Name: Brown Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 139 min
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)

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.

pile of brown sugar cookies on white plate

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.

stack of 4 brown sugar cookies with top one bite taken

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.

close up brown sugar cookie with bite taken

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!