Soft & Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies
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When thinking of cookie recipes for my Warm-Up (Pre-Holiday) Cookie Series, I really wanted to focus on simple, delicious cookie recipes that you can enjoy no matter what time of year it is. Whether you’re looking for a comforting cookie for fall and winter or just need a quick and simple cookie for your next summer picnic or holiday cookie swap, these Brown Sugar Cookies are guaranteed to hit the spot.
What makes these cookies special is their simplicity. The brown sugar not only adds flavor but also gives the cookies their perfectly soft texture that stays that way even days later. And the hint of cinnamon and cardamom adds the perfect amount spice that makes them feel extra cozy.
Another great thing about these Brown Sugar Cookies is that they are super quick to make with no chill time required. Just mix, bake, and enjoy!
If you prefer your cookies soft and chewy, be sure to also try my Soft and Chewy Lemon Cookies, Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies, Chewy Molasses Cookies, Chewy Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies, or Thin and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie (Single-Serve)!
Table Talk with Tawnie
So these Brown Sugar Cookies are kind of like a if my traditional sugar cookies and chocolate chipless cookies (a reader favorite, by the way) had a baby! They have that sweet, melt-in-your-mouth texture of a sugar cookie with that rich, brown sugar taste you get from the base of a chocolate chip cookie. These cookies are truly the best of both worlds and a great option when you want something a little less traditional but still super simple and easy to make!
- All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour is the only flour I’ve tested this cookie recipe with. As always, it’s very important to make sure you’re using the spoon and level method to measure your flour when baking (you can also use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients). Too much flour can result in drier, harder cookies, which you definitely don’t want with these!
- Egg + egg yolk: The extra egg yolk adds richness, soft tenderness, and helps bind the dough. Make sure both your egg and egg yolk are at room temperature.
- Vanilla bean paste: I like to use vanilla bean paste for these cookies because it has a deeper, more complex flavor than regular vanilla extract. It also adds little flecks of real vanilla bean throughout the dough for extra flavor! If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, you can swap for 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract. Just note the flavor won’t be as strong.
- Dark brown sugar: Using dark brown sugar is key to getting that chewy, soft texture and rich caramel flavor in these cookies. It has a higher molasses content than light brown sugar so it helps to deepen the sweetness and gives the cookies that perfect hint of toffee-like warmth.
- Cinnamon and cardamom: The cinnamon and cardamom add a cozy, spiced undertone to these cookies that complements the rich, brown sugar flavor. I really love the combination of the two but feel free to just use cinnamon if you don’t have any cardamom on hand.
Step by Step Directions
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
Mix wet ingredients
Cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Then add in the rest of the wet ingredients and mix until combined and smooth.
Whisk dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Combine ingredients
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until a soft dough forms. Be careful not to over-mix!
Scoop and roll
Scoop an roll each dough ball in a cardamom-sugar mixture to coat then place on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake & enjoy!
Bake for ~8-10 minutes. For perfectly circular cookies, use a large round cutter or the back of a spoon to gently “scoot” cookies into perfectly round shapes. Then sprinkle with extra sugar mixture and flaky sea salt. Let cool then ENJOY!
Expert Tips
- Properly measure the flour: As with any baking recipe, make sure to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and use the back of a knife to level off the top. Do not scoop the flour out of the container/bag with your measuring cup because you could end up with 50% more than you need. See this baking tip video for an easy tutorial.
- Don’t over-mix the dough: Mix until the ingredients are just combined. Over-mixing can develop too much gluten, making the cookies tough. To prevent this, I like to fold in the dry ingredients just until no more dry flour pockets are left.
- Don’t over-bake: Bake these cookies just until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft. This keeps the cookies chewy.
- Cookie scoot: Want perfectly circular cookies? While the cookies are still warm, place a circle cookie cutter or a circular drinking glass around one of the cookies (it should be larger than the cookie so you don’t cut off any edges) and give the cookies a spin. It’s so quick and easy and makes a huge difference!
- Let cookies cool: I know it can be so tempting to want to grab a hot cookie right off the baking pan but I highly recommend letting the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. They will settle as they cool and become perfectly chewy and so soft!!
Think of this cookie series as a warm-up round before the gingerbread men, candy canes, and red & green sprinkles take over. These recipes will be sure to get you in the baking mood without diving headfirst into December just yet.
Variations / Substitutions
- Gluten-free: Swap the all-purpose flour for Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
- Vanilla extract: If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, you can swap for 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract. Just note the flavor won’t be as strong.
- Cookie size: This recipe will yield ~16 cookies using a 2½ Tbsp. cookie scoop. Feel free to use a different size scoop depending on if you want smaller or bigger cookies (just be aware you may need to adjust the bake time).
- Mix-ins: These cookies kind of taste like a chocolate chip cookie base with just an extra strong brown sugar flavor so feel free to mix in your favorite chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, nuts or any other mix-ins you love!
Storage / Freezing
- Store these cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To freeze: Scoop the dough into 2½ Tbsp. sized balls and freeze in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You can bake the frozen cookie dough from frozen, just add an extra minute or so to your bake time.
- Make ahead: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days. Allow to come to room temperature, then continue to bake as directed.
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Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 1½ cups dark brown sugar (packed)
- 1 egg and 1 yolk (room temperature)
- 1 Tbsp. whole milk
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste
- 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. Fine Salt
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- For garnish and rolling: 1/4 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 tsp. Cardamom + Maldon flaky sea salt
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Prepare pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 2–3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.1 cup unsalted butter, 1½ cups dark brown sugar
- Add wet ingredients: Mix in the egg, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla bean paste until smooth and fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl again as needed.1 egg and 1 yolk, 1 Tbsp. whole milk, 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.2⅔ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. Fine Salt, Pinch of ground cinnamon
- Mix together: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients on low speed until a soft dough forms. Do not over-mix.
- Prepare the rolling sugar: In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cardamom.For garnish and rolling: 1/4 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 tsp. Cardamom + Maldon flaky sea salt
- Scoop and roll: Use a 2½ tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough. Roll each dough ball in the cardamom-sugar mixture to coat. Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
- Bake: Bake for ~8-10 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly underbaked. Immediately after removing from the oven, use a large round cutter or the back of a spoon to gently “scoot” cookies into perfectly round shapes.Start Timer
- Finish and cool: Sprinkle lightly with any remaining cinnamon/cardamom mixture and Maldon flaky sea salt. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. They will settle as they cool and become perfectly chewy and so soft!!
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
📸 Photography by Marie Dubé
These cookies were outrageously good! They were unique and different and people couldn’t get enough of them. However, when I made them the cookies were really thin and spread out. What do you think I did wrong?
Hi Sarah! Thanks for making 🙂 I am wondering if the butter was too softened. You can also try chilling the dough or adding just a touch more flour. SO sorry about that!
These cookies were outrageously good! They were different, unique and people couldn’t get enough of them. I followed the instructions in my cookies were really thin, what do you think I did wrong? They were still moist and tender, but they were just really thin and spread out too much.
Hi Sarah! Thanks for making 🙂 I am wondering if the butter was too softened. You can also try chilling the dough or adding just a touch more flour. SO sorry about that!
Hands down the BEST cookies!!! I’ve made 3 batches in 2 weeks because nobody can get enough. I’m a chocolate chip gal but these are my new favorite!
Aww thank you sooo so much!! So happy you enjoyed them!!
I’ve never made cookies like this before and let me tell you, our new favorite recipe! I thought it was easy to make and they were forgiving on the bake time. Amazing recipe!
Yay so happy you gave this recipe a try! I really appreciate it 🙂 they look great!!
these turned out so good!! ends up finding vanilla sugar from trader joe’s that i dusted them with… also used brown butter! 10/10!
Yummm! That all sounds great. Thank you so much 🙂
I’ve arrived! This is the cookie I’ve always dreamed about but could never perfect. Its like a chocolate chip cookie without the chips and its the most delicious thing I’ve ever baked! Honestly will probable never make a CC cookie ever again, these are everything! I also only used light brown sugar and cannot wait to try them with dark brown sugar, I’m sure they will just taste even better! So happy I found Krolls Korner!!
I could cry tears of joy! So happy these cookies found you & appreciate you being here and making them! 🙂
I saw this recipe randomly and decided to make them for Christmas. Of course I had to taste test, and not only are these super easy to make, they taste delicious! The added sea salt really gives it the extra boost! I didn’t have flaky so just used a little fine sea salt, and I didn’t have vanilla bean paste so I used vanilla extract.
Aww thank you so much Nicole! Really appreciate it! 🙂
I made these and entered them into a cookie competition and WON!!! I am generally known for making some good cookies but needed something new this year and I could just tell by this recipe that this was going to be a good one!! So this is a 10/10 cookie for sure and I led them all to your recipe 🙂
This just made me so happy, Im so glad! Thank you for making them and thats great they won 🙂 yay!!
Have you made this with any gluten free flour swaps to get the same texture? We SO want to try but have a little that we need to accommodate–thank you!
I haven’t personally but I know a lot of people who use the gluten free 1:1 flours with my cookie recipes and always report success 🙂
Thanks so much! Love ❤️ the recipe . Becoming a Christmas tradition &New years,Valentines,Birthday tradition!
OMG I am soo glad, thank you! 🙂