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Made with dark brown sugar and molasses, these Easy Brown Sugar Cookies are soft and chewy with a light molasses flavor. A fun alternative to classic sugar cookies and a guaranteed hit!
These brown sugar cookies are my current obsession. Similar to my regular sugar cookies, they are super soft and chewy. But instead of being made with primarily granulated sugar, dark brown sugar is the star ingredient. It not only makes them extra moist and chewy but it adds a rich and sweet molasses flavor throughout. So good!
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These cookies were so delicious and easy to make!
Why You’ll Love These Brown Sugar Sugar Cookies
Here are a few reasons why I plan to make these cookies on repeat all winter long.
- Rich molasses flavor. The main thing that sets these apart from classic sugar cookies is the warm and rich molasses flavor from the brown sugar (and a bit of molasses). It’s so good!
- Soft & chewy texture. The texture of these cookies is PERFECT. The edges are crisp while the centers are delightfully soft and chewy.
- Easy to make. The dough comes together in a few simple steps and then it just needs to chill for an easy. Bake for 12 minutes then cool and enjoy. Easy peasy.
Recipe Ingredients
These cookies are made with dark brown sugar, molasses, and a handful of pantry staples. Scroll down to the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Butter – I used unsalted butter since salt is also on the ingredients list. If you use salted butter, you may want to add less salt. Make sure it’s softened to room temperature.
- Dark brown sugar – These brown sugar sugar cookies are best with dark brown sugar, which has a richer molasses flavor than light brown sugar.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg – You’ll need one full egg plus an additional yolk, both at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour – Fluffed, spooned into a measuring cup, and then leveled off for accurate measuring.
- Molasses – Adding just a bit of molasses really helps emphasize the brown sugar flavor in these cookies.
- Baking soda – Helps create a chewy texture.
- Salt – Enhances the other flavors.
How To Make Brown Sugar Cookies
Here’s how to make these soft and chewy cookies. You can find the printable version of the instructions in the recipe card below.
- Make the dough. Combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, cream the brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix for one minute then add the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time, mixing well in between.
- Form the dough balls. Use a cookie scoop to drop 2 tablespoon-size balls in the sugar. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving at least 3 inches between the cookies.
- Chill. Place the dough balls in the fridge for at least an hour (overnight is fine too).
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes. The edges should be slightly crisp but the center still very soft. Cool on the baking sheet then enjoy.
Tips for Success
While the recipe is pretty straightforward, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind when making this brown sugar cookie recipe.
- Leave plenty of space on the baking sheet. These cookies will spread quite a bit in the oven so do not crowd the pan. I like to leave about 3 inches between the dough balls.
- Don’t skip the chill. If you try to put the dough straight in the oven, it’s going to spread into brown sugar cookie pancakes and they will be dry and crispy instead of chewy. So even if you only chill the dough for an hour, it’s not a step you’ll want to skip!
- Avoid overbaking. You want the edges to be set when you remove these cookies from the oven but the centers should still appear soft and slightly underbaked.
- Cool on the baking sheet. Instead of transferring them to a cooling rack, allow your brown sugar cookies to cool on the baking sheet. This allows the centers to continue cooking and firm up.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature. Store leftover brown sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezer. These cookies can also be frozen once they’ve cooled completely. Just transfer to a freezer-safe container or ziploc and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter.
More Sugar Cookie Recipes To Try
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Strawberry Sugar Cookies
- Maple Chai Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies
- Cut Out Sugar Cookies
Brown Sugar Cookies
Made with dark brown sugar and molasses, these Easy Brown Sugar Cookies are soft and chewy with a light molasses flavor. A fun alternative to classic sugar cookies and a guaranteed hit!
Servings: 30 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups white all-purpose flour fluffed, spooned into measuring cup, then leveled off.
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- For rolling: ¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set it aside.
- Add the dark sugar and white sugar to a large mixing bowl and cream together until it’s smooth and well combined.
- Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix for one minute
- On low speed, add the dry ingredients to the dough 1/3 at a time, mixing well in between.
- Use a cookie scoop to drop 2 Tablespoon-size balls into the sugar. Roll around to cover, then place cookie ball on the parchment paper.
- Continue with all the dough spacing generously (approximately 3 inches) apart as these cookies spread.
- Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for an hour or up to overnight.
- When ready to bake, remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are slightly crisp, but the center is still very soft.
- Cool on the baking sheet before removing.
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Nutrition
Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 206IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
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1 thought on “Brown Sugar Cookies”
These cookies were so delicious and easy to make!