Can I Use Brown Butter?

We see this question a lot, so we tested it! Yes, you can use brown butter for these cookies, but you need to add extra liquid to the dough to make up for the loss of moisture during the browning process. Add 2 Tablespoons of water or milk to the dough when you mix together the wet ingredients.

Soft-Batch Brown Sugar Cookies That Stay Chewy for Days

Description

Bake a batch of chewy brown sugar cookies with plush centers, lightly crisp edges, and cozy brown sugar sweetness. A simple, no-mixer, beginner-friendly cookie recipe. See make-ahead and freezing instructions below.

Ingredients

2 and 1/3 cups (292g) 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 (I like to use half light + half dark)
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar, for rolling

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Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a silicone spatula or large wooden spoon until completely combined. The dough will be very soft, yet thick.
Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 3–4 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 15 minutes if it chilled for longer than 4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Pour the granulated sugar into a small bowl. Scoop and roll dough into a ball, about 1.5 Tablespoons (30–35g) in size, then roll in the sugar. Place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (8–9 cookies per baking sheet).
Bake for 14–16 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are set and small cracks are appearing. The cookies will be puffy and still appear very soft in the middle, but they will deflate slightly and continue to set as they cool. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Cover cooled cookies tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

Make Ahead & Freezing 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) freeze well for up to 3 months. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, preheat the oven, then roll in granulated sugar. Bake as directed. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
Melted Butter: Let the melted butter cool down for about 5–10 minutes before mixing with the other ingredients. Don’t want to cook that egg with the hot butter!
Can I Use Browned Butter? We see this question a lot, so we tested it! Yes, you can use brown butter for these cookies, but you need to add extra liquid to the dough to make up for the loss of moisture during the browning process. Add 2 Tablespoons of water or milk to the dough when you mix together the wet ingredients.
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 you don’t have it.
Update in 2025: Based on reader feedback about over-spreading, we increased the flour from 2 cups (250g). If you’d like to make the previous version, use 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour.
Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.