Brown Sugar Cookies

Name: Brown Sugar Cookies
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1.5 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1.25 cup dark brown sugar; 1 large egg, at room temperature; 2 cup all-purpose flour; 2 tsp baking soda; 0.5 tsp kosher salt; 0.5 tsp ground ginger; 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon

From the kitchen of Carly

Deep brown sugar and warm spices make these cookies chewy in the center, crispy at the edges. They're simple enough for a weeknight but feel special enough for company. One batch disappears faster than you'd expect.

Brown sugar is the whole show here: warm, caramel-deep, molasses-rich notes that make these cookies taste like they've been resting in an old spice jar. The trick is beating the butter and sugar until they're properly creamed, which aerates the dough and gives you that light, tender crumb. Ginger and cinnamon add backbone without overwhelming the main event.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
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Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

1 1/2 stickunsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cupdark brown sugar
1 largeegg, at room temperature
2 cupall-purpose flour
2 tspbaking soda
1/2 tspkosher salt
1/2 tspground ginger
1/2 tspground cinnamon

Instructions

Set the oven to 375°F.
Combine the butter and dark brown sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until smooth and creamy. Crack in the egg and beat well, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon until evenly mixed. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides and beating once more to bring everything together.
Drop large teaspoonfuls of dough onto an unbuttered cookie sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are just brown, 8 to 12 minutes. For crispy cookies, leave them to cool directly on the sheet. Let the sheet cool completely before loading up the next batch, then repeat with the remaining dough.

Tips from the kitchen

Cream the butter and sugar for a full two minutes until it looks pale and fluffy, not just smooth. This step does the heavy lifting for texture. Room temperature matters here, so let your egg and butter sit out for 20 minutes before you start.
Drop the dough in large teaspoonfuls and space them generously. These cookies spread, and crowded pans mean overcooked edges and underbaked centers.
For crispy cookies, leave them on the hot sheet after pulling from the oven until the sheet cools completely. This lets residual heat set them firm without drying them out.
Let the baking sheet cool all the way down between batches. A hot sheet will cause the first cookies to spread before they set, throwing off your timing and texture.

Variations

No ginger: Skip it if you want a pure brown sugar cookie. The spice balance still works with cinnamon alone.
Add chopped nuts or chocolate chips to the dough before baking. Walnuts or pecans play especially well with the molasses undertones.
Make them twice as thick by using a cookie scoop instead of a teaspoon. They'll stay chewy in the center and need another minute or two in the oven.
Brown the butter first for a nuttier depth. Let it cool, then cream with the sugar as normal.

Make ahead and storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. These freeze beautifully for two months, either baked or unbaked. Unbaked dough scoops freeze well on a sheet tray, then transfer to a freezer bag and bake straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.