Sugar cookies get an edgy twist in these dark and chewy brown butter brown sugar cookies…you won’t be able to have just one!
brown sugar cookies

Sometimes, I’m probably psychic.

Hopefully not like two nights ago when I had this crazy vivid dream about the marathon (which is in, oh, two weeks) and it involved running through people’s houses, riding a bicycle (which is a whole other recurring nightmare in and of itself), and misplacing my boyfriend.

(Just…..totally freaking out. No biggie.)

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But probably just like on Wednesday when I made a big batch of these scrumdiddlyumptious deep dark chewy brown butter brown sugar cookies and hid a few of them for future secret consumption.

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And then promptly submersed my cell phone in water.

I mean, it jumped.

I was just a helpless bystander.

Okay, I probably made things worse because I kept trying to turn it on just to see if it was salvageable which is, like, the opposite of what you are supposed to do with a wet phone because it fries all of its circuits.

But no one teaches you that in college. Or medical school. Even though it’s probably the most critical of critical information.

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Anyway, it seems like even an overnight in a bowl of rice isn’t going to save it so let’s all just thank our lucky stars that my mother knows what kind of a clumsy person I am and insisted on getting phone insurance for me.

And then let’s also say a hallelujah because, these cookies. In times of cell phone stress situations, they are saviors.

Chewy brown butter brown sugar dreams.

Let the (now not) secret consumption proceed.

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One year ago…Kabocha French Lentil Soup and Zucchini Fritters

Two years ago…Butternut Squash with Pepita Cilantro Vinaigrette, Speckled Green Bulgur with Red Potato Sauce

Three years ago…Crab Tater Tots on a Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

Brown Sugar Cookies
 
Sugar cookies meet snickerdoodles in these dark and chewy brown butter brown sugar cookies...you won't be able to have just one!
Yield: 24 cookies
Ingredients
  • 14 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2¼ cups flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1½ tbsp vanilla
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Allow to simmer until it starts to turn an amber color and smell nutty and fragrant. Remove from the heat to a separate bowl. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the browned butter and brown sugar until well-blended.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  5. Add the egg and egg yolk to the butter/sugar mixture one at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
  6. Mix the flour mix into the cookie dough, stirring until just combined.
  7. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and brown sugar.
  8. Scoop the cookie dough into balls using a 1½ tbsp cookie scoop (or just scoop it into rounded tbsps). Roll in the sugar mix and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cookie dough, leaving 2 inches between each dough ball on the baking sheet.
  9. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until starting to set around the edges. Allow to cool before serving.
Notes
Adapted from Cookies and Cups
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 cookie

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111 Responses to Brown Sugar Cookies

  1. WOW! These look absolutely incredible. I definitely could not eat only one of these guys!

  2. I freaking love these. They look so good!

  3. Let’s not talk about how I went through 5 phones in college. It got “stolen” aka left in cabs a few too many times. Wish I’d had these cookies to console me in my panicked state!

  4. I think I would have to eat five of these. Happy weekend!

  5. patsy says:

    Those cookies would definitely console me if my phone took a leap from my hands and submersed itself in water! Good thing your mom got you insurance! What a life saver!

  6. I have been waiting for this recipe ever since I saw you Instagrammed it. I’m creating a master “get better at baking list” and this is up there!

  7. Oh yes please! These look delicious! Bummer about the phone though. I hope the insurance company don’t give you a hard time. But if they do, I bet these cookies would be great with a glass of brandy.

  8. I have been waiting for these- they look absolutely amazing- I will be trying them soon!!

  9. Johanna GGG says:

    oh I would definitely do the same if my phone jumped into some water – but I wish I would be wise enough in that event to have some of the these cookies waiting to console me – they look delicious

  10. Kristi says:

    I would do the same thing if my water happened to fall in water. I would turn it on and off a million times, while I drove up to the verizon store in a panic.

  11. Lynn says:

    I always wondered if that rice thing worked. 🙂 I’ll bet those cookies are especially divine when they are warm.

  12. Two weeks! I’ve certain that no portion of your marathon nightmare will come true. Especially when you’re fueled by these cookies. They can only bring good things and success!

  13. cquek says:

    Oh yum!! This is packed full of my favorite ingredients 🙂 so excited to taste this!

  14. Oh no! Hope you get your new phone soon. I dropped my phone in my cat’s water bowl and the rice thing totally worked! I won’t say how many times I’ve done that since (I never learn). These cookies sound amazing…the perfect way to eat away your stress 😉

  15. I would SO pick these over regular sugar cookies. I prefer that deeper sweet taste of brown sugar

  16. Jessie says:

    I think phones must jump on their own and aim for the nearest body of water. I remember when I put my phone on a shelf, only to see it later fall off into a tiny cup of water, the only water around for like 50 feet.

    Brown sugar cookies look SO much better than regular sugar cookies! I’ll take one of these … or two … or three …

  17. omg thank goodness for phone insurance!

    and these cookies 😀 I am not a big sugar cookie fan but BROWN sugar cookies??? THAT I can totallllyyy get on board for!!

  18. Ohhhhhh nooooo you didn’t I saw the title and immediately knew it needed brown butter and you did it you naughty minx, LMAO! OMG!!! I am soooooo making these! But I will need to run the marathon with you then to burn off the calories! Beautiful job Joanne and good luck on the marathon, that is soooo amazing! You are gonna rock it!

  19. Nice looking cookies!! Dunk is the first word that comes to mind when I see these – how I would love that opportunity!! Have a wonderful weekend, Joanne. 🙂

  20. Meg says:

    Oh man, I would have to torture myself with this post right now — especially when I have no delicious cookies at hand myself! Chewy varieties are the best. These sound awesome.

  21. Christina says:

    I’m probably going to have to turn in my foodie card, but sometimes I’d rather have chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips. These would be perfect for those cravings. I like that the dough doesn’t need to be refrigerated first, either. Because when I’m craving something, at most I can only wait for the butter to reach room temp.

  22. Beth says:

    I think these cookies could become my new favorites.
    Have a good weekend, Joanne!

  23. I’ll take a few with my coffee….

  24. Pam says:

    Bookmarked! Seriously drooling over these… I love brown sugar and browned butter! Sorry about your phone – what a bummer. I am sure these cookies helped you feel a little better.

  25. Monica says:

    Am I the only person who’s never heard of phone insurance?! Thank goodness for smart moms. : ) And these cookies look like chewy-heaven!

  26. sandra says:

    very nice – would go great with some apple cider!!

  27. These are the type of cookie that go so perfectly with a cup of hot tea or coffee! I want one.

  28. gloria says:

    Look beautiful Joanne!! hope you have a lovely weekend!

  29. Love these! Brown sugar is one of my favorite ingredients and flavors.

  30. Kate says:

    Oh NOES! Your phone!!!! Suicide is one of the leading causes of phone deaths in the United States. It’s important to talk to you phone and talk to them often so you can try to help them see they’re not alone in this.

  31. Brown sugar cookies are the BEST!!!! I’m talking, eating no less than 10 of these per sitting 🙂

  32. Susan says:

    Thank goodness for mothers and yes I definitely would not be able to eat just one. I love all things with brown sugar.

  33. I would have needed all 24 of these cookies to get through that trauma. Seriously.

  34. That reminds me of my sister. She had to get her phone replaced 5 times in the last 2 years, and the phone she has now is cracked EVERYWHERE, but still sort of works. And yet she still never gets phone insurance…
    These cookies look SO super fantastic, I could not save them for later!

  35. Goodness gracious, they look so good. Love the sugar on the cookies the best part. Virtually warming it up and imagining how good it must taste.

  36. Goodness, they look so good. Love the sugar on the cookies the best part. Virtually warming it up and imagining how good it must taste.

  37. Christine says:

    These really are cookies for dunking in tea or coffee. Lucky your mom knows you so well 🙂 and had insurance. My phone just chose to end its life big time by leaping from my hand onto the tile floor. Even the prongs to the battery inside were broken. Fortunately I buy really cheap phones since this is the third one that’s died or been lost in 6 months!

  38. Bummer about the phone but good thing you have phone insurance! 🙂 These brown sugar cookies look so good. I would hid a few for secret consumption myself. 😉 Love this recipe Joanne. Have a great weekend!

  39. Thank goodness for cell phone insurance!! These cookies look and sound wonderful. I can’t wait until it cools down again so I can do some baking. They are going on my to-do list!

  40. There should be no secret consumption of these!!! I love everything about brown butter meeting brown sugar in a cookie.

  41. WAH! I want these so freaking bad right now. I’m studying and a baked good would be perfect!!

  42. sara says:

    These look Sooooooooooooooooo good! I love regular sugar cookies, but I have never tried it with brown sugar…awesome idea!

  43. I’m so sorry about your phone. I dropped mine in the wc and bad thing is that I didn’t have any insurance, so I felt terrible. To make it worse, I didn’t have any of these delicious cookies to make me feel better. Wow, girl, they look amazing 🙂

  44. Brown sugar cookies are my dream cookie!

  45. Kelster says:

    These will be made ASAP.

  46. I don’t know which is worse- that crazy nightmare, or the phone suicide. My phone tried to off itself a few months ago and I did the same thing ; I couldn’t keep my impatient hands off of it while it was in the rice and I’m sure that’s what killed it dead in the end. At least these cookies make everything better, I’m sure!

  47. Mary says:

    Fabulous looking cookies with SO much more flavor than regular sugar cookies – wonderful !
    Mary x

  48. These are glorious cookies made of sunshine and happiness. I will be surely enjoying them very soon!

  49. Hannah says:

    I don’t just want these cookies… I NEED these cookies. Something simple but not boring, comforting, soft and easy to enjoy… In a word, perfection.

  50. Monet says:

    Yuck. I shattered my phone screen last week. I had insurance though and got a new one fairly quickly. Still sucked though. What doesn’t suck? These cookies. They look pretty darn incredible!

  51. Now this is a cookie I NEED to try!

  52. Eek to the phone! And to pre-race bad race dreams – at least yours are 2 weeks out (that sounds horrible but hopefully you’ll grasp my meaning) and you have time for them to settle down so you’re not extra stressed on race day. I’m pretty sure these cookies would counter both issues brilliantly too.

  53. Veronica says:

    Oh man, these sound like bits of heaven. I’d hide some for future consumption too. All of them.

  54. Kathryn says:

    I’ve had a similar phone situation before and these cookies would have been a total life-saver.

  55. Julia says:

    Brown butter in the cookies too, yuuuum!

  56. rika says:

    Love the unbleached parchment paper, aren’t they great to have around? I’ve made cookies before, but with egg replacer, which taste really good! I would love to make that version with brown sugar instead.

  57. Teffy says:

    Oh those look amazing! I always go for chocolate chip cookies (my Achilles heel) but these look delicious! and with brown butter? oh wow. Also, tip for life. I had no idea not to try and turn it on! that would’ve been my reaction as well!

    { Teffys Perks Blog } X

  58. This is when I love chewy cookies.
    Thin and flavorful, just what I like.
    I hate chewy when it comes to cc cookies because they taste like, well, dough.

  59. Moms are so smart 🙂 These cookies look amazing too!

  60. I keep wanting to try brown sugar cookies but they never look as good as these. The next time a cookie craving strikes, which, let’s face it, will be soon, I want to make these. Love that you don’t over complicate things with chilling and all that nonsense too.

  61. Hotly Spiced says:

    i have a friend about to fly over for that very same marathon. She flew in last year and we all know what happened there! I often have those kinds of dreams where I dream about things that are coming up in my life like a holiday but in my dream we’ll never get to the airport and if we do, we won’t make it to our flight etc, etc. Shame about your phone! I think there are many, many phones out there that have met with the same fate – we had a few end up in toilets – little people like to throw them in there to see what will happen! xx

  62. Jeanette says:

    We’ve tried the rice trick and it worked once but we had to leave it in the rice for about 3 days. Bummer! Your cookies sound scrumptious!

  63. These are sheer briiliance. I ? brown sugar, and am pretty much positive that I would have to make them when plenty of people would be around to save me from eating them all!

  64. Definitely will bake a batch for the holiday! They look so good!

  65. Foodiewife says:

    What would we do without our moms to watch over us? Glad to hear you have insurance for your phone. Ever since I ate the brown sugar cookies, at Tyler Florence’s Tavern restaurant in SFO, I’ve been searching for the Ultimate recipe. This could just be it. My men love cookies, so these are in queue for soon! (Nice lens… I can’t wait for mine to come in. Wink.)

  66. I’ve dropped my phone in the loo and thankfully it still works, 12 years later. And no, it’s not the phone I’m using now 🙂 Have a good run!

  67. Barbara says:

    Oh yeah…dark brown sugar! Yum. Love chewy in gingersnaps AND I bet it works with these too.
    Have never (yet) dropped my cell phone in water, but I’ve sure dropped it enough. Hard. It still works. Never once occurred to me to buy insurance, though. Hmmmm.

  68. My husband loves sugar cookies…I know he would love these.

  69. Tracey says:

    Isn’t brown sugar the best?? I’ve had my eye on another brown sugar cookie recipe for a while, but now that this one has your stamp of approval I need to try it first 🙂 I can’t wait for the marathon – so excited to see you!

  70. Oh man, I have been looking forward to this recipe ever since you posted them on instagram!

  71. I have such fond memories of sugar cookies from my childhood (mostly the ones consumed from our high school cafeteria). These look so good. Love the twist.

    And go you! I know you’re going to totally rock the marathon!

  72. Shannon says:

    thank god for insurance! i’ve definitely learned my lesson 🙂 these look awesome!! makes me start thinking cookie swap…

  73. I love a good chewy cookie. These look wonderful.

  74. I did the same mistake once but with my old laptop. It thundered heavily and the rain dropped in from the roof right onto my laptop. As you said nobody taught us that in school. 😉
    I would have forgiven myself for the crappy laptop story if I would have had your cookie recipe at the time. =)

  75. Sherry says:

    Whole foods posted these on Facebook and they looked so dreamy to me! despite everyone’s rude comments I was excited to make these. Well I just did and holy cow they are deeeeeeelcious! My gosh, I just ruined my diet, totally worth it though. I’ll just have to run extra hard tonight. I didn’t have dark brown sugar so I just used brown, but I think the brown butter really makes this recipe awesome and over the top! I can’t wait to share it with friends, and I def plan on doing so.

  76. Reeni says:

    These are so chewy and delicious looking! I love the rich flavor of brown sugar. I’m imagining biting into one. . . I hope you still have that secret stash!

  77. i’m considering it fate that i just bought dark brown sugar last night!! 🙂

  78. Mar says:

    Is 14 tbsp correct?

  79. Mar says:

    sorry 14 tbsp of butter

  80. Mar says:

    Nevermind!! It seemed like a lot, but it is just 1 3/4 sticks.

  81. Wendy says:

    These are some of the best cookies I have ever eaten! The combo of browned butter and brown sugar is fantastic. The flavors seem to be even better the next day! I made these as bars, as well as cookies, because I can’t get enough of that flavor. 🙂 Even the chocoholics at my house think these are the best!

  82. MaryPat says:

    Hmm, are they supposed to flatten out while baking, or do you flatten them before you bake them…Mine stayed more ball-shaped, but, they were still yummy!

  83. Nicole says:

    woah – those look amazing! I almost popped out of my chair and ran downstairs to make them! Thanks for sharing!

  84. Deborah says:

    I’m totally dying over these. I need a dozen – stat!!

  85. Mo says:

    oh i love brown sugar, they look perfect !

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  88. tracie c. says:

    i needed to refrigerate the dough for these. i knew that my batch was far too soft even after chilling the dough. added another 1/4 flour… helped a little. don’t know if anyone else had that same issue.

    well regardless of the little hiccup they are a lovely cookie. almost a complex caramel in taste given the sugar/browned butter mixture.
    crispy glazy on the outside soft and perfectly chewy soft on the inside. i am lucky i have active teenage boys in the house to help eat these because i could not be trusted if i were on my own with these in the house. thank you for the recipe.

  89. […] though, my favorite is the brown sugar cookies. Browned butter and brown sugar make these cookies chewy, slightly salty and delicious. After a […]

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  92. Jen says:

    I made these last night and straight out of the oven they were fantastic! I made sure to underbake them because I love soft cookies. This morning, they are hard as a rock! Any idea what I did wrong?

    • joanne says:

      I’m so so so sorry to hear that!!! It’s so weird because mine stayed chewy for days and I know a few other readers have made them and no one has mentioned them getting hard. Hmmm. Did you make any other changes to the recipe? And did you store them in an airtight container overnight? One trick that i know of that might re-chewify them is to put them in an airtight container with a piece of bread. Somehow the moisture from the bread leaks back into the cookies!

  93. Robin says:

    95 comments and only 5 or so are actual reviews?!? Oh well, such is the Blog-O-Sphere. LOL

    I’m Swedish and Browned Butter Cookies are in our DNA so I was very intrigued and excited to try these cookies the same day that Pinterest sent out this email.

    Joanne: Your gorgeous photos and very, very clear instructions couldn’t have made making them any easier! I followed your directions to the letter, but used my family as my Taste Kitchen in regards to the sugar blend: half the batch had your recommended 1/2 brown/white sugar blend and the other half batch was just white sugar. Hand’s down, my family preferred the plain sugar. Why? They all said that when it was rolled in the dark sugar/white sugar, there was too little contrast to the taste buds when they bit into the cookie. Hey, you gotta go with what the gang wants, right!?!? Oh, and to address the Soft vs. Hard, end results: Mine were soft immediately out of the oven but became very crisp after cooling, even when stored in a container. But, that is exactly the way my family enjoys them so we’re happy.

    Luckily for me and my friends, THIS recipe came just.in.time. for me to include it in this year’s Christmas Cookie Baskets that I give out to friends and family. I ended up making five batches, each as perfect as the last! So, Joanne, many-many-many thanks for this recipe and your inspiring photos.

    If I may add two things here:

    1) When the cookies were initially made into balls and rolled in sugar, I thought “Gee, these would look GREAT as stamped cookies!” So, the first batch that I used white sugar topping ONLY, I hauled out my cookie stamp and went to town. Everything looked amazing in the oven, the stamp made the most beautiful impression….until the very last minute of baking time! Then, the cookies EXPANDED and then COLLAPSED (which they are supposed to do), obliterating the stamped design!!! LOL and LOL, again! Live and Learn, right? But, I continued to use my cookie stamp to slightly flatten the raw cookie because when they came out of the oven, they were uniformly flawless in size, which made packaging them incredibly easy!

    2) Joanne: I don’t know if you want to include THIS tip/hint in your instructions or not, about “Browning Butter”. As I mentioned above, Browned Butter baked items are indigenous to Swedish baking so I learned these instructions at my Gran’s knee.

    When browning butter, use a large wide skillet for maximum browning. I use a 10″ Silverstone skillet. Place the COLD skillet onto your burner, and cut up the COLD butter to be used into tablespoon size chunks. Turn the flame to a low setting, set your kitchen timer to repeat every 5 minutes and walk away to do other things, such as preparing the rest of the recipe. As the butter slowly melts, the MILK SOLIDS begin to separate out, and it’s actually THOSE that ‘brown’, not the actual butter or ghee, left behind. DO NOT STIR! DO NOT STIR! and allow me to repeat it: DO NOT STIR!!!!! The secret to great browned butter is to just let the milk solids become a gorgeous almond colour on their own, and then remove the pan from the heat to allow it to cool. The reason you set your timer to repeat every 5 minutes is so you don’t forget to check the progress and colour of your butter. With a low flame, it takes my butter about 30 minutes to become what I need and you can easily get distracted, only to rush back to BURNT not Browned Butter! 😀

    Now, unlike your recipe, my Swedish recipes then have you resolidify the butter, to be used as a solid vs. liquid. At some point, I’d like to try it with the cooled and solid butter, to see if it changes the taste of your recipe.

    All in all, YOUR recipe was 2013’s Great Find and I thank you for the time it took to write the article and take the photos and attach them. I’ll be making these cookies throughout the year for those I love. <3

  94. Khara Woods says:

    These are some of the best cookies ever! I had friends beg for these. Simply delicious! Thanks.

  95. Just wanted you to know I just posted these on my blog. They are crazy good!

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  98. Breann says:

    I just tried these (but with light brown sugar because I didn’t have dark). They are actually the best cookies I’ve had (and I don’t even like “plain” sugar cookies). The browned butter makes this recipe. Love the Maillard reaction, love this recipe.

  99. Lauren says:

    Made these as a quick treat for my kiddos.

    The response?

    “These are the best cookies ever. ever. ever.”

    Thank you!

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  103. Twin Balers says:

    We just made these cookies and they are absolutely delicious! They are by far one of the best cookies we have ever made. There is no doubt that we will make them over and over again. We added chocolate chips to a few and used light brown sugar because we didn’t have dark and they were still delicious!

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  105. Ana says:

    Made these twice and absolutely love them! One of the best cookie recipes Ive come across. 🙂

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