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Brown Sugar Cookies

I’ve dropped the ball lately with this site – life got too busy and this got pushed further down the list. The other issue is that because of Rich’s diet, I feel like I cook ALL THE TIME but it’s the same things over and over. With no new content to share, I haven’t had anything to save on here. Enter these cookies. I have a big old America’s Test Kitchen cookbook and found this recipe – I already have one on here but with the cinnamon they’re more “fall”. This new recipe has it’s place, most definitely, as I’m obsessed with them and have made them three times.

They are the PERFECT consistency. They have crisp edges and an extremely chewy interior. They store well and stay chewy for days. They’re the perfect lunchbox cookie. I did screw up my second batch, however, and getting them “right” is so worth it so the third time I made them I weighed my ingredients. I have an old, mostly broken scale from when I taught at Radnor, but it gets the job done. Turns out it’s as easy to weigh your ingredients as it is to measure them. Will remember this to ensure perfect cookies in the future. Hope you like these as much as my friends and family did (three batches gets around – I forced everyone I know to try them).

Brown Sugar Cookies

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen 

Makes about 2 dozen 

14 tbsp. (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter

1/4 c. (1 3/4 oz) sugar

2 c. packed (14 oz) brown sugar

2 c. plus 2 tbsp. (about 10 1/2 oz) all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp. vanilla

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 10 tbsp. of the butter in a 10 inch (ideally NOT nonstick) skillet or saucepan over medium high heat until melted, about two minutes. Reduce heat and continue to cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter is dark golden brown and smells nutty, 1 to 3 minutes.
  2. Add butter to large heatproof mixing bowl (scrape bottom of pan) and add remaining four tablespoons butter. Stir until melted and set aside for about fifteen minutes.
  3. In a large flat pie plate or dish, mix white sugar and 1/4 c. of the brown sugar together until totally blended. Set aside.
  4. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in small bowl.
  5. Add remaining brown sugar, egg, yolk and vanilla to cooled butter mixture and whisk until smooth and no bits of brown sugar remains.
  6. Add flour mixture and fold until no white remains and batter is cohesive.
  7. Scoop batter into tablespoon sized balls and roll in prepared sugar mixture. Bake on silpat or parchment lined baking sheets, cookies spaced 2 inches apart and 2 inches from sides, for 12 minutes. Careful not to overtake – cookies need to look a little wet in the cracks and be just golden brown.
  8. Let cool enough to transfer and cool completely on wire rack.
  9. Store at room temperature.
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