Brown Sugar Cookies, made with brown butter and topped with a yummy, caramel-like brown sugar frosting, are absolutely droolworthy. These golden-brown sugar cookies are perfectly chewy, and the sweet buttercream frosting on top is an exquisite finishing touch.
Can’t get enough sugar cookies? Try my Cut Out Sugar Cookies and Soft Sugar Cookies too!
The Brown Butter.
Just kidding, there are a few other reasons that I love making these brown sugar cookies so much.
- Quick and Easy: There’s just 25 minutes of prep work to do and 10 minutes of staring at the oven in an attempt to make the cookies bake faster… all in all, not too bad!
- Simple But Strong Flavors: They might not have add-ins, but don’t let that fool you. These sugar cookies are PACKED with sweet, caramel flavor. They’re addictive, to say the least.
- Versatile: You can make brown sugar cookies for any occasion: parties, barbecues, bake sales, just because, etcetera. They’re perfect for Christmas too, of course.
Recipe Ingredients
Most of these ingredients are probably already in your pantry or fridge (another great part about these cookies!). Make sure to take a look at the specific amounts in the recipe card below before starting.
For the Cookies:
- Butter: I like to use salted butter in these cookies, but feel free to use unsalted if you prefer.
- Sugar: This recipe requires both packed light brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- Flour: All purpose flour works best for these cookies.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: To ensure that the cookies have some lift and don’t turn out too flat.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt, but table salt is fine too.
- Egg: To bind the cookie dough together – note that this recipe requires a whole egg and an egg yolk.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract offers the best flavor.
For the Frosting:
- Sugar: Light brown sugar will add caramel notes to your frosting.
- Butter: Again, either salted butter or unsalted butter will work.
- Milk: I generally use 1 or 2% milk.
- Powdered Sugar: Make sure to sift your powdered sugar before adding it in.
Alright, let’s get into how to make these sugary brown butter cookies! Here’s the step-by-step process for both the cookies and the frosting:
- Make the brown butter. Melt the butter over medium heat. Slowly swirl the pan and cook until it becomes a brown/caramel color. Cool for 15 minutes.
- Make the dough. Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the brown sugar into the browned butter, then add in the egg and vanilla. Slowly add in the flour mixture until incorporated.
- Roll in sugar. Combine the remaining brown sugar and granulated sugar. Form balls of dough then roll them in the mixture before placing 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
- Bake. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
- Make the frosting. Combine the brown sugar and butter over medium heat. Bring to a boil then remove from heat to cool. Beat in the milk then slowly add the powdered sugar.
- Frost the cookies. Spread a teaspoon or so of frosting on each of the brown sugar cookies. Enjoy!
Tips for Success
Here are some extra tips that will help you tackle these sweet cookies:
- Swirl the Pan While Browning the Butter: Keep swirling the pan so the little solid bits don’t burn.
- Don’t Over-Mix the Batter: Over-mixing the batter can lead to dense, flat cookies.
- Don’t Over-Bake the Cookies: If you can see that the cookies are golden around the edges, but the centers don’t look quite done, still take them out. They will firm up as they cool on the warm baking sheet.
- Can I Use Dark Brown Sugar? Sure! Using dark brown sugar will result in cookies with more of a molasses flavor. (It will also slightly change the texture of the cookies – they should be a bit chewier.)
Proper Storage
- Room temperature. These sugar cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 5-6 days.
- Fridge. They can also be kept in the fridge, if you prefer. They will still last for 5-6 days. This is ideal if your house is warm and may melt the frosting.
Definitely! You can freeze brown sugar cookies in an airtight container for 2-3 months.
It’s also possible to make the dough ahead of time, freeze it for a month or so, and then make the cookies later. Just defrost the dough in the fridge about a day ahead of time, and then you’re all set!
There’s no such thing as too many sugar cookies, so give some of these other recipes a try, too!
- Brown Sugar Cut Out Cookies
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- Fruity Pebbles Sugar Cookies
- Easy Soft Sugar Cookies
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookies
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Brown Sugar Cookies, made with brown butter and topped with a yummy, caramel-like brown sugar frosting, are absolutely droolworthy. These golden-brown sugar cookies are perfectly chewy, and the sweet buttercream frosting on top is an exquisite finishing touch.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 14 tablespoons salted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
- 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
Frosting
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350° and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat butter in medium skillet over medium heat until melted. When butter melts slowly swirl the pan and continue to cook the butter until it becomes a nice, brown-caramel color. The swirling helps it from burning. Let cool for 15 minutes.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and set aside.
- When butter is cooled mix 1 3/4 cup light brown sugar and browned butter with electric mixer until no lumps remain, about 30 seconds.
- Add egg, yolk and vanilla and mix for another 30 seconds, until smooth.
- Slowly add in your flour mixture and mix on medium-low until incorporated.
- Combine remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl.
- Roll cookie dough into balls and then roll in sugar mixture.
- Place on lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake approx 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Do not over-bake.
- Transfer to wire rack to cool.
Frosting
- Combine brown sugar and butter in small saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a boil and continue cooking 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Mixture will slightly thicken.
- With hand mixer beat in milk until smooth. Slowly add in powdered sugar until spreadable consistency. ( I used all 2 cups).
- Spread approx 1 teaspoon on each cookie.
Notes
- To Store: These sugar cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 5-6 days. They can also be kept in the fridge, if you prefer.
- To Freeze: You can freeze brown sugar cookies in an airtight container for 2-3 months. It’s also possible to make the dough ahead of time, freeze it for a month or so, and then make the cookies later. Just defrost the dough in the fridge about a day ahead of time, and then you’re all set!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 251
- Sugar: 33.6 g
- Sodium: 84.6 mg
- Fat: 8.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 42.8 g
- Protein: 1.7 g
- Cholesterol: 29.4 mg
While these cookies were considerably more time consuming than most drop cookies I normally make, they were very sweet, very soft and very good.
Thanks!
The recipe you provided is terrible!!! The cookies look great, but please put the correct recipe up!!!!
What part of the recipe is terrible? How did the cookies come out for you?
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! These are some of the BEST cookies I’ve ever made!!! 🙂
It’s been snowing for 48 hours straight. I think that there is a law that I must bake something in this weather and it is indeed cookie season in my house. I have the butter cooling as we speak. Well, as I type because we really aren’t speaking. Although in my head you do speak to me. Not in a crazy, creeper- stalker way, but in a normal not scary way.
Thanks for posting. I will make these today. How much regular sugar do you use? Your recipes don’t match.
Sorry, don’t quite understand.. there is an 1/8 cup granulated sugar that you roll the cookies in mixed with 1/8 cup light brown sugar…I slightly altered the amount of sugar in this recipe from the one I adapted from, is that what you’re asking?
You’ve got 1/4 and also 1/8 cups sugar in your recipe. I made these yesterday and they were great. Thanks!
I made these and used 1/8 cup sugar, so I think that is what it is. They were great! (Shelly, in the ingredients list you have 1/8 cup sugar listed, but in directions you say add the remaining 1/4 cups of sugar) My little one gobbled these up!
Ahh, you’re right! I fixed the recipe to reflect the correct amount… THanks!
I saw this recipe on pintrest and I just finished baking the last batch. This is the best brown sugar cookie recipe on earth. My husband loves them.
I just made these for my family and – oh my! They are definitely one of the best cookies I have ever had! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you for this delicious recipe, I used your recipe to make a lemon cardamom brown sugar cookie. The recipe I originally saw was for putting in a cookie mold, and it was a dry awful dough, but I liked the flavor. By changing your recipe …..the vanilla to 1 TBLS instead of one and a half, adding the zest of one lemon, and 1/2 tsp. of ground cardamom…it made a wonderful chewy cookie, that I wouldn’t even want to frost
thanks again!
These cookies did not turn out, though I followed the recipe exactly. At 12 minutes they were still dough. They were burned somewhere between 1-2 minutes later. Any ideas where It went wrong?
That’s really strange.. I have made these cookies so many times and never an issue. Honestly it sounds like an oven temperature issue ..
I thought the same thing, too. We have a brand-new oven and I HATE IT! Nothing I have baked has turned out since. Sigh… 🙁
Thanks for confirming my suspicions.
I just made these today; they turned out wonderful! They were a huge hit with the family, Thank you!