These chewy brown sugar cookies are so simple as drop-style cookies come (no mixer required!), but they ship the type of deep, caramelized taste you normally solely discover within the richest chocolate chip cookies. No chips right here, although—this recipe lets brown sugar shine all by itself!
I initially revealed this recipe in 2013 and have since added new images and useful success ideas. After gathering suggestions from readers over time, we now have additionally tweaked the recipe so as to add a little bit extra flour, to maintain the cookies from over-spreading.
I really like cookies filled with add-ins—chocolate chunks, caramel, sprinkles, all of it—however generally you simply need one thing easy, candy, and chewy. These cookies let brown sugar shine in each soft-baked, molasses-kissed chunk.
However don’t name them plain! They’re stuffed with heat taste and have such a delightfully chewy texture that they don’t want any extras.
Unfussy and comfortable, these chewy brown sugar cookies are the type you don’t count on to fall in love with… till one chunk makes them the solely cookie you need to bake all month. And the very best half? They’re fully beginner-friendly and ideal for each vacation trays and on a regular basis cravings.
Right here’s Why You’ll Love These Cookies:
- Chewy, mushy facilities + evenly crisp edges
- Easy substances you probably have already got readily available
- Candy, buttery, and comfortable
- No particular tools or information of the best way to enhance sugar cookies required right here!
One reader, Michelle, commented: “I at all times thought of sugar cookies because the sweet corn of the cookie world: a waste of butter and sugar. This recipe modified my thoughts. These cookies are so scrumptious all of my dinner visitors most well-liked the sugar cookies over chocolate chip cookies. Let me say that once more: folks actively selected one thing that didn’t have chocolate. Sally, you’re really a magician. Thanks for opening an entire new world of cookies! ★★★★★“
The Secret Is… Brown Sugar
Utilizing all brown sugar within the cookie dough offers these cookies their signature taste and texture. Brown sugar doesn’t simply sweeten; its molasses content material provides moisture and chew that lasts for days. It additionally encourages extra caramelization within the oven, which interprets to deeper taste and people fairly golden edges.
Gentle or darkish brown sugar each work right here. Use darkish if you happen to’re after an additional deep taste. If I’ve each readily available, I take advantage of half mild and half darkish.
If you happen to love brown sugar treats, attempt my cut-out brown sugar cookies with icing subsequent, or my extra-tender brown sugar shortbread for a crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth variation.
Different Elements You Want
The substances for these cookies could seem acquainted if you happen to’ve ever made my recipe for chewy chocolate chip cookies. I used just a few of the identical ingredient ratios and recipe strategies in in the present day’s chewy brown sugar cookies.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is finest for cookies.
- Baking Soda: This leavener will trigger the cookies to puff up whereas baking, then fall and crinkle a bit as they cool.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch offers the cookies that ultra-soft consistency all of us love. Plus, it helps maintain the cookies superbly thick.
- Cinnamon: 1/2 teaspoon provides a delicate kiss of spice. If you happen to love cinnamon-sugar-flavored treats, use 1 entire teaspoon. If you happen to’re a brown sugar cookie purist, go away it out. Baker’s selection!
- Salt: To stability the sweetness of the brown sugar.
- Melted Butter: Melted butter produces the chewiest cookies. It might probably, nevertheless, make your baked cookies greasy, so I made certain there may be sufficient flour to counteract that. And utilizing melted butter can also be the rationale you don’t want a mixer to make these cookies, similar to these M&M cookie bars.
- Brown Sugar: The moisture in brown sugar guarantees an additional mushy and chewy baked cookie. You should use mild or darkish brown sugar in these cookies, and truly, I normally make them with half mild and half darkish.
- Egg: To bind the substances collectively.
- Vanilla Extract: Taste enhancer extraordinaire!
Getting ready the cookie dough is simple. Whisk dry substances in a single bowl and whisk moist substances in one other; then, mix the whole lot collectively.
Chilling this cookie dough for a minimum of 3–4 hours is a non-negotiable. We have to give the melted butter an opportunity to agency up earlier than baking the cookies. These brown sugar cookies are very buttery and the colder the cookie dough, the much less they’ll over-spread. Listed here are extra tips about the best way to stop cookies from spreading.
My recommendation? Make the dough forward of time. It might probably chill within the fridge for as much as 3 days, so whip it up a day or two forward of when you’ve got time to bake the cookies.
Scoop & Roll These Drop-Type Sugar Cookies
A medium cookie scoop is useful to portion out the chilly dough into 1.5-Tablespoon-size items. Roll the cookie dough into balls, then coat them in granulated sugar.
You recognize a cookie recipe is a winner when its softness isn’t compromised as the times go by. All of us love that about this recipe! True “soft-batch” type, similar to the cookies you get from a bakery.
Right here’s a Storage Tip: To maintain them additional mushy, attempt storing them in an hermetic container together with a chunk of bread. The bread will get stale, however the cookies will keep mushy! It’s the identical trick you need to use to melt up brown sugar that’s gotten laborious within the container.
If you happen to love the pure brown sugar taste of those cookies, make sure you attempt my brown sugar shortbread cookies subsequent!
I get this query loads, so we examined it! Sure, you need to use brown butter for these cookies, however that you must add additional liquid to the dough to make up for the lack of moisture in the course of the browning course of. Add 2 Tablespoons of water or milk to the dough whenever you combine collectively the moist substances.
These chewy brown sugar cookies are proof that generally the only recipes can simply change into a family favourite.
Description
Bake a batch of chewy brown sugar cookies with plush facilities, evenly crisp edges, and comfortable brown sugar sweetness. A easy, no-mixer, beginner-friendly cookie recipe. See make-ahead and freezing directions beneath.
- In a big bowl, whisk collectively the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Put aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar collectively till no brown sugar lumps stay. Whisk within the egg and vanilla. Pour the moist substances into the dry substances and blend along with a silicone spatula or massive picket spoon till fully mixed. The dough will likely be very mushy, but thick.
- Cowl the dough and refrigerate for a minimum of 3–4 hours, or as much as 3 days. Chilling is obligatory.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and permit to barely soften at room temperature for quarter-hour if it chilled for longer than 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Line massive baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Put aside.
- Pour the granulated sugar right into a small bowl. Scoop and roll dough right into a ball, about 1.5 Tablespoons (30–35g) in dimension, then roll within the sugar. Place 3 inches aside on the ready baking sheets (8–9 cookies per baking sheet).
- Bake for 14–16 minutes, till the perimeters of the cookies are set and small cracks are showing. The cookies will likely be puffy and nonetheless seem very mushy within the center, however they are going to deflate barely and proceed to set as they cool. Take away from the oven and permit to chill on the baking sheet for 10 minutes earlier than transferring to a cooling rack to chill fully.
- Cowl cooled cookies tightly and retailer at room temperature for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You can also make the cookie dough and chill it within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Baked cookies freeze nicely for as much as 3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge and convey to room temperature, if desired, earlier than serving. Unbaked cookie dough balls (earlier than rolling in sugar) will freeze nicely for as much as 3 months. Let sit at room temperature for half-hour, preheat the oven, then roll in granulated sugar. Bake as directed. Learn my ideas and tips on the best way to freeze cookie dough.
- Butter: Let the melted butter calm down for about 5–10 minutes earlier than mixing with the opposite substances. Don’t need to prepare dinner that egg with the recent butter!
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps promise a softer, thicker cookie. I extremely suggest it. I take advantage of it in my chocolate chip cookies and shortbread cookies, too. Be happy to go away it out if you happen to don’t have it.
- You’ll want to try my prime 5 cookie baking ideas AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking instruments.
