Brown Sugar Cookies

This sugar cookie recipe might be different than what you expect.  Once you’ve tasted brown sugar cookies, you’ll never want to make anything else!

Source:  Sweet Peas Kitchen.  It’s the first recipe I’ve made from this blog, but I will definitely be back!

Yield: about 4 dozen

It snowed today.  Yesterday, it was warm and sunny, nearly 60 degrees in November.  I actually used the air conditioning in my car yesterday.  This morning, we woke up to 6 inches of fresh snow, the first of the season.  My snow-loving daughter was thrilled.  I was NOT.

On the bright side, though, cold snowy weather makes me want to stay in and bake.  I found this recipe not too long ago, and I’ve been wanting to try it.  The whole idea of a simple brown sugar cookie is intriguing to me.   Plus, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find an un-frosted cookie appealing.  It’s just easier and quicker without frosting.

I got my daughter to help me with the baking, which is always fun.  She was sweetly singing along with the radio, and happily rolling cookie dough.  We had a little discussion about what happens to butter when you cook it (namely, that it turns brown) and we watched as the butter in our saucepan browned.  When she tasted the dough, she described it as “buttery.”  Nothing wrong with that!

The cookie is quite simple, but there are a couple unusual steps to watch out for.  The first step is to brown your butter on the stove, not something I’ve ever done for a cookie recipe before.  Then you put it in the mixer bowl, with the rest of the butter cut into little chunks.  I hear the best way to melt butter is with more melted butter, after all.

The other weird thing about this recipe is that it calls for no sugar, except a little to roll the dough-balls in.  The dough gets all it’s sugar in the dark brown variety.  And yes, I think you can make this with regular light brown sugar, but honestly, if you are taking the time to add flavor to your butter, just splurge on the dark brown sugar.  It is so flavorful and molasses-y.  

Once your dough comes together, you roll it into balls, roll the balls into a sugar-and-brown-sugar mixture, and bake for about 12 minutes.  Mine came out perfectly with 12 minutes of baking, and they cooled slightly crispy, but still chewy in the middle.  You’ll definitely want to get these into a container with a tight lid right away, before they get too crunchy for comfort.

The real surprise for me was how amazing these taste.  They look so simple, so unassuming, but they are amazingly flavorful.  I seriously love these.  The flavor reminds me of the nutty crust my mom puts in her Peach Cobbler (my favorite dessert of all time).  My picky husband also loves them, and asked me to make them for Christmas, which I’m taking as a compliment!  I’m sure your family will love them too!

4.8 from 4 reviews

Brown Sugar Cookies

 

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Cook time

12 mins

Total time

12 mins

 

A recipe for a simple, crispy brown sugar and browned butter cookie.

Serves: 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 14 T. (1¾ sticks) butter
• 1¾ cup dark brown sugar, + 2 T. for rolling
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. baking powder
• 2 cups + 2 T. flour
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
• 2 T. sugar for rolling

Instructions

1. In a skillet on the stove, melt 10 T. butter and heat until brown, stirring constantly.
2. Place melted butter into mixer bowl, and add remaining 4 T. butter, cut into small chunks. Stir to melt butter chunks, and allow to cool.
3. Add salt and brown sugar, mix well. Scrape down sides of bowl.
4. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
5. Add soda, baking powder, and flour. Mix just until incorporated. It should form a heavy dough.
6. In a separate shallow dish, mix 2 T. each of sugar and brown sugar for rolling.
7. Form dough into small balls, and roll in sugar mixture. Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.
8. Allow to cool, then store in an airtight container.

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If you enjoy this recipe, you may also enjoy:

Slap Yo Momma Good Praline Cookies from the Girl Who Ate Everything
Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies from Two Peas and Their Pod
Lemon Sugar Cookies from Craving Chronicles
Soft Sugar Cookies from Jen’s Favorite Cookies

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Brown Sugar Cookies