Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe
These soft homemade Brown Sugar Cookies are simple and sweet - no chilling required!
The depth of flavor and soft, chewy goodness that’s in these Brown Sugar Cookies will instantly have you falling in love! And with a minimal ingredients list and short bake time, there’s even more to love about these cookies than their flavor!
You Have To Try This Brown Sugar Cookies Recipe
We all know and love the flavor as well as the nostalgia of biting into Classic Sugar Cookies! They’re soft, tender, and lightly sweet! And while those are delicious, these Brown Sugar Cookies are an elevated version that lends a deeper flavor from dark brown sugar.
The depth of flavor and ease of this recipe make them worth saving a spot for in your annual holiday cookie tins! And though the ingredients may seem simple, they pack a big bite of flavor into the cookies that’s incredibly unforgettable!
Plus, who doesn’t love a cookie recipe that’s easy to make using minimal ingredients yet is still holiday cookie-worthy?! Or everyday cookie-worthy!
Brown Sugar Cookie Ingredients
- Bread Flour
- Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Dark Brown Sugar (light can also be used)
- Large Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Granulated sugar
Pair bread flour with a box of instant vanilla pudding mix and a handful of pantry staples to create the most delicious brown sugar cookie that you’ll ever have! While bread flour does create softer cookies, it can be swapped out for all-purpose flour instead, though the texture of the cookies will slightly change.
Other substitutions include using salted butter in place of unsalted butter. However, the additional salt will need to be cut back to 1 teaspoon. Lastly, half a teaspoon of almond extract may be used in place of vanilla extract.
Great flavor and very delicious!
– Megan
How To Make Brown Sugar Cookies
- Whisk the bread flour, box of instant vanilla pudding mix, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set this aside.
- In a separate bowl, cream the unsalted butter and dark brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or by using an electric mixer.
- Add the large eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, mixing after each addition until just incorporated.
- Pour in the vanilla extract and mix until light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed when mixing.
- Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little to a time. Mix until fully incorporated; the dough will take on a Play-Doh texture and not be sticky.
- Portion out the dough using a cookie scoop.
- Add granulated sugar to a small, shallow bowl and then roll the cookie dough balls in the white sugar to coat them.
- Transfer the sugar-coated cookies to baking pans that are lined with parchment paper. Then, bake the cookies one pan sheet at a time.
- Remove the baked cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Variations On Brown Sugar Cookies
- Brown Sugar – Light brown sugar may be used instead of dark brown sugar. Since dark brown sugar has more molasses than light brown sugar, this swap will provide a slight flavor variation. You can also use a combination of both sugars!
- Ground Cinnamon – Give these Brown Sugar Cookies a sweet cinnamon flavor by adding 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. You can also add other spices, such as ginger, nutmeg, or even pumpkin pie spice!
- Sugar Coating – Instead of rolling the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar, you can roll them in coarse sugar for added crunch. You can also roll the cookies in sprinkles for an added touch of fun!
- Optional Add-Ins – These cookies are a delicious blank slate that is great for adding mix-ins! Add in some chocolate chips or chopped toasted walnuts or pecans.
- Pop-Tarts Cookies – I use this delicious brown sugar dough as the base for my Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tart Cookies recipe!
How To Store This Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe
Store Brown Sugar Cookies in an airtight container to enjoy for up to one week. These cookies can also be frozen for longer storage or to get a jump start on holiday baking!
How To Freeze Cookies
Baked Cookies: To freeze the baked cookies, layer them in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper separating the layers. Then, transfer them to the freezer to store for 2 to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature to enjoy!
Cookie Dough: If you prefer, you can also freeze brown sugar cookie dough to bake off for a freshly baked treat later! To freeze cookie dough, place the portioned cookie dough onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
Afterward, transfer the sheets of cookie dough to the freezer for an hour to flash-freeze them. Flash-freezing the dough will prevent the dough balls from freezing together in one big clump.
Next, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into a freezer Ziploc bag with the excess air squeezed out of it. Then, store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Sweet Cookie Recipes:
- Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies – Big, chewy EPIC chocolate chip cookies!
- Butter Pecan Cookies – Loaded with chopped pecans, toffee bits, and butterscotch chips!
- No Bake Avalanche Cookies – Made with just six easy ingredients!
- Pecan Sandies – Buttery cookies packed with toasted pecans!
- Banana Bread Cookies – Tender cookies studded with toasted walnuts and chocolate!
Steps
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two 12x17-inch baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the , , , and . Set aside.
In a separate large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together and for 1 minute until smooth.
Add in the one at a time, mixing after each one just until incorporated.
Add and mix for 2 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients a little at a time to the wet ingredients until fully incorporated. The dough should come together in a play-doh texture and not be sticky.
Measure the dough into 2-ounce portions of dough. You can make these as drop cookies with a cookie scoop (we use a #24 size for these) or roll into balls.
Add to a small bowl and roll the cookies in it to coat them.
Add 9 cookies to each pan with 2 inches of space between them. Bake one sheet at a time.
Bake for 7 to 9 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- It is best to go by the gram measurements in this recipe. During testing, we measured both ways for each batch to ensure that the measurements were correct both ways, but grams would be the most accurate. If you are going to use measuring cups, make sure you are measuring your flour correctly.
- Light brown sugar may be used instead of dark, but we preferred the stronger flavor of dark in these cookies.
- If you do not have or do not want to use pudding mix, substitute with 3 tablespoons powdered milk (15g), 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (16g), and 2 tablespoons cornstarch.
- All-purpose flour may be used instead of bread flour, but we found the bread flour yielded a slightly softer cookie.
- Using two baking sheets is important because you don't want to put the cookie dough down on a hot pan.
Nutrition
- Calories286
- Carbs42g
- Protein4g
- Fat12g
- Saturated fat7g
- Fiber1g
- Sugar23g
- Sodium180mg
Estimates per serving, when a serving size is listed.
