Brown Sugar Cookies are the best twist on a traditional sugar cookie, with a golden color and rich flavor. They are sweet, soft, chewy, and absolutely delicious!
We’re a little obsessed with cookies over here. Our Sugar Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies, and DoubleTree Cookies are constantly fighting to be #1, but we love them all so much, we just alternate. These Brown Sugar Cookies have easily inched their way into a top spot, too, with their moist texture and rich flavor in every bite.
We just want to bake cookies all day. And sometimes we do! The hardest part is deciding which ones to make because we have so many delicious easy cookie recipes. These Brown Sugar Cookies are one of our favs and they’re super simple to prepare.
Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients you’ll need for these cookies include:
- All-purpose flour: Just regular all-purpose flour for these cookies. Spooned and leveled (not scooped), so they’re moist and not dry.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: These are our leavening agents.
- Cornstarch: Our secret ingredient! Just like cornstarch thickens gravy and soups, it also thickens cookie dough and helps the cookies bake up softer.
- Fine sea salt: A little salt in desserts actually helps bring out the sweetness.
- Unsalted butter: For this recipe, we’re melting the butter. Allow it to cool slightly so it doesn’t cook the egg.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar contains molasses, so combining it with butter is how these cookies end up with an amazing soft and chewy texture. We use light brown sugar for a modest molasses flavor. If you want to take that richness up a notch, feel free to use dark brown sugar.
- Egg: To help bind the dough.
- Vanilla extract: For added flavor. We love vanilla in all of our baked goods.
- Turbinado Sugar: We use this to roll the raw cookie dough balls in before baking. They give the finished cookies an awesome textural crunch and extra sweetness. You can sub with brown sugar or regular granulated sugar, if preferred. Or simply omit it entirely.
How to Make Brown Sugar Cookies
Nothing complicated about this Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe. Here’s a brief summary of how to make them:
(Scroll below for the printable and exact measurements.)
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add in the egg and vanilla until incorporated.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients until there are no dry patches.
- Make 1.5 tablespoon-sized dollops of dough. Place them on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Cover dough balls with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Roll the cookie dough between your hands to form a ball, then coat in Turbinado sugar.
- Transfer back to the parchment paper 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes until the edges are just barely starting to brown.
- Let cool for a bit on the baking sheets, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, and enjoy!
Cookie Recipe Tips
- Spoon and level the flour: If you simply scoop the flour for the dough, you could end up using too much and the cookies will end up dry and crumbly. So make sure you spoon and level the flour into your measuring cup.
- Chill the dough: We recommend portioning out the dough and then chilling it for a few hours. This helps prevent the cookies from overly spreading while in the oven, which could produce a thin crunchy cookie.
- Don’t over-bake: You’ll want to remove the cookies from the oven when the edges just barely start to brown and the middles still look wet, so they stay soft.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Storing leftover baked cookies: these brown sugar cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze baked cookies: Allow baked cookies to cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe, airtight container. They’re keep frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving.
- Make the dough ahead: you can prepare the cookie dough and chill (covered in an airtight container) in the refrigerator up to to 3 days ahead of baking it. Let it come to room temperature before rolling and baking the cookies.
- Freeze raw dough balls: Form the dough into balls, place on a baking sheet, then transfer to the freezer until solid (about 1 hour.) Transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to use, let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, pre-heat the oven, then roll in turbinado sugar. Bake as directed.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
- {3 Ingredient} Sugar Cookie Recipe
- {5 Ingredient) Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Coconut Macaroons
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Brown Sugar Cookies
Brown Sugar Cookies are the best twist on a traditional sugar cookie, with a golden color and rich flavor. They are sweet, soft, chewy, and absolutely delicious!
Servings: 28 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter , melted and cooled
- 1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup turbinado sugar , for rolling, optional
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and brown sugar until smooth and no clumps remain. Whisk in the egg and vanilla until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir together until combined and there are no dry patches.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoons cookie scoop, make dollops of dough. Place them on parchment-line baking sheets, close together but not touching. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the turbinado sugar in a small bowl.
- Roll the cookie dough between your hands to form balls. Roll in the turbinado sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes (remove the cookies from the oven when the edges just barely start to brown and the middles still look wet, so they stay soft.)
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 162IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
Other Notes
