Brown sugar cookies, how come you taste so good?
Sugar cookies are pretty much the plainest cookie there is. Their flavor comes entirely from the sugar, butter, and maybe a touch of vanilla. What makes them interesting is the stuff you add to them – colorful icing, sprinkles, or add-ins like candy corn or Andes mints.
But brown sugar cookies – now that’s a completely different story. Simply swapping out the white sugar in basic sugar cookies for brown sugar gives them a darker, richer, molasses-tinged flavor all their own. And if you brown the butter before mixing it into the cookie dough, it adds a rich, nutty note that deepens the flavor even more.
For these Soft Brown Sugar Cookies, you modified my basic sugar cookie recipe by using brown sugar, brown butter, and a whole tablespoon of vanilla to make the flavor as dark and complex as possible. And I reduced the flour, increased the butter, and added an extra egg yolk to give them a super soft, tender texture. When you bite into one, it practically melts in your mouth, releasing all that rich, sweet, molasses-loaded goodness. It’s way more than just another sugar cookie.
Soft Brown Sugar Cookies
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small pot, melt 10 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Stir constantly until butter starts to brown, about 3-5 minutes.
- Once butter starts to brown, remove pot from heat, and add in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.
- When the additional butter has melted, stir in 1.5 cups of brown sugar. Stir until smooth. Whisk in egg, egg yolk, salt and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Combine butter mixture with dry ingredients, stirring until a dough forms.
- Roll into a balls. Place 1/4 cup of sugar in a small bowl. Roll cookie balls in sugar until coated and place on cookie sheet.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until cookies JUST begin to set. Do not over bake so they stay soft. Cracks of cookies will look undercooked, but once they sit out on the drying rack, they will firm up, but stay soft.
TOOLS USED FOR SOFT BROWN SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE:
Measuring Cups and Spoons: Each cup’s “ml” and cup sizes have passed clearly engraved marking, and you can quickly identify the cup scale according to the color of the handle.
Baking Sheets: This set of baking sheets comes with small, medium, and large sizes that provide the perfect option for any of your baking needs.
Parchment Paper: Parchment baking paper is non-stick for quick food release and easy clean up
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Soft Brown Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1/2 cup sugar divided
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar divided
- 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 Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small pot, melt 10 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Stir constantly until butter starts to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Once butter starts to brown, remove pot from heat, and add in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. When the additional butter has melted, stir in 1.5 cups of brown sugar. Stir until smooth. Whisk in egg, egg yolk, salt and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Combine butter mixture with dry ingredients, stirring until a dough forms.
- Roll into a balls. Place 1/4 cup of sugar in a small bowl . Roll cookie balls in sugar until coated and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until cookies JUST begin to set. Do not over bake so they stay soft. Cracks of cookies will look undercooked, but once they sit out on the drying rack, they will firm up, but stay soft.
Video
Recipe Notes:
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Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Looking for more easy and delicious sweet recipes?
- Edible Cookie Dough – for all my raw cookie dough fans
- Jumbo Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies – the ultimate cookies
- Edible Sugar Cookie Dough – another yummy raw cookie dough to try
- Sugar Cookie Cake – so easy to make and a fan favorite!
- Fried Ice Cream Cake – crunch and cool!
Patti Houle says
My husband and I loved them. Used Splenda brown sugar. Very good. But tell me regarding the Nutrition info, is it 227 calories and 36 carbs per cookie? You didn’t have the serving size re nutrition info. Thank you.
Corey says
That is per cookie Patti. But they should be pretty big cookies 🙂 Your info will be different since you used Splenda.
Michelle Vue says
In the recipe it says both the sugar and brown sugar are divided but it doesn’t say how much of the sugar is to be added to the flour mixture. Is it 1/4 cup, since 1/4 is used to roll thw cookies in?
Corey says
Yes you are correct. It is 1/4 cup of regular sugar that is mixed into the flour.
Kaylie says
Can I freeZe rolled cookie balls?
Corey says
Yes! When you are ready to make them, I would thaw in the fridge before baking.
Maria says
Delicious!
They turned out amazing.
I added a touch of cinnamon
Colleen Hunt says
Hi! I was so excited about these but mine came out so flat! I realized I forgot the 2 tablespoons of flour, could that be why they became so flat?
Corey says
That could be why. I have only made the cookies are written, so I can’t say for sure.
Penny B says
I did the exact same thing yesterday. Lol! I was thinking they needed to be chilled or something. I’ll add more flour next time!
Cindy Cavanagh says
Very good. I added a half teaspoon of fresh ground nutmeg and used Kerrygold butter.
Sandy Dickman says
These cookies came out of the oven smelling so enticing and tasting even more delicious. The brown butter, brown sugar, and vanilla made this cookie so much more than their rather plain looks. I’m trying out recipes to bake and donate cookies to our church’s Fall Festival Bake Shop. I know they will be a hit if only people give them a try. Anysugestion o how to dress the up?
Joanna says
I would dip half of the cookie in chocolate and leave like that or sprinkle on some chopped nuts or sprinkles or coarse sugar.
Hannah says
My niece and nephews had such a fantastic day. So, of course I had to make them something special. This recipe has been sitting on my Pinterest board for a VERY long time and it seemed like today was a great day to give it a shot. They came out great! I ended up having to add an extra 1/2 cup of flour to make the dough look like what was in the video. It could just be the humidity of where I live… not sure. That didn’t bother me one bit, though. I actually mushed the dough into a somewhat deep “heart-shaped” mold and it turned out to be cute. Anyway, I love browned butter ANYTHING! Thanks for the recipe…. I’ll make these again soon! I’ll post pictures on Pinterest.
Kerri Derobertis says
Absolutely scrumptious!! I am a cookie snob, so this is a huge compliment. Cookies must be flavorful and moist, and these are!!! I did freeze the balls for 8-9 mins before cooking.
denise says
can you make and freeze?
Corey says
Yes you can, you can also just freeze the dough balls and take out as many as you want to cook on demand.
Judy day says
I plan to make these for Christmas, but have a question. Can I add toffee bits and Carmel bits to the recipe and have them turn out? If so how much of each or will it change the cookie to much
Corey says
Hi Judy, I have only made the recipe as written, so I can’t say for sure. If you do give it a try could you let us know how it turns out?
TKSPLA says
These cookies are simply delicious!
My “dough” was very dry…instead of rolling into balls, I had to squish them together. Maybe too much dry ingredients? I followed the recipe, but sometimes I eyeball…If this happens again, what do you suggest, more butter?
Thank you for this yummy recipe! <3
Kim
Corey says
Lol. Yes eyeballing with baking can really change a recipe. If the dough is dry, you are either missing liquid, fat or yes, too much dry ingredients. For liquid, you could add a tiny bit of water, vanilla extract, or egg white. For fat, yes you could add in some melted butter. What ever you do… make sure to do it in very small amounts. I hope that helps 🙂
Carol R says
These taste awesome! What is the best way to store them to maintain their soft texture?
Corey says
An air tight container at room temp works the best at keep them soft.
Linda says
The cookies taste really good, but they flattened out quite a bit. They don’t look as thick as they do in the picture.
April Stephens says
Simply love this recipe! Made them this morning and they are delicious!
Corey says
So happy you loved them! They are one of our favorite cookie recipes!