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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.
Hubba hubba… I want some!
Mine always come out flat and crispy when I make them… Help me!
Mine came out flat also. I was so excited because your chocolate chip recipe is delicious my expectations are way too high
If your cookies are too runny & flat, add more flour to the mixture. Be sure to use brown sugar, and the darker brown sugar makes a softer cookie. My recipe calls for sour milk.
I LOVE, love, love, sugar cookies – of all kinds. And I love snickerdoodles. You just tapped into a gargantuan weak spot here. I’m still debating about what to bake for Christmas goodies. . . . that’s bad, right? Little behind the ball, but, that’s me. . . . 😉
I like the “pug in a rug” reference. Are you getting a pug for Christmas??
I kinda really hope so. Cross your fingers for me. 😉
What an awesome sounding cookie!
These cookies sound just perfect!
I can’t imagine going back to college now – you have my deep admiration!
Thanks Kathryn. Now, to follow through on it…
Congrats (or I’m sorry) for applying, haha. Good luck with that! I think you did the right thing by eating five cookies. I’m not much for the frosted cut out sugar cookies either but these look different and better. Can’t wait to try!
lol… thanks/ it’s ok.
Oh, these do look yummy! Brown sugar makes everything INFINITELY better.
I am in love with brown sugar. Grainy, sweet, crumbly, and just the right amount of sticky… ahhh.
Yum! Yum!
And I’ll use your words to describe what you should do about your Master’s- ” You know what to do. Go”
😉
Good for you! I’m just using that mantra for the cookies. 🙂 Are you thinking about pursuing your Masters, too?
Sounds fantastic and like these cookies could take the edge off anything. I found/find grad school so much more rewarding (though totally crazy) than undergrad. Hopefully you like it!
Thank you for saying that! There’s hope! 🙂
Congrats on your decision to go back to school!! Lindsay, you rock. 🙂 You will be great and will be blessed for your determination and hard work. And just think of all the stress baking you can do! 😉 xoxo
I didn’t even think of that! Genius.
Congrats on applying for your master’s program! I’m thinking I’ll be doing a lot of baking (and dough-eating-justification) like this when I apply for mine. 🙂 These cookies look like perfection!
grad school is tough – but you can handle it!
and thank you for this recipe – now these cookies can help me get through a couple weeks of it!
Congrats on applying for your master’s! I know how you feel- after I turned in my apps for my doctoral program I had a moment of “what the hell did I just do” and unfortunately, I did not have these beautiful cookies to console me!
Doctoral program? oh my goodness. You deserve at least 3 batches of these cookies.
I have to make these for my husband! I recently made “sour cream cookies” and he has been loving them! He loves the plainer, sugar cookies!
lol… so does Bjork, as evidenced by the tube of refrigerated cookie dough that he is currently finishing off.
Oh my, these look beyond yummy!
I’m in my first semester of my (early childhood ed) Master’s and – believe it or not – its pretty great! It’s MUCH better and more interesting to take classes about things you’re actually interested in/are relevant to your life. You can do it!!
Yes! These look soooo good! I need to make them asap!
I might have to use this recipe for an upcoming bake sale at work! They look so lovely!
These sound amazing! When I make cookies I have to protect the cookie dough otherwise it gets gobbled up before the cookies can get made!
I just protect it so I can eat it myself. 🙂
I love brown sugar cookies…but am not a huge sugar cookie gal either. The thought of these by the fire is making me happy…and jealous of your fireplace! Congrats on applying for your master’s program! I began mine last summer…and had graduated 4 years before. It’s definitely a tricky transition. I ended up deciding to only take summer classes. Somethings should be a process. I think I used finances as an excuse. Whoops?
I may end up doing the same. We’ll see how long I can last as both a teacher and a student…
Congratulations on signing up for your master’s! It’ll all be worth it when you’re finished! I hated getting mine but it was well worth it when I was able to learn more about becoming a better teacher and the pay bump didn’t hurt either! You can do it!
And these cookies…. they speak to my heart… or is my belly? I don’t know but I’m making them because I love sugar cookies!
Good for you! I’m guess I’m just going to keep my eyes on the finish line to keep me motivated…
Going back to school is SO fun, you’ll love it 🙂 I love being “old” in undergrad at 27…the years of working somehow put schoolwork in much better perspective, and you’ll have somehow grown smarter without even having realized. Also, brown sugar is my bath salt. Or sugar. That is to say, I love it.
LOL – brown sugar is my bath salt, too.
You convinced me (as a fellow person who doesn’t really crave sugar cookies) to try these cookies! And congrats for getting your Masters Degree. I did it last year and it’s so worth it!
I love hearing from people who have also done their Masters! It’s possible!!
These cookies look great, amazing photos! And congratulations on the Masters program!
Thanks! We’ll see if I actually deserve the congratulations or not once things get going…
Oh wow, these are like little pillows of heaven. And so simple to make. Definitely my kind of cookie. Thanks for the great recipe and good luck with your going back to school to get your master’s. Always a fun process when you’ve been out of the loop for awhile 🙂
Ha. Fun isn’t the word I was thinking of, but thanks anyways. 🙂
That cookie looks fantastic. I bet it tastes just delicious. Come visit. We have pretzel Heath bark this week.