Brown Sugar Cookies are sweet, soft, chewy, and perfect for the holidays. Prepare them in 30 minutes with easy pantry ingredients!
Brown Sugar Cookies are a delicious twist on traditional Sugar Cookies, with a rich flavor and soft, chewy texture. Ready to bake in minutes, they’re a quick and easy treat, perfect for holiday baking alongside other Classic Cookies like Gingerbread and Chocolate Chip.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe
This reliable recipe is a delightful, easy-to-follow treat that’s perfect for family or holiday gatherings and casual get-togethers. The heart of this recipe lies in the browning of the butter, a simple step that adds a rich, nutty flavor. Combined with the essential ingredients of sugar, flour, and eggs, this recipe is straightforward yet yields delicious results every time.
The dough is versatile, easily rolled out to cut into Christmas shapes, or formed into dough balls to bake into chewy circles. No matter how you shape them, finish with a sprinkle of sugar for an extra touch of sweetness. These cookies are not just tasty but also a joy to make, bringing a homemade charm to any occasion. With their inviting aroma and golden appearance, they’re sure to be a hit.
Video Tutorial
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: The butter is browned to add a rich, nutty flavor to the cookies.
- Sugar: This adds sweetness and helps in creating a tender texture.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar adds a deep molasses flavor and the extra moisture makes the cookies chewy.
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour. If you want to make these gluten free, I suggest using a flour blend substitute so it’s 1:1 without any other adjustments.
- Baking Soda: This leavening agent helps the cookies rise and spread.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder also contributes to the rise and texture.
- Salt: Salt balances the sweetness and enhances the flavors.
- Egg: Eggs bind the ingredients and add moisture. The extra yolk makes the cookies richer and chewier.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla has a signature warm sweetness and enhances all the other flavor.
How To Make
Time needed: 30 minutes.
- Prep
Set your oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper for non-stick baking.
- Brown
Melt 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until browned (about 3-4 minutes), then add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and set aside.
- Combine
In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and ¼ cup dark brown sugar. In the butter bowl, add the remaining dark brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla, whisking until smooth.
- Mix
Gradually mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a dough forms.
- Shape
Shape the dough using a cookie cutter or by rolling into balls, place on the baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake Cookies
Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool on the sheet before moving to a cooling rack.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter , (1 ¾ sticks)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 cups dark brown sugar , packed
- 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
Nutrition
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Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Skillet: Used for browning the butter, a skillet provides even heat distribution. A medium-sized, heavy-bottomed skillet works best to prevent the butter from burning.
- Baking Sheet: Opt for a flat, non-stick baking sheet or line a regular one with parchment paper for easy removal of cookies.
- Parchment Paper: Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper prevents the cookies from sticking and helps ensure even baking.
- Cooling Rack: After baking, it’s important to let the cookies cool on a wire rack to prevent them from becoming soggy. A cooling rack allows air to circulate around the cookies, cooling them evenly.
Nutritional Facts
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Butter Browning: The essence of these cookies lies in perfectly browned butter. Maintain a medium-high heat and constantly whisk to avoid burning. The butter is ready when it has a golden-brown hue and emits a nutty aroma.
- Measuring Flour Correctly: For the ideal cookie texture, measure flour accurately. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off without packing it down. This ensures your cookies are light and not overly dense. 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.
- Rolling Dough: 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.
How to Store
- Store: To maintain freshness, store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- Freeze: To freeze, wrap them individually in cling film and place them in a freezer-safe bag. Freezing is an excellent way to preserve their flavor and texture for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Frequent Questions
Yes, you can use salted butter in place of unsalted. Just reduce the added salt in the recipe to compensate for the salt in the butter.
If the cookie dough is too sticky, chill it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This will make it easier to roll out or shape.
If your cookies didn’t spread, it might be due to over-measured flour. Next time, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off for accuracy.
Yes, you can make them gluten-free by substituting the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend designed for baking.
You’re going to want to take them out when the edge just barely starts to brown and the middles are still soft.
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 make sure your oven is at the right temperature with an oven thermometer.
Variations
- Chocolate Chip Twist: Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips to the dough for a classic chocolate chip cookie experience.
- Spiced Cookies: Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or a mix of nutmeg and ginger for a spiced version, perfect for the holiday season.
- Lemon or Orange Zest: Grate the zest of one lemon or orange into the dough for a citrusy twist, ideal for summer gatherings.
- Nutty Delight: Incorporate ½ cup of finely chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans to add a crunchy texture and rich flavor.
Related Recipes
More Classic Sugar Cookies
Photos used in previous versions of this post.
So simple and perfect! Definitely a favorite!
I’ve never made these before and they are a huge hit with my family!!
Wonderful! Thank you Theresa for the five star review!
This cookie is chewy and delicious and my family loves them! We will definitely keep this one is rotation! Thank you!
Glad you guys enjoyed the Cookies and thanks for the five star review.
What’s the song that was used in the video?
LOL, I have no idea it was too long ago.
Above you say 2 cups of brown sugar in the ingredients but in the method it says 1/4 cup brown sugar! Which is it please?
It is both! Brown sugar goes into both wet and dry ingredients (see How to make steps 1 and 2) and then you fold the wet and dry ingredients together until it forms a dough that can be rolled into a ball.
Nutritional value would be great! My husband is diabetic and carb content would help.
Hi Gigi,
The Nutritional value is at the bottom of the recipe card 🙂
Nutrition
Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 44mg | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 225IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.7mg
I have been making these cookies for years! They are sooo good. I use a Cookie scoop and roll them in sugar before baking! Always a hit!
So glad you enjoy them!
These cookies are absolutely amazing, my neighbor asked for a whole batch after I gave her a couple. People are asking me for the recipe. I also can not eat just one. I do cook them only 10-11 minutes though because I think my oven runs hot. Thanks for my new favorite cookie!
You’re welcome Nikki! Happy Holidays!
I have been looking for this recipe for forty years. I had it as a child and knew it by heart. I lost it as an adult. This is a wonderful cookie! Thank you!
I love that it brought back child hood memories for you! Thank you for the 5 star review Linda!
I made these and sprinkled some smoked sugar on top, just a slight sprinkle and that added a new layer of flavor! They were delicious! I am making them again to share with the family for Christmas! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome! Thank you for the 5 star review and Happy Holidays!
This batter was very wet for me, but I trusted the process and the cookies came out great! I used dark brown sugar and browned all of the butter. They are very sweet, so I sprinkled some salt on them before they went into the oven, and they were amazing!
Good for you Keira! I hope your comment is read by others who are baking these cookies! Thanks so much for the 5 star review.
I’ve had this recipe pinned for a couple years. I thought it was too complicated to make, but actually, it was quite easy. These cookies are delicious. It’s almost like eating a caramel cookie. With the large amount of sugar in the recipe, I didn’t think I’d need to sprinkle sugar on them before baking, and I was right. This recipe could actually be adjusted to add less sugar and still be delicious.
Can you double this recipe?
yes! Use the “yield” bar to increase the number of servings and recipe will automatically update! Let us know what you think if you get a chance!
Wonderful, tasty cookie. Had to substitute almond extract for the vanilla, about a teaspoon. Had to roll them as no rolling pin; as per another’s comment, the baking time had to be increased to almost 20″. Cookies looked great but stiffened up quickly. Crunchy but great for dunking. Will try again and press the rolled balls down with fork tines (as with classic peanut butter cookies). No need for extra sugar on top. Happy Holidays (or Happy whenever you read this!)
Recipe is amazing ! if you try it though please roll it out, do not i repeat do not roll it by hand as it does not bake or turn out the same! 10/10 recommend
Tastes amazing but my cookies turned out all crisp and no chewy or soft…
So they are a little hard to eat
If your cookies are too crispy, try less baking time and making sure your oven is at the right temperature with an oven thermometer. Also, we’ve found that dark brown sugar make for a chewier brown sugar cookie over light brown sugar. Sorry they didn’t work for you 🙁
Yummy!!! I could eat the whole batch tonight!
Amazing cookies. Me and my family loved them and we plan to have them again in the future.
Wicked delicious! Just make sure you space them out a ton on your cookie sheet otherwise they will spread into each other
Your comment made me smile. Glad you enjoyed the cookies!
These were exactly what I was looking for. Somewhere between a praline and a cookie. Very sweet and rich. Perfect chewy consistency. Great recipe – fast and easy. You don’t even have to pull out the mixer!
How come the video does not look like the big picture? I would like my cookies to look like the big picture if it all possible. So I was just curious how they were going to turn out like which picture? Thank you.
GURL THIS WAS AMAZING I COULD HAVE IT EVERYDAY OMG I NEED MORE RECIPIES
Love this rcpy!!!!!!
Truly the best of the best! Everyone loves these cookies??. Crisp edges, soft centers, delicious!
These were amazing. I took some over to my grandparents and they asked for more. The whole batch went in the first night between 4 of us lol. Definitely adding these to one of my go-to’s when I want to practice my baking and eat something delicious after.
A question to add to my rave review below: Do you think adding 1 tsp of cornstarch will give these cookies a little more “lift”? Maybe give them a little more thickness?
Hi Paula, I haven’t tested this recipe using cornstarch. Brown sugar cookies are traditionally thin and almost crispy.
Yum!!!! Very, very delicious cookie. My husband asked me for a brown sugar cookie and man, this is the recipe. I am super familiar with browning butter, so no prob. I chose to use a scooper and roll each cookie into a ball. I experimented by rolling some in white sugar and some in no sugar. The ones rolled in sugar, in our opinions were too sweet, and changed the look of the cookie. The had a nice brown edge, but the tops were smooth. The dough balls NOT rolled in white sugar, came out like the “flat” crinkle top cookies that are in the pic. 11 minutes on parchment lined sheets. Brava!
These cookies have a wonderful flavor, but I was really disappointed that they were thick and puffy – not as pictured. I was hoping they would be like the photo and spread with crinkled tops.
Hi Kathie, glad you enjoyed the taste of the cookies. I double checked the photos because these cookies are not thick and puffy. Sorry for that. They do however have crinkled tops.