it keep cooking until the butter turns brown and smells slightly nutty. Let the brown butter cool before adding it to the cookie dough.
MORE GREAT RECIPES FOR COOKIES
- Buckeye Brownie Cookies
- S’Mores Cookies
- Legendary Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Black and White Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Chewy Cookies
- Apple Crisp Cookies
- Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
TIPS FOR BROWN SUGAR COOKIES
- Add all purpose flour as needed if your dough is too sticky to work with. You can also flour your rolling pin, and just dust the extra flour off of the cookies before baking. Be careful not to add too much flour, or your cookies may turn out too dry after you bake them.
- Place a piece of parchment paper under your dough when you’re rolling it out. It’ll make it easier to pick up and prevent it from sticking to your surface. You can also add parchment paper to an ungreased baking sheet to make cleanup easier.
- If you don’t have vanilla extract, you can try this recipe with a teaspoon of almond extract in its place. It will give them a really indulgent flavor, but only add a teaspoon because it has a stronger flavor than the vanilla.
Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ¾ sticks)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 2 cups flour , plus 2 tablespoons
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a skillet melt 10 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Whisk constantly until butter starts to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Pour into bowl, add remaining butter to same bowl and set aside.
- In a separate bowl whisk together sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Add remaining brown sugar and salt to butter and whisk until smooth. Whisk in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- Combine butter mixture with dry ingredients, stirring until a dough forms.
- Either roll dough out to 1/2-inch thick and use a cookie cutter, or roll into a ball and place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until cookies begin to set.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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These are delicious!! Followed the directions exactly and added dark chocolate chunks…made 25 BIG cookies! Can’t wait to make this again!
These cookies are delish!!! I halved the recipe as I only had about 12 tbsp of butter.. made them just as recipe stated and will make again with a little less sugar. A tad sweet for my liking, but the hubby loved them. Definitely will add pecans and maybe a caramel or toffee!
Step #6 “….or roll into a ball and place on cookie sheet.” -I presume you meant many small balls, ha. Although now that I think about it, it would be fun to experiment with this recipe as a cake-ish thing, maybe in a loaf pan, at a slightly lower temperature and for more time. Or maybe that’s a terrible idea, I don’t know.
Hi Audrey,
Yes you are correct. Many small balls on a cookie sheet!
Sabrina
This is a delicious cookie! I make a crisco icing, then top with caramel swirls and then sea salt. I’m wondering if I could freeze the dough? Trying to get ahead for Christmas baking. Thank you!
You should be able to freeze the dough – it might make it easier for you to roll the dough into balls for each cookie, then freeze them on a baking sheet in the freezer for an hour before transferring to an airtight container for storage in the freezer. Then defrost in the fridge overnight before baking.
The flavor is good ! I preheated my oven to 350 and left the cookie dough in there for 12 minutes. As they cooled they became crunchy. If you like crunchy cookies then this is for you . However if you want your cookies to be chewy than I would say leave them in for a lesser time .
Question: The picture of the cookies (relatively flat) that is next to the recipe title looks very different than the picture partway through the instructons (that looks like a cracked, raised cookie). I would like to make cookies that look like the title picture. Could you please tell me what makes the difference between the two pictures? Thank you very much!
The colder the butter in a cookie the less the spread. The first cookies were at more of a room temperature, the second batch were from the fridge. Sorry for the confusion.
Thank you. So to make the cookies look like the first picture, I should use room temperature butter and not chill the dough before I make them. Am I understanding correctly? I’m dying to make these since they just look so good and tasty and chewy. I just want to get it right the first time.
Correct!
Best. Cookies. EVER! I literally come back to this recipe every time I make cookies. They’re a family favorite.
Caan anything be substituted for part of the butter? Maple syrup? Or veg oil, or applesauce , or another? I really want to try these but only have half the butter and am impatient hahaha
I had the same problem except I had only half the flour. Fun fact: in chemistry this is called a “limiting factor” and all you have to do is scale down all the other factors accordingly. In other words, use only half of all the ingredients, to match your limit of half one ingredient. Et voila, you get a half-batch of cookies! It still seems like a lot of cookies by the way.
Sabrina, these cookies are deadly! LOL! Love them!
Flour is not listed in the list of ingredients….? Is this a mistake?
Hi, it is listed as the 4th ingredient.
No comment worst sugar cookies I ever made
These are the best cookies ever! I never post reviews but I had to as these are too good!
I love this cookie!!! I have been searching for a cookie like this to make into a salted caramel sandwich cookie I purchased before. This cookie is very close to it. I add course salt to the outside before cooking and then I add caramel to the middle and make a sandwich cookie. Soooo indulgent and now my favorite cookie. Of course, they are so good just by themselves. Thank you!!
Wow!! These are awesome!!
Ooops, my flour measurement below should be 2.25 cups
Excellent recipe with high altitude adjustments – 1.5 cups brown sugar, 1.25 cups flour. Bake on lower half oven rack 14 minutes, turning pan halfway through.
This will be a treasured addition to my recipes. Thank you so much!!!
Do you HAVE to brown the butter for this, or could I just melt it?
It won’t have the rich flavor if you don’t brown the butter
My dough came out too thin so I added an extra 1/3 cup flour and it was still a little thin. The cookies came out huge and fluffy. They taste amazing.
Wow Sister!!! Thank You first of all for this fantastic Recipe. Unique in all ways. And even more tasty. You had me standing in my kitchen saying things out loud ? will forever be a favorite ??
I am about to take last batch out of oven. This cookie is amazing!!
I used a melon scoop to have smaller cookies not to mention more of them. They are just perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
Not sure what happened! They look like macaroons
Incredible cookie. I used the toasted pecans that someone suggested because we got a huge lot of them in Texas and 1tsp almond extract in place of the vanilla. Truly wonderful cookie. The “too sweet” comments make me laugh. It’s a dessert based on BROWN SUGAR, if you don’t like the flavor of brown sugar, move along people. I am known for my amazing and unusual cookies and this recipe is going in my book. Can’t wait for the hubby to try them. I might even add some caramel bits next time. Thank you so much for sharing your gifts of baking with us!!
I made these for my family and they had already eaten half of them before I had one. These are easy to make and really good.
Oh my these are surely the sweetest cookie (biscuit where I come from) I’ve ever baked or tasted. Not sure that I would want to try baking these again.
I used one full and about 3/4 of a banana instead of butter and added about a cup and 1/4 of shredded coconut. SO GOOD!
Yum!
These were great! For me though, tad too sweet. My husband liked the sweetness. Will make again with less brown sugar and roll some in sugar for my husband!
Why do the ones in the video look so different than the flat, crackle top ones? I want to make these, but really want the flat, crinkly ones. Is there a trick or a different technique to get them like that and not ‘puffy’? Thank you!
Less flower that’s how I do it.
I made these for the first time today, and I can not tell you how good they are!! 5 stars for sure! I fell in love with this recipe! They are a little too sweet, but you can always add less sugar ? Thank you, Sabrina!
I made these for the first time today, and I can not tell you how good they are!! 5 stars for sure! I fell in love with this recipe! They are a little too sweet, but you can always add less sugar ? Thank you, Sabrina!
Read all comments and did use 11/2 cups brown sugar with good results. They came out crunchy on edges and soft and chewy in mi?dle!!! I did brown the butter and flavor was excellent! !!! Did wish there was less flattening of them. Kathleen Colarusso
I have made these and they are not just delicious, but they are also great for gifting. I bake a LOT for our fire stations and doctor’s offices over the holidays. They also package well.
I’m very precise in my baking and I want to try this, but I’m leery of the flour amount. Depending on the method of measuring, a cup of flour weighs between 120-155 grams. So 2 cups + 2T doesn’t really help much. An amount in grams (or even ounces) would be helpful and appreciated.
Hi how much flour is in it
2 cups + 2 tablespoons, it’s listed in the ingredients. Happy Thanksgiving!
Just made these delectable cookies. I did have to add some flour and I also rolled by dough in sugar.
This recipe is a keeper!
Super easy recipe I used as an activity with my nanny children! I came back here to use the recipe for myself at home! Cookies are delicious.
I used 1 1/2 cup sugar, without rolling it in sugat and still sweet. But my children love it, i will surely make it again with 1 cup of sugar.
Yay! So glad you all enjoyed it!
DELICIOUS! I learned a long time ago from Molly Wizenberg of A Homemade Life & orangette.blogspot.com to always read the entire recipe carefully before starting so you understand it all and there are no surprises or misunderstandings…
I enjoyed reading the comments/ideas of adding toasted pecans to be more like a praline, or chocolate, or oat flour. Lastly, I did cut back on the sugar & the vanilla and they turned out GREAT! Thank you Sabrina, look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Thanks so much, Suzy!
It look very nice.
I have some healthy chocolate for you.
Dark Chocolate
Sugar-free Chocolate
Healthy Chocolate
Chocolate Gift
How big should the balls of dough be???
I made mine 1/2-inch thick, but you can make them bigger or smaller. whatever you decide 🙂
I loved the texture of the cookies; they had a nice crust on the outside and were chewy in the center. With that being said, these cookies were too sweet.
After reading the comments, I have to wonder if anyone has thought of cutting the sugar in the recipe?. Im going to bake these today and use 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar.
I did… I only used 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, and 1/8 cup of sugar. Turned out great!
The cookie was too sweet and the vanilla was very overpowering. Definitely needs some adjustments but the texture of the cookie was nice soft and chewy.
Way too sweet.
When you make the brown butter, do you use all 14 tbsp of butter or just the 10?
You brown the 10, then add in the remaining 4.
Made this recipe today and I’m not tasting anything other then an intense sweetness that’s not great for it leaves a weird after taste in my mouth. The cookie is hard as a rock on outer edge yet soft towards center. I prob wont make again with out some balancing adjustments. Thank you for something to try out.
These are the best cookies I have ever made, as confirmed by everyone who tried them. This is my new go to. THANK YOU!
Yay!! Thanks for the 5 stars, Raquel.
Yes, the cookies are very sweet but what do you expect with the title “brown sugar cookies”? I made these with a maple cream cheese frosting with no added sugar and it balanced out very nicely. These cookies have a great texture. So chewy and crispy on the edges!
Thanks for the 5 star rating, Isabel.
These cookies were a huge hit in my house! I was wondering if i can add peanut butter to the recipe? Im looking for a good peanut butter cookie recipe but i cant find one i like. If peanut butter would work in this recipe how much should i use?
I haven’t tested it but I’d think it would work. Maybe try using 1 cup of peanut butter to start and go from there. I’d love to know how they turn out if you decide to play around with it. Good luck!
Hello! Thank you for the recipe. Quick question, is there 1/4 cup of white sugar and 1/4 cup of brown sugar in the flour mixture? I made them last night and they were very good. But I wasn’t sure about the sugar. Merry Christmas!!
Yes, that’s correct. I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
While these do taste great… be warned that if you do not chill your dough, they will spread. Keep this in mind if your choosing to do cut out cookies because they will not hold shape.
There weren’t bad, but I agree with the other commenter they were sickeningly sweet. I usually love a sweet cookie, but these are overboard.
These were DELICIOUS but waaayyy too sweet. For people sensitive to that stuff, I’d scale back on the amount of sugar in here. But overall, great recipe!
hii, may i know about the oven settings to bake these cookies?
They’ll bake in a 350 degree oven. Enjoy!
I liked the recipe but the cookies were insanely sweet so i added large chunks of dark chocolate to the recipe and that seemed to help offset the sweetness a bit. Also used salted butter instead of unsalted.
I’m glad you were able to customize it more to your liking.
I made these for a cookie exchange last year (2019) — they were so simple, yet elegant on a platter. I had three ladies reach out to be afterwards for the recipe. They are perfect with a cup of coffee. We will make them again this year! They have such a nice chew to them.
Thanks for coming back to let me know, Melissa. I appreciate the 5 stars.