Brown Sugar Cookies - These brown butter brown sugar cookies are a sweet and molasses-y twist on my old-fashioned sugar cookies that are just as easy to make! All it takes are simple pantry staples, but instead of regular butter and sugar, we’re using brown butter and brown sugar!
Brown sugar cookies are decadent and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, thanks to their soft and chewy texture and incredible brown butter and caramel flavor. They’re the addicting cookie that makes it hard to stop at just one!
These bakery-style cookies don’t require chilling, electric mixers, or cookie cutters. They’re such a simple recipe that makes a great kitchen activity for the kids and a quick and easy cookie recipe to curb your sweet cravings anytime!
Making brown butter isn’t hard, but you do need to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Once you learn how to make this liquid gold, you’ll be using it in everything!
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Ingredients Needed
- Salted Butter: These brown sugar cookies require quite a bit of butter. You’ll keep 10 Tablespoons of butter for browning and the other 4 Tablespoons will get added to the brown butter afterwards. We’re using salted butter to balance all the sweetness because there is no added salt otherwise.
- All-purpose Flour: The flour is the structure of the cookie. Make sure you measure it properly so that you end up with the perfect dough consistency and texture of the cookie. Using too much flour can alter your results.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Both of these leavening agents help give the cookies a nice rise to thicken them up and make them nice and chewy. They will fall again once out of the oven, leaving behind that nice crinkly chewy brown sugar cookie!
- Packed Brown Sugar: This is what gives the cookies added moisture as well as caramel and molasses taste. It’s so good!
- Whole Egg & Egg Yolk: You’ll need both a whole egg and then an extra egg yolk. The extra yolk helps to make the cookie rich and chewy in the middle.
- Vanilla Extract: A flavor enhancer gives the cookies some extra yum!
- Granulated Sugar: We’re also using regular granulated sugar with brown sugar as a coating on the outside of the cookie.
See the recipe card for the full information on recipe ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Brown Sugar Cookies
Step 1: Start with browning the butter. Grab a medium skillet and add the 10 tablespoons of butter and place it over medium heat. Stir constantly as the butter melts. Depending on how much butter you use and the type of skillet, achieving brown butter can take anywhere from 3 minutes to 10 minutes. You’ll see it start to foam around the edges and then the milk solids will settle at the bottom. Once it’s ready, you’ll notice that familiar nutty toasted aroma.
Step 2: Immediately remove the butter from the heat and transfer it to a large bowl. Add the remaining butter and allow it to melt into the brown butter. Allow it to cool for about 8-10 minutes, stirring a few times.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and baking powder together.
Step 4: Once the butter has cooled, add the brown sugar and whisk until smooth and lump free. This means to use your arm muscles and get to mixing! You want all the sugar granules to disappear. Then, whisk in the egg, the yolk, and vanilla extract.
Step 5: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until it’s combined into a dough.
Step 6: Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop out the dough. Roll it with your hands and then drop it in a small bowl filled with granulated and brown sugar to coat. Place it on a prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.
Step 7: Arrange all the dough balls on the sheet, leaving space in between for spreading. Then, bake for 12-14 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
If you can’t wait, feel free to dive into one once they’ve cooled for just a few minutes. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
If using a small cookie scoop you’ll get about 30 cookies. If you use a medium or large scoop, you’ll get fewer cookies, but bigger cookies!
It’s harder to tell with darker cookies, so pay close attention to the color changing around the edges. They should be slightly golden or light brown. The middle will still be soft, but that’s ok.
They will continue to bake on the hot pan as they come out of the oven. It’s also how they stay nice and chewy.
You can also freeze the cookie dough if you want to get a head start on your baking. If you plan to freeze them don’t roll them in the sugar yet! Wait to do that just before baking.
Arrange the dough balls on the baking sheet in a single layer and flash-freeze them until solid. Transfer the balls to a freezer bag and keep them frozen for up to 3 months.
Take out whatever you need for baking, whether it’s all of them or just some! Bring them to room temperature, roll them in sugar, then bake as directed.
Tips for Brown Butter Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Use a light-colored skillet to brown the butter. It’s much easier to see when it changes color. You don’t want to leave it on too long to get too dark because it happens quickly. You don’t want burnt butter!
- Cut your butter into slices for faster melting.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. You can use silicone mats, but sometimes I find they cause more spreading than parchment paper.
- If you have extra time, there’s no harm in chilling the dough first. This can help prevent spreading too much, especially when using melted butter.
Storing & Freezing
Keep brown sugar cookies stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Don’t worry, they’re so good, they’ll be gone before then!
You can also transfer them to a freezer bag to keep them frozen for up to 3 months. Just thaw them in the fridge or on the counter before serving.
Other Easy Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Thumbprints Cookies
- Best Oatmeal Cookie
- Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Hazelnut Cookies
- Chocolate Rugelach Cookies
- Oatmeal banana cookies
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📖 Recipe
Brown Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
For Cookie Dough
- 14 tablespoons salted butter divided, 10 tablespoons for browning in the skillet
- 2 cups all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons making total of 10 ½ ounces
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Rolling Cookie Dough
- ¼ cup sugar for rolling cookie dough
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
Instructions
How to Make Brown Sugar Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a skillet over medium heat, add 10 tablespoons of butter, after butter melts cook for 3 minutes until butter looks like a golden brown color. Pour melted butter to a large bowl and add 4 tablespoons of butter, wait 8-10 minutes so it can cool off and butter can melt, stirring few times.
- While it is cooling off, in a different bowl whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together. Next when the butter is melted and cooled, add 1 ¾ cups of brown sugar and whisk it till smooth and make sure there are no lumps.
- Whisk in 1 egg, 1 egg yolk and vanilla extract. Next, combine the dry ingredients with met ingredients and fold with spatula until everything is combined.
- In a small bowl add ¼ cup of brown sugar and ¼ cup of granulated sugar, give it a good mix.
- Using a small ice cream scooper, take dough and roll between your hands then coat them in the brown sugar mixture. Place sugared cookie balls on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, let them cool for 5 minutes and enjoy.
Notes
- To help your butter melt faster, try cutting it into slices before putting it in the pan.
- When you're baking, lining your sheet with parchment paper can help prevent spreading. While silicone mats are an option, sometimes they can cause even more spreading than parchment paper.
- If you have extra time, chilling the dough before baking can help prevent spreading too much, especially when using melted butter. Give it a try if you have the time!
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