A brown sugar version of sugar cookies, with a touch of molasses. These cookies are rich in flavor, with crispy edges and an almost fudgy center. When they bake, they rise; when they cool, they fall, giving them a beautiful crackly surface. So simple, so good!
I will never say no to a simple sugar cookie or pan-banging sugar cookies, but adding brown sugar makes for an interesting twist.
A teaspoon of molasses increases the dark brown sugar flavor without making it taste like holiday fare (but, to be sure, these are a great addition to your holiday cookie tray). Rolling them in a bit of sugar gives them a beautiful sparkle, but even more important: another interesting texture.
These cookies debuted in my 100 Cookies cookbook, and have been a reader favorite!
A few tips for making Brown Sugar Cookies:
- Don’t skip the egg yolk! It helps make the center fudgy and rich.
- The cookies will puff in the oven and then collapse as they cool, forming cracks across the top.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for the time called for — this helps them set and will ensure the perfect texture upon first bite.
More Cookie Recipes:
- Neapolitan Cookies
- Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Toasted Sesame Cookies with Bittersweet Chocolate
Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon [364 g] all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup [2 sticks | 227 g] unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 3/4 cup [350 g] dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup [100 g] granulated sugar for rolling
Equipment
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Line three sheet pans with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and the molasses and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.
- Place the granulated sugar in a medium bowl.
- Form the cookies into 1 1/2 oz [45 g] balls (2 tablespoons). Roll each ball in the sugar and place 8 cookies on a sheet pan.
- Bake one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake until the sides are set and the bottoms are light golden brown, 10 to 11 minutes.
- Transfer the sheet pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the pan, then remove them and let them cool completely on the wire rack. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
84 Comments
Tim
Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at 11:30 pmThese are incredibly delicious, could t believe how much I liked them.
Like others, I had issues with them not spreading at all. This is only an issue because I’d love to give them as gifts, and as we all know, cookies with wrinkles and cracks and crunchy edges are the best 🙂
I weighed my ingredients, made sure my dough was room temp, but two batches have refused to spread at all. (I’m pretty sure I’m using AP flour.)
The pan bangers are our absolute fave, and they always come out amazing, so any input into possible failures on my part would be welcome.
(Bu as I said, they are super delicious anyway ?)
Maria Deepthi
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 12:09 amI am trying to get those cracks too, but unfortunately I’m not able to reproduce like the picture, may be it’s the type of flour?
fuyuka
Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 1:21 amomg im a teenager with literally zero baking experience and this was such an easy recipe to follow! so delicious, with crispy edges and an irresistible chewy, soft center. i substituted the dark brown sugar for regular brown sugar and added an extra tablespoon of cane syrup– which i also substituted for the molasses on a 1:1 ratio. highly recommend! i cannot believe this is a free recipe… so good.
Christy
Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 9:54 pmI was craving cookies but am dairy free and wasn’t finding any solid options that don’t call for vegan butter or milk. So I tried out this recipe and substituted an equal amount of room temperature refined coconut oil for the butter and they turned out amazing!! So chewy and yummy. I don’t feel like the flavor was lost with not using butter. I used an electric stand mixer which helped incorporate the coconut oil and finished it off with mixing with my hands to make sure the coconut oil was fully mixed in. Very happy with the results!
Gidgette
Saturday, March 29, 2025 at 7:52 pmThese cookies are amazing. My husband doesn’t like chocolate chip so I thought I would try these, he loves them! He ate 3 and said he could eat a dozen. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Susan
Monday, March 24, 2025 at 4:44 pmThese are brilliant and the end of a search I’ve been on for decades! My grammar school cafeteria often served butterscotch brownies—-to be honest, the only brilliant thing they made.
But, oh, they really were unspeakably wonderful. I’ve made no end of recipes called blondies or butterscotch brownies and some were nice, but not anywhere near the same. These cookies taste exactly the same; even the texture is similar, with soft, chew middles and crisp edges. So….. can you suggest how I might make this as a bar cookies? If not, I can certainly happily carry on with these, and many thanks for creating them.
ET
Sunday, March 23, 2025 at 7:33 pmI make these all the time! One of my go-to cookies!
Kayla
Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 9:25 amThese are absolutely delicious. I am super picky when it comes to baked goods, but these are a WINNER!
JessiLee
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at 7:29 pmWhat an amazing flavor! They just came off the sheet and are still very soft, but I can tell they are going to be a hit!
I had some Swedish pearl sugar, and rolled my cookies in that instead of granulated sugar and they are SO pretty.
Do you know how to adjust the bake time if I wanted to do 1 tablespoon sized cookies, instead if 2 tablespoon sized cookies? I think these would be an excellent addition to my holiday cookies, but we generally exchange more medium sized bakes.
Sophia
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at 4:36 pmAmazing recipe!
This recipe is super customizable too. I used country crock olive oil based “butter” sticks because we need to be dairy free, and they accepted the substitution perfectly. Such a soft chewy cookie, and extra delicious straight out of the oven. I added cinnamon and a pinch of ginger to the dough, then rolled them in a cinnamon sugar to make them like snickerdoodles, and that was amazing!
Presley Turner
Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 8:07 pmI wasn’t expecting these cookies to be nearly as good as they were – I will definitely be making them again and again!! Highly recommend!!
Katlyn Swayze
Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 8:10 amPerfectly chewy with an inviting, warm flavor. I usually only make chocolate chip cookies, but these will be at the top of my list!!
Cami
Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at 2:36 pmThe best cookies I have ever baked! Baked them in my air frayer oven and they came out crispy on the outside and perfectly soft on the inside. I did substitute out the molasses for maple syrup but still soo good!
Amanda P.
Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 11:14 pmThese are SO delicious! Perfect for when you’re craving something super decadent and rich, but not overly complex. 10/10 recommend. They turned out beautifully soft and chewy. I was worried about the molasses flavor being a bit too strong for my liking, but that is not the case at all. Just delicious, rich, brown sugary goodness. Thank you for the recipe!
Nicki
Monday, December 30, 2024 at 7:26 amThese were super quick and easy to make. They’re chewy with crispy edges and the brown sugar flavor is delicious and caramel-y.
Ryan
Monday, November 25, 2024 at 10:21 pmHi – I weighed all of my ingredients and followed this recipe almost exactly as written but chilled my dough for 30 minutes. My cookies rose during baking but never fell during cooling, so none of them have that beautiful crackling effect,. Is that because I chilled the dough, or could there be some other culprit? Thanks!
MB
Friday, December 20, 2024 at 7:26 pmYes, it’s because you chilled the dough. Chilled butter in dough will not spread out when baked.
Kat
Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 8:06 pmI just got into baking recently and this recipe is AMAZING. This is my new favourite cookie and my boyfriend is obsessed with them. So delicious and such a simple recipe. The cookie has a perfect crisp on the outside and chewy middle. Thank you!
Mandy
Monday, October 28, 2024 at 9:39 pmI accidentally added 1 tablespoon of molasses (yikes!), but they still came out amazing! I was worried before baking- the dough seemed too loose. But these are so delicious! I have to be careful because I could eat them all myself. This is a winner, a keeper and a fast favorite. Thank you!
Kim
Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 11:47 amLove these chewy brown sugar cookies! Do you have any tips how to freeze?
Riley K.
Friday, October 25, 2024 at 3:45 pmOMG YUMMM I have been craving a cookie for days and these hit the spot. I only had light brown sugar but they are still so good. I did also add cinnamon and coated in cinnamon and sugar since I didn’t have granulated sugar. 10/10 Will make often!
Karen
Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 10:07 pmMade these yesterday, first attempt at using gluten free flour(King Arthur 1 to 1 baking mix) for cookies.
They were perfect!
Delilah
Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 12:28 pmPerfect sugar cookie! Followed it exactly and had crisp edges and a chewy center
B
Thursday, October 3, 2024 at 10:44 pmSoooooo good omg so glad to have found this recipe!!
G
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 2:54 pmOh. My. HEAVEN.
Followed the recipe & turned out PERFECT! Crispy edges and fudgey centers—- wooooowwww!!
Claudette Green
Monday, September 23, 2024 at 6:29 pmOk, I’ve made these THREE times! Loved them every time and every time I got better. After reading through the comments I realized, that for the first batch, the butter was too hot (forgot to leave it out for room temperature and softened it in the microwave), resulting in brown sugar clouds, DELICIOUS for my son’s birthday, but not exactly what I was looking for. My Mom asked for a batch for church so I remembered to take the butter out, but those spread too much, and I realized I put them into a too-hot oven after making some chicken. The THIRD batch, because my son’s friends requested more….well those were PERFECT! Chewy, nicely formed (used a cookie scoop), crispy edges, and a slightly chewy cookie that melts away before you realize you’ve eaten the whole thing, PERFECTION! Thank you for this recipe! Take heed fellow bakers, THESE ARE WORTH IT!
Carrie
Friday, June 14, 2024 at 8:29 pmAbsolutely delicious and forgiving recipe. LOVE that the dough doesn’t need to be chilled. I whipped these up quickly and they were all devoured by my family almost instantly! 😀
Chris
Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at 7:52 amNo way these cookies looked like the pic, spread out to about paper thin, pancake, are not this flat, will not make again !!
Sarah Kieffer
Friday, May 31, 2024 at 2:35 pmHi Chris – I’m sorry you had trouble with this recipe! Did you weigh your flour, and what kind of butter and flour did you use? Sometimes that can affect the final outcome.
Sarah Kieffer
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 at 9:02 pmHi Chris – I am sorry you had trouble with the recipe! Did you use a scale to measure your ingredients? Sometimes that can cause a recipe not to turn out correctly.
Dan
Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at 5:50 pmYou did something terribly wrong then and the issue is not with the recipe. I followed the recipe and got perfect results
Madeleine
Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 7:57 pmBest cookies everrrrrr. Started using this recipe last year and this is always what I’m asked to bake/bring now! I especially love them as is but I also love that this recipe can be used as a perfect base for so many other types of cookies! Thanks for sharing
Mia
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 9:26 pmAnother amazing cookie recipe! Doesn’t look like much but seriously so good. Glad I saw confirmed in the comments that you can freeze them raw to bake later. This is a keeper.
Denise
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 1:53 pmDelicious! I’ve made them twice, this week. They are perfect. The whole family loved them.
Catherine S
Monday, March 18, 2024 at 10:14 amDelicious recipe! I will definitely make these again! I made 60 smaller ones instead of 10 large ones.
Carol
Wednesday, February 21, 2024 at 5:54 pmI can’t seem to get these to puff up either! Using weight for measurement, and following recipe exactly, but they always come out flat and gooey. Love the taste though!!
Melissa
Monday, December 18, 2023 at 2:38 pmLove your cookies. Lately they have been spreading a lot. If my butter is too soft would that cause the problem or am I not using enough flour?
Sarah Kieffer
Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 5:07 pmHi Melissa – Yes, too soft butter could cause spreading. What kind of flour are you using? Sometimes that can also be part of the issue.
Abby
Monday, December 18, 2023 at 11:12 amIs this recipe possibly missing any baking powder? Mine did not puff up or crack across the top like the recipe said. They were chewy and delicious, but very flat.
Sarah Kieffer
Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 5:06 pmHi Abby – I’m sorry you had trouble with the cookies. There isn’t any baking powder in this recipe – Did you make any substitutions to the recipe? And did you measure by weights or volume?
Betty Hornsby
Friday, December 15, 2023 at 11:24 amAbsolutely delicious…chewy in the middle and crisp on the edges. Loved them!
Elise
Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 1:08 pmHi, if I only have light brown sugar should I increase the amount of molasses and by how much ? Thank you!
Sarah Kieffer
Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 5:14 pmHi Elise – Adding more molasses may cause the cookies to spread. You can use light brown sugar, but they won’t have quite as deep of flavor.
Michelle
Sunday, December 10, 2023 at 3:56 pmOh my goodness….these are the most delicious cookies I have ever had! It is such a perfect mix of brown sugar and butter…like a blondie but in cookie form. And the texture is perfection…crispy edges and fudgy centers. Next time I make chocolate chip cookies. I’m going to use this as the base. Thank you for sharing!
Anna
Friday, December 8, 2023 at 8:07 pmThese are genuinely some of the best cookies I’ve ever made. I’ve yet to have molasses on hand when I make them, but they still taste amazing. They have the best texture, and the brown sugar adds such an amazing flavor. I always get so many compliments when I make these!
Dawn Albrecht-Parys
Friday, November 24, 2023 at 6:47 pmSince discovering this recipe a little more than a month ago, I’ve made these fabulous cookies three times. They’re THAT good. But as we all know, something good can always be made better, which is why I throw a cup of walnuts (or pecans) in to each batch. This nutty touch elevates them to truly iconic status, making them the hands down favorite in my house.
medital
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 3:38 amthanks for sharing
medital
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 3:25 amgreat
trish
Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 2:32 amThese cookies are so delicious! They are crispy on the edges and soft and chewy in the center. I was out of vanilla so I used the equivalent amount of a vanilla bean. Not only are these cookies my favorite out of Sarah’s book but they are now one of my all time favorite cookies!
Sarah Kieffer
Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 8:34 amSo glad you are enjoying them!
Nancy
Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:33 amI would like to see a note on recipes mentioning how well the recipe works with sugar alternatives such as Purecane and King Arthur’s Baking Sugar Alternative for those of us who are diabetic or cook for diabetics.
Lindsey
Sunday, December 11, 2022 at 10:38 amThese cookies are beautiful and delicious! They absolutely take the sugar cookie to the next level! This is being added to our favorites for sure!
Jess
Thursday, December 8, 2022 at 11:57 amI added two table spoons of apple cider liquor to mine, it was a little dry as noted in the comments so the texture turned out well! going to put a dollop of apple butter into the next batch.
Kerri
Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 3:22 pmThese were so delicious. Easy to make and perfectly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle. I sprinkled mine with red and green sugar and a pinch of coarse salt to make them look Christmasy.
Holly
Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 10:14 pmshould the eggs be straight from the fridge, or room temp?
DS
Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 6:05 pmWhat should I do if I only have light brown sugar? Can I just add more molasses?
Betsyros
Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 4:57 pmVery tender and delicious cookie. And easy to make. I made 8 – the rest I will bake over the next few days. Very good recipe. I will try adding cinnamon to the next batch.
Elyse
Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 12:57 amI just have to say – out of all the cookie recipes in 100 Cookies, these are far and away my favorite (and that’s saying a lot!!!) I’ve taken to adding a bit of cinnamon to emulate that particular pop tart flavor 😉 But truly, I can’t say enough about this cookie. The flavor. The texture. This is the greatest cookie I’ve ever tasted.
Sarah Kieffer
Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 9:13 amSo glad you like them!
Michael
Saturday, September 10, 2022 at 12:18 pmThe texture is my favorite part. The cookies taste similar to my favorite pop tarts. All my studio mates loved them.
Holly
Wednesday, July 6, 2022 at 10:09 pmIf you don’t have a paddle for your mixer, can you use the normal beaters?
Sarah Kieffer
Thursday, July 14, 2022 at 1:46 pmHello! I haven’t tested this recipe using beaters, but it should be fine. It might just take longer to properly cream the butter and sugar.
Haley
Friday, March 18, 2022 at 5:36 pmAmazing recipe! Sometimes the recipes I find on Pinterest are a total flop. This is the opposite! They came out absolutely perfect and the recipe was extremely easy to follow, with no second-guessing. I did use a small icecream scoop which ended up being between 40-50g per cookie so that worked out perfect. It also made 22 cookies but I can’t complain about the extra cookies! Thanks again and can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Mary
Sunday, February 20, 2022 at 11:57 pmI made 2 batches at the same time, one with regular dark brown sugar and the other exactly the same but with Splenda™ brown sugar and with 2 tablespoons less flour. I misread the amount of molasses and used a tablespoon instead for both and they turned out great, anyway. Both batches are still soft and chewy 3 days later and they don’t stick to each other in the cookie jar like a lot of soft cookies do. These will be on regular rotation in my house.
Ashley
Friday, February 4, 2022 at 11:56 amAbsolutely delicious! Followed the recipe exactly except I also added some cinnamon to my flour mixture. They turned out amazing, so soft and rich flavour! Great recipe, thank you!
JaxJayne
Friday, January 7, 2022 at 1:10 pmA note for others who do not have dark brown sugar on hand. I measured out white sugar and added 3 and 1/2 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses. If you have light brown sugar, measure it out and add 1 and 3/4 blackstrap molasses. If your cookies are not puffing up, you might want to check if your baking soda is still good. Try Google search to see how to check. These cookies are deceptively simple, but complex in flavor. They are quite delicious.
Zulema
Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 5:41 pmWhen using light brown sugar do you mean to add an additional 1tsp and 3/4 molasses or increase the molasses to that amount?
Thank you!
naanie
Monday, January 3, 2022 at 8:31 pmI LOVE that you include weights for each cookie dough ball, it really ensures even-ness. I love how easy this recipe is yet yields great results. They came out so perfect, perfect texture, so delicious! What a winner.
Beth
Friday, December 31, 2021 at 1:20 pmThese look delicious! Quick question: Can you portion these and then freeze to bake from frozen a few at a time?
Sarah Kieffer
Sunday, January 2, 2022 at 10:48 amyes!
JaxJayne
Friday, January 7, 2022 at 1:01 pmHi Beth. That is just what I did. I used a cookie scoop to portion (36 cookies, so smaller than the recipe states) and froze on a tray. When I like to have a cookie or two, I take dough balls out of the freezer, roll in sugar, and place in 350 degree toaster oven for 11 or 12 minutes.
Grace
Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 1:41 pmYes, I froze mine (already rolled in sugar) in a single layer on a sheet pan, and then transferred to a Ziploc bag once frozen. Works out great to have on hand whenever I want some fresh cookies!
Dawn Elrad
Monday, December 6, 2021 at 9:19 amThese cookies are so delicious! The best taste and texture! They will be a staple on my cookie list!
Ashley B
Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 10:55 pmThese are so delicious! I had to give most away or else it’s all I would want to eat for each meal 😛 They are so soft, with a delicious flavor and easy to make. Everyone I shared them with loved them!
Brittany
Monday, November 1, 2021 at 4:24 pmI made these with fantastic results! So simple and so delicious! I appreciate you including the weighted measurements, especially for the brown sugar. Mine are on day 3 and still perfectly chewy, which is the texture I want in a cookie. These might make it onto this year’s Christmas cookie platters!
Sage
Thursday, October 14, 2021 at 6:29 pmI was craving something sweet and these buttery decadent cookies hit it right on the head! Thank you for an easy to make delicious cookie recipe. And yes, these will be in the holiday cookie rotation!
Marilyn Mahmud
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at 6:14 pmI made these today, and they are delicious! One question, though, mine puffed up as you said but they didn’t really collapse much or get the crinkles? I did use European butter, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Any suggestions?
Samantha Prouty
Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 7:09 pmHad the same happen to mine, using land o lakes park butter! Hers seem so much more more puffy and crackley.
Megan Suarez
Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 11:39 pmMe too!!! Still good, but I was looking forward to the chewy crackles 🙁
Ashley
Friday, December 31, 2021 at 6:32 pmSame for mine as well! I used Tillamook butter and I’m not sure the butter is the culprit but who knows! Excited to try 🙂
Giftbasketworldwide
Thursday, January 7, 2021 at 12:30 amVery inspiring post. Thanks for sharing.
agreso
Sunday, January 3, 2021 at 7:19 pmMade these yesterday…fantastic! Soft and chewy, and sweet – with just the right amount of salt for balance. Sometimes you want a simple, straightforward cookie without all the competing flavors and textures, and this one nails it. Thanks for a really nice recipe.
Ana
Saturday, January 2, 2021 at 4:13 pmDelicious cookies and I love how quickly this recipe came together!
Liz
Thursday, December 17, 2020 at 7:07 pmMade these yesterday…fantastic! Soft and chewy, and sweet – with just the right amount of salt for balance. Sometimes you want a simple, straightforward cookie without all the competing flavors and textures, and this one nails it. Thanks for a really nice recipe.