Super soft and chewy brown sugar cookies—no mixer required!
Sometimes I like cookies with a lot going on. Chips of chocolate, swirls of peanut butter, butterscotch morsels, chunks of nuts, stuffed with caramel, and other delightful candies. Sprinkle cookies, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, frosted cookies—the more stuff going on, the better.
But not all the time.
Sometimes I prefer a pure, simple cookie like sugar cookies without the icing. (I can’t believe I’m saying that because I love icing!) Today’s recipe highlights my favorite flavor: brown sugar. Moist, molasses-spiked brown sugar in every single bite. Soft, chewy, and kissed with cinnamon. These simple brown sugar cookies are undeniably impressive.
They’re not at all “plain.” Rather, today’s cookies are exploding with flavor.
You’re going to recognize today’s cookie recipe. It’s a spin-off recipe of my chewy chocolate chip cookies. I used a few of the same ingredient ratios and recipe techniques in today’s brown sugar cookies.
Start with melted butter. Most of the cookies I make call for creaming softened butter with the sugars. However, sometimes I prefer to use melted butter instead of creaming it. Melted butter, when paired with the correct ratio of dry ingredients, increases the chewy factor in the baked cookie. Since you are using melted butter, you don’t need a mixer for this cookie recipe!
You’re also going to use only brown sugar in this cookie recipe (except for the rolling… more on that below). 1 and 1/4 cups of dark brown sugar bring so much moisture to these baked cookies, as well as a modest molasses flavor. Light brown sugar may easily be substituted here!
In the original chocolate chunk cookie from which this recipe is adapted, I call for 1 egg and 1 egg yolk. Today, you just need 1 egg. 1 egg and less flour than the original recipe. Don’t worry, these cookies are still just as chewy! You’ll also add a touch of cinnamon to the cookie dough. The cinnamon is completely optional, but the pronounced brown sugar flavor paired with the slight kiss of cinnamon spice really takes these cookies to the next level!
Look at how thick these cookies are. To achieve their thick texture, chill the cookie dough. Also, I make sure there is enough flour to soak up the melted butter. Melted butter is greasy and unless there is enough dry ingredients to soak it all up, you’re going to have some cookie spreading sadness!
I also add a bit of cornstarch to the cookie dough. Cornstarch thickens cookie dough just as it thickens gravies, soups, and jams. It’s a miracle worker in cookie recipes, like shortbread and salted vanilla toffee cookies!
Don’t you love the brown sugar cookies’ crinkled tops? That’s achieved by slightly pressing the cookies down. After chilling the cookie dough and rolling the dough in a bit of sugar, you’ll bake them. Now, pay attention to this: Remove the cookies from the oven after 8-9 minutes, gently press down on the tops with the back of a spoon or fork, and then place them back into the oven for 1-2 more minutes. Why are you doing that? Not only so you can achieve some crinkly tops, but also because the cookies need a little help spreading during bake time. You could always just press the cookie tops down after the entire bake time, but then your cookies may just look like you carelessly smashed them down. I feel that they looked better when put back into the oven for 1-2 minutes after pressing down. I’m all about pretty cookies, ok?
I have a confession. We’re heading to a work holiday party and clearly, I can’t go empty handed. However, I made these cookies two days ago. And guess what? They are STILL just as soft on day 3 as they were on day 1. And to be completely honest, their cinnamon and brown sugar flavors are heavily pronounced today. You know a cookie recipe is a winner when its softness isn’t compromised as the days go by. I just love that about this recipe! True “soft-batch” style, just like the cookies you get at bakeries and those tempting mall kiosks.
Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 20 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Super soft and chewy brown sugar cookies – no mixer required!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch*
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (use 1 teaspoon if you love cinnamon)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled*
- 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Toss together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg. Finally, whisk in the vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft, yet thick. Cover the dough and chill for 2 hours, or up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory.
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow to slightly soften at room temperature for 10 minutes if you had it chilling for more than 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Pour the granulated sugar into a bowl. Take 2 scant Tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball, then roll into the sugar. Place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently press the top of the cookie down with the back of a utensil or even use your fingers. You’re trying to obtain a crinkly top. Place back into the oven for 2-4 more minutes. The total time these cookies are in the the oven is 10-13 minutes. The cookies will be puffy and still appear very soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for ten minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. They will continue to cook in the center on the baking sheet after being removed from the oven.
- Cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving. Unbaked cookie dough balls (before rolling in sugar) will freeze well for up to 3 months. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, pre-heat the oven, then roll in granulated sugar. Bake as directed. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Butter: Simply melt the butter in the microwave. Let it cool down for about 5-10 minutes before mixing with the other ingredients. Don’t want to cook that egg with the hot butter!
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps promise a softer, thicker cookie. I highly recommend it. I use it in my chocolate chip cookies and shortbread cookies, too. Feel free to leave it out if needed.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Keywords: brown sugar cookies, chewy brown sugar cookies
Hi Sally! I don’t know why, but when I made these cookies, they came out really cake-y rather than chewy. I followed the recipe exactly, so I don’t know what happened. Most of my other attempts at cookies end up cake-y as well. Do you know what I could have done wrong? Thanks! I love your blog by the way 🙂
Hey Julie! Are you using a large egg or something larger, like extra large or jumbo? Eggs are typically the culprit with cakey cookies. Or how about the flour– are you spooning and leveling or weighing it? Making sure it’s all-purpose, right? Even the little things like that could matter here. Or the sugar– are you varying from the recipe with regards to the amount of sugar? Or even overmixing. This traps air inside the dough, which could result in cakier cookies.
This is one of the best, reliably good every time cookie recipe I have ever made and I have baked for 40 years. Very chewy but not cakey-soft and mushy. Good mouth feel, wonderful flavor and the chewiness is as great on day 4 as it was when still fresh from oven.
Follow this recipe EXACTLY (key) and you will have the best cookies you have ever wrapped your lips around. This is in my permanent collection now!
Great recipe! I also browned the butter (why not:) I baked mine a touch longer as I wanted to caramelize the bottom of the cookies a bit more–they were perfect! Caramely-crispy on the bottom and chewy in the middle:).
I’ve been following your site for a couple years now. We always try to make at least one new cookie a year for our Christmas cookie baking to try to keep it interesting. We tried these this year and they are beyond awesome! So easy to make! We freeze the cookies and these warm up great in the microwave. Simply delicious! Thanks for putting great recipes like this one out there. You are our go to at finding new cookies to try 🙂 Happy Holiday’s! Cheers!
The flavor on these cookies is great just what I was hoping for like a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips. However mine spread all over the baking sheet and all ran together. I measured carefully with a tablespoon to do the two scant tablespoons, I kept the dough chilled overnight then 10 minutes out of the fridge started rolling them. What did I do wrong? Every time I bake with real butter on cookies this happens. My only deviation from the recipe was I only had jumbo eggs so I used one jumbo. I did I had a couple of tablespoons extra flour because of that just thinking that it might help them stay lofted. But alas they are flat and spread. I’ll try making the cookies smaller next time and maybe a higher temperature oven? Let me know what you think I can do I want what was pictured they look so good!
★★★★★
Alright, so my cookies are in the oven currently. It seems the top rack is baking alot, A LOT, more quicker than the middle rack. Also, they spread out alot more than I hoped. And flatter.
I only wish just can post a picture to show how they turned out. I have the top rack out already and I moved the middle rack to the top and I’m letting it back about a minute or two longer.
But I do have to say, although these aren’t the prettiest cookies. They sure do taste good cx
Any suggestions on how to make them rise and stay risen?
Christina, I never bake two trays of cookies at the same time. The cookies never, ever bake properly with that many in the oven at once! Some may tell you otherwise, but that’s just my opinion. Try baking one tray at a time on the middle rack. Much more success that way!
I made these tonight and browned the butter first and added a pinch of maple flavor and they were just amazing. Thank you for a delicious recipe!
I just made these today. I didn’t have any cornstarch or white sugar (so I rolled the dough in the brown sugar).
They came out just fine… delicious in fact. Great recipe!
Sally,
Is it possible to substitute the butter for melted room temperature coconut oil, and use in the same manner as the butter? I’m wondering if you’ve tried that combination?
I haven’t, actually. But it’s worth a try! Let me know how they turn out. You will lose all that wonderful buttery flavor, though– one of the main flavors in the cookie.
These are the best cookies! This is my go to recipe and everyone always requests that I make these 🙂
Wow! These were one of the best cookies I’ve made. Simple and not over complicated. They were soft and chewy and stayed this way! Wonderful instructions, my family and I loved them! I had salted butter so I left out the salt later and turned or fine. Thank you:).
Nice chewy cookie. They kind of remind me a little of a Snickerdoodle, and a little of an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie without the oatmeal or raisins. Must be the cinnamon. I think these could be really versatile & go well with different add-ins. I will be making these again soon!
This cookie is awesome Sally! thank you for the recipe!
These were awesome. I omitted the cinnamon and added a little extra salt. Then topped them with a sea salt caramel buttercream frosting. They were perfection. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Sally. I’m a long time drooler, first time baker : ) Last weekend I baked your ginger molasses cookies and they were so amazing (and also all GONE) that I thought I would try the brown sugar cookies today. They are currently chilling in the fridge. If the raw taste is anything to go by (I mean, who can resist “quality testing”, right?) they will be equally as delicious. I really just wanted to say thank you for your wonderful website and all of these amazing recipes. Honestly, they are such well laid out, easy to follow recipes with proper home cook type handy hints. Makes baking an absolute pleasure. So I just wanted to say thank you!
Hi Sally,
Can I sub coconut oil for the butter? If so should I reduce the amount at all?
It’s worth a try! Use the same amount.
Made these yesterday and they turned out great. They were simple and delicious. Thank you.
I made these last night and my husband really likes them! I had no regular sugar so I googled recipes that just use brown sugar and found your blog. Thanks for a great recipe! My husband was into them first thing this morning to eat with his coffee 🙂
Hey, Sally! I just wanted to let you know, I made these cookies with my kiddos on Christmas Eve for “Santa”, and they were AMAZING. The only thing I did differently was browned the butter before hand. Oh my goodness. These cookies tasted like straight up caramel with the browned butter! Holy deliciousness! I also frosted half of them with a brown sugar frosting, but they truly didn’t need it.
You always have the best recipes! If I ever need to bake something I ALWAYS check your site first. Your recipes are very reliable and help me crank out some A+ goods. Thanks for all you do, Sally!
I just died and went to heaven. And then I came back to finish this cookie. Seriously AMAZING. Mine spread a little more than yours (next time I will add a little more flour) and I let the dough chill for 36 hours. The flavor and texture are perfect! Thank you so much! I love the little bit of cinnamon in them.
These are SO good! My boyfriend and I both love chocolate chip cookies (without the chocolate chips). As I was looking up a recipe for that, I came across these and I am so glad I did. I felt like a professional making these soft chewy, crinkly little cookies. Needless to say, we finished the entire batch in two days and already want to make more.
Hello! Just wanted to say thanks for these – my mom is in love with them because she thinks they taste like fried dough.
I added a little bit more vanilla (just a splash) and I replaced about 1/8 of a bar of the regular stick of butter with cinnamon sugar butter instead of adding cinnamon and I think they came out much better. Thanks so much for posting this – can’t wait to try out other recipes!
Ab-so-lute-ly delicious! I made no alterations to the recipe and they came out perfect. I’m not into cookies with all the fixins’ so I genuinely gravitate toward a simpler sugar or butter cookie. This brown sugar recipe is a great compromise for my parents and I. They prefer a more decadent cookie!
Thanks Sally!
Hey there.
Just curious about how my dough turned out. Im pretty sure I followed the recipe but my dough turned out more crumbly like a shortbread dough. The end result seems fine just took a little more time to form the balls. Should I maybe add more butter?
Hi Stephanie– it’s a crumbly dough after chilling. That’s expected. I wouldn’t add more butter, but you can try to reduce the flour ever so slightly next time.
Hi Sally,
Just wanted to say that these are our new go-to cookies. I make them every couple of weeks and we just love them. I use whole-wheat flour instead of the white flour because that is all I have i the house. It works like a charm.
This is, hands down, my husband’s and my favorite cookie recipe!! So much so that I typically double or triple the recipe– I keep the dough in the fridge for days and just bake a batch once we finish the previous. It never lasts more than 3 days in our house! I’ll be adding caramel chips to them today. 🙂 Thank you so much for such an amazing recipe!!!
I was in the mood to bake cookies and stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest. Just made them afternoon and I have to say they might be the best cookies I have ever made–and I bake a lot! Thanks so much for the awesome recipe!
Hi I made these cookies before and they were amazing! I was wondering if I excluded the cornstrach what effect would that have on the cookie,I ask because I have no more cornstrach on hand.
Hey Ashlee! The cookies won’t be as soft and thick. But if you don’t mind that – you can make without the cornstarch.
Perfect. I came across this recipe during my quest for the best sugar cookie. This is it! Throwing away all my other sugar cookie recipes and sticking to this one. Thanks a lot!!!!!
So, I finally made these for a party and I never expected I would get sooo many compliments. They went fast. The only thing I did different was bake them longer, about 15 mins, to make them more crispy. Anyways, I am glad I found this recipe. Thanks a bunch =)
So glad to have found this recipe!! They are delicious!! I live in the upstate of SC and I am glad to have found your site! Keep those cookie recipes coming!