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Brown Sugar Cookies

September 18, 2011 by Joy the Baker 270 Comments

]IMG_7086

Here’s a few things I’ve learned from life… they definitely have nothing to do with cookies:

Don’t laugh when someone asks you out on a date.  They’ll think you’re laughing at them.  They won’t understand that you’re just flattered and awkward and your head is about to explode.  Don’t chew gum in a public restroom.  It sorta feels like you’re eating bathroom air.  Capital Gross.

Lastly, don’t drink wine past 3:30am.  It’s totally past your bedtime and you won’t look pretty in the morning.

It’s just that life is so beautiful, I’d hate for you to make these mistakes.

Can we talk about cookies now?  Geez.

IMG_6991

These cookies are with and without.

They’re just like chewy sugar cookies, with brown sugar.  They’re also just like chocolate chip cookies, without chocolate chips.  Wrap your brain around those deep depth thoughts.

IMG_7016

These are the gorgeous, sweet, chewy, caramel cookies.  They sound so simple:  brown sugar cookies.  But seriously?  These are some of my new favorites.  They have just a touch of ginger and cinnamon in them too.  These aren’t spice cookies.  The ginger and cinnamon adds a roundness, not a ton of spice flavor.  These cookies are the real deal.

Oh!  If you wanted to add chocolate chips or toffee pieces, we will totally be friends for life.[<printable]

Brown Sugar Cookies

makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

from Epicurious September 2011

Print this Recipe!

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.  Set aside.

Place butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat on medium speed for one minute more.

Add the dry ingredients, all at once, to the butter and sugar mixture.  Beat on low speed until the dough begins to come together  and the flour disappears.  Stop the mixer and finish incorporating the ingredients with a spatula.  Once all the flour is thoroughly mixed in, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place a rack in the center and upper third of the over and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Dollop tablespoons size balls of dough onto the baking sheet.  Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.  Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cookies will last, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 5 days.  [/printable]

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Reader Interactions

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Questions
  1. Cardinal

    March 26, 2020 at 11:14 pm

    Quarantined life right now – don’t have ground ginger but do have fresh? Is there a way to substitute with fresh ginger?

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      March 27, 2020 at 6:31 am

      Add a scant teaspoon – sounds lovely!

      Reply
  2. Sadie

    May 1, 2019 at 10:06 am

    Hopefully I’m not the only one who’s made these cookies because they’re excellent! I used a #20 cookie scoop and ended up with 11 big cookies, that were uniformly round, buttery crisp on the bottom and outside edges, and chewy inside. I added Callebaut caramel white chocolate chips and a teaspoon of instant espresso to the dough, but that wouldn’t have changed the texture of the cookie. Chilling the dough didn’t seem to make a difference as to how the cookies turned out. I chilled the dough for some and not others, and they all turned out the same. Delicious!

    Reply
  3. Rick

    June 24, 2016 at 8:56 am

    Made these and they turned out flat rather than thick like the picture shown. What would cause that?

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      July 5, 2016 at 10:36 am

      I think the dough might have been too warm. Try refrigerating the dough before baking.

      Reply
  4. Sam

    November 12, 2015 at 12:35 pm

    Made these with ghee instead of butter and they are really good! Thanks :)

    Reply
  5. Lisa

    June 25, 2015 at 8:15 am

    Mine didn’t flatten and weren’t chewy! What did I do wrong?! They tasted good but your cookie recipes usually turn out chewy in the middle and brown on the outside. Not enough butter maybe? Thanks!

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      October 12, 2015 at 1:41 pm

      Check to make sure you didn’t add too much flour.

      Reply
  6. Jess

    April 22, 2015 at 5:36 pm

    Just made these cookies and I threw them all away. Texture was perfect but taste was awful! I’m not sure what I did wrong because I followed the recipe without make any modifications. And I usually love the Joy the Baker’s recipes I’ve tried in the past. These cookies were generally flavorless with a very salty/ baking soda-like taste. Could not taste the cinnamon or the ginger. They really were awful :/

    Reply
« Older Comments

Trackbacks

  1. My Housekeeping Commonplace Book, 8 – katherinegrimmbowers says:
    May 20, 2016 at 5:10 am

    […] been requesting these “cinnamon cookies” made with lots and lots of brown sugar, and as he’s a guy who finds cake, cobbler, and all chocolate gag-worthy, anything he’s […]

    Reply
  2. smamunir says:
    November 4, 2015 at 8:49 am

    […] ist das Rezept bei Joy the Baker. Allerdings habe ich in meiner Version u.a. den Zucker ein wenig reduziert und statt Ingwerpulver […]

    Reply
  3. Brown Sugar Cookies | Read Here says:
    October 9, 2015 at 7:09 am

    […] Friday is snack sharing day at little C’s school.  Of course this has put me in an absolute state thinking of what to make.  I don’t know anything about pre-school and its customs.  What is de rigueur?  What is taboo?  My only other experience with pre-school was when I actually went myself, and try as I might, I can’t recall too much detail.  I am quite familiar however, with snacking, my most recent experience having been just this afternoon. But what snack to bring to pre-school?  I figure something neat and portable and not prone to spoilage.  Something not too junky, but yummy nonetheless and appealing to the little ones.  Not one to be shy about asking for help, I sought guidance from little C’s teacher.  Could I bring some chocolate chip cookies?  I was thinking of these ones.  They discourage chocolate though, so that was out.  Although, hmmm, I do seem to remember one of little C’s classmates chomping on some Hello Panda.  And then there was that one day that I found fruit loops in her bag – not chocolate to be sure, but a wee bit lower on the food chain than homemade chocolate chip cookies don’t you think? Anyway.  I am not going to complain because I love little C’s teachers.  They are the sweetest things, as I imagine all pre-school teachers must be.  And I am, in truth, grateful that the school espouses healthful eating, while, at the same time, is not too boot-campish about it. So…what to make?  This. Brown Sugar Cookies (adapted from Joy the Baker) […]

    Reply
  4. Salty Sesame and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies | bediva says:
    September 6, 2015 at 5:23 am

    […] Brown Sugar Cookies […]

    Reply

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