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Thanks for sharing this recipe! They smell like doughnuts when they’re baking but it’s nice to know they’re much better for you ;)!
I just applied for my Masters program.
Then I ate five brown sugar cookies to dull the pain.
But the pain is still there. Ouchie.
No matter how I feel about becoming a better reading teacher for K-12 (which happens to be awesome), I do not feel awesome about going back to school. How did this happen?! I thought I was done. Sob.
But I also thought I didn’t like sugar cookies. And things turned out alright.
Would this be a good time for a confession? I just really don’t love sugar cookies of the frosted cut out Santa, snowflake, or Christmas tree variety. I just can’t seem to crave them with the same passion that I crave holiday Minty Chocolate Truffles or Salty Toffee.
Then, I made these brown sugar cookies. After giving permission for Bjork to eat 2 heaping spoonfuls of the dough, and giving permission for myself to eat unlimited dough, I sat by the fire sipping hot chocolate and eating a perfectly lightly crunchy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside cookie glittering with sugar crystals. And I felt happier than a pug in a rug.
That was all before I applied for my Master’s degree. Er, program. Whatever. It’s all just a blur after that.
If I may boss you around for a moment, it’s time for you to make these cookies right now. They remind me of a cross between a classic sugar cookie and a snickerdoodle without the spices. They have a warm buttery flavor with an out-of-this-world light, soft yet lightly crispy buttery texture. I love butter.
And can I just say two very important words to you right now? AMAZING. DOUGH.
You know what to do. Go.
Brown Sugar Cookies
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
These simple brown sugar cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. A favorite recipe from a family friend who is a caterer!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup shortening (I used butter)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Cream sugars and shortening. Mix in the egg, then add dry ingredients.
- Use a cookie scoop to form nice round balls and roll each dough ball in white sugar. Don’t flatten.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
Notes
My favorite time to eat them was 1) before they were baked, and 2) immediately after they were baked. For better or worse, after a few hours they will become more crispy, like a traditional sugar cookie.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: brown sugar cookies, cookie recipe, sugar cookie
This recipe comes from a good family friend, Vicki, who owns and operates a catering business with her husband. Basically anything she makes turns to edible gold. She’s the real deal.
Maybe I should pursue a Masters in catering. With a specialty in brown sugar cookies.
ok so I made these and I swapped the two sugars, meaning I used 1/4 white and 1/2 cup brown..reason well brown sugar is suppose to make things chewier or softer so I tried it. I also didnt have any cream of tarter so I got on line and read about how to swap.. First, the cookies tasted awesome and we keep going back for more.. Second I cooked them just till they set 5 mins. tops and got them out of the oven.. thinking that would help with softer…Neither really made them soft like a oatmeal cookie, but a bit chewy crisp would be the best description. Thanks for the recipe, we loved them.
Thanks for sharing, Kari!
Hello, friend. My name is Ellie Hall. This is the first time I ever used one of your recipes. I like to bake with my friend, Kendall R. Kendall tries to bake cookies every weekend. I like your Brown Sugar Cookies a lot!! Thanks for sharing your recipes!! Bye!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S
I. HEART. PUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey…so have you made the cookie with shortening before? What’s the difference in taste? Which do you prefer? Would the shortening affect the quality?
We haven’t tried it with shortening, so can’t really say unfortunately!
I have never left a bad review on any website before,.. but something must be off about the recipe you posted here. I’m not a professional caterer but I’ve made plenty of cookies before and never had any turn out this horribly. The only real reason I’m writing the review is because if you could correct it I would try them again. The cookies do look delicious and in fact the dough tastes great too. However, it was a bit soft or too doughy when I tried to shape them into balls. I thought about adding some extra flour, but thought since this is my first time making them I should follow the recipe. They all ran together into ONE cookie. It was a total disaster. Should it really be two cups of flour?? Something else??? I reviewed the recipe after I made them and I followed it exactly. I’m assuming you had some type of typo or error in the recipe you posted. There’s no way, as is, these would turn out for me.
Cookies turned out super white??? Any takes on that?? Taste great though
Interesting…I’m not sure I have an answer for you! I’m glad they tasted good, though! 🙂
Since finding this recipe in June, it has become one of my go-tos! I do baking with groups of students and people with special needs and it is always a hit! Thanks for the recipe!
I love hearing that SO much! Thanks Makayla.
Tried these cookies last night they were absolutely delicious…..great job!!! Thank you saw a comment about how cookies come out flat aren’t they supposed to be like that??
This cookie is great! Ive made them 3 times so far. Because I dont make it a habit of buying the cream of tartar, I replace it and the baking soda with 1 tsp of baking powder. I use slightly softened butter (1 stk about 10 sec in the microwave). I use a wooden spoon and a lotta muscle and cream the sugars and butter together. …I think this step helps the dough be thicker. If the butter is too soft (as it was the 1st attempt I made with these) then the dough definitely comes out more watery/sticky and is hard to make the ball. Also, when baked they did run together as some have said and were huge and crisped up rather than being a fluffy cookie….still tasted great though! As I said before, I also used baking powder in place of the baking soda & cream of tartar…doing this might make a fluffier cookie. At 12 mins in the oven they come out with slightly crispy edges and are fluffy & chewy inside. They stay that way for a couple days too…if they start to harden up I microwave it 5 sec and its soft again. Very yummy!!!! Hope this helps if anyone is having trouble cuz this is one of my new fav cookie recipes. My son & hubby love them as well.
Thank you Steph! I really appreciate your feedback. This is a recipe that I have on my list of “to retest” recipes because I have gotten some comments from people saying it didn’t work. Sometimes you just need to double check! 🙂 But I appreciate your comments a lot! Thanks!
I made these again last night using the method I described above. They come out wonderful every time! My family. …and now extended family who ive made them for loves them too! It might be a bit tempermental of a recipe depending on how u mix it (I always do it just by hand) or if the butter is too soft (like u mentioned before). I will say I like using just a tsp of baking powder in place of the baking soda & cream of tartar, but I dont think itd make that huge of a difference. Its a great recipe. 🙂 thanks for my families new fav cookie! …my son also loves helping me roll them in the brown sugar before baking. 🙂
They came out flat & ran together…I used butter, I followed this to the “T”…????
When I mixed the recipes up it was really watery
These turned out very non-cookie and were more like flat cakes. They ran together too, so be careful on spacing. I’m not sure what went wrong. I followed the recipe exactly. Maybe because I didn’t pack the flour? But I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to?
The batter tasted great, I even put it in the fridge for half a day, but no luck
Bummer, I wonder what happened? Maybe the butter or shortening was too soft? The finished product is a little bit chewy (lightly crunchy on the outside but chewy on the inside), which might be a little different than a regular cookie, but it shouldn’t be like a flat cake. Sorry to hear about that!
5/2012
I am recuperating from a brutal bout of flu.
Every bite of food tastes like it’s coveted in hair…..
until I saw this recipe. A couple of nights ago, I was too ill and tired to bake. Instead, I rummaged around the kitchen for a snack, gave up and went back to bed. I found this delightful recipe, read it over, 2 or 3 times and felt oddly satisfied. The next day, I baked these cookies and ate several. Who’ counting? I used demarara sugar and butter instead of shortening. Oh, thank you so very much.
Glad you liked them Liz! Perfect healing food. 🙂
Those look awesome! Like a traditional sugar cookie, and I usually make these (http://badtadmd.com/?p=392) because they’re delicious, buttery and richer, something I miss in a reguar sugar cookie. These look like a perfect blend of the two!
Thanks for sharing!
Hilary
So excited to try these. They are in the oven now 🙂 I would agree that just before they go in the oven they are yummy!!! I did a small amount of brown sugar (1tbs) in my rolling white sugar. Thanks for sharing. And you will go great in your program. Just one class at a time 🙂
Thanks DeLissa! I wish I were making those cookies right now, too! They are one of my favorites.
Hi,
I just came across your blog a little while ago and these recipes look amazing. I made these cookies twice already…they’ve become a favorite around my house! Thanks so much for posting!
Awesome! Glad you like them Katherine! 🙂
These were delicious and definitely the best sugar cookies I have ever made. Only problem is the recipe makes only about a dozen so I doubled it, and they spread out A LOT. I would consider making the dough balls tiny so you can have more cookies!
I just made these, and they are perfect. Thank you for sharing! My husband took his first bite and made the most satisfied sound.
Ha! Thats awesome. Glad you guys liked them!
I was looking for a sugar cookie recipe that uses brown sugar. I plan on making 1 batch, and then making a 2nd batch using Muscovado sugar instead of the brown, to taste the difference between the two in cookie form. Been doing a lot of research and blogging about different types of sugar.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! They smell like doughnuts when they’re baking but it’s nice to know they’re much better for you ;)!
Glad you liked them!
This is a great recipe! Thanks for sharing! They smell like doughnuts when they’re baking but it’s nice knowing they’re much better for you ;)!
These look amazing…and yum!
Are they baked in a preheated oven?
Yep, I preheated the oven.