Here’s what needs to be said about these Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies: if you make these, and give them to people, don’t expect the people to leave unless you send the cookies with them. These cookies are delicious, and addictive, and of course they are, because they are full of brown sugar and butter and will haunt your dreams. They’re soft, chewy, sweet, and utterly delightful. These are fantasy cookies.
I started with fantasy butter. I picked up Kerrygold, I honestly don’t know much about it but the bakers love it. I melted a great big hunk of it.
While that was cooling, I got the dry ingredients together. I decided to experiment a little, so instead of all purpose flour, I used a combination of whole wheat white and quinoa flours. I stuck to the recipe for the baking soda, salt, and cornstarch, but upped the cinnamon.
Back to the butter. I added that to some dark brown sugar — a LOT of dark brown sugar — and whisked. Then there was an egg, and more whisking, and some vanilla bean paste, and yes, more whisking.
And then it was time, at last, to combine the liquid ingredients with the dry. Finally!
Going against all desires to the contrary, I covered the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. And tried not to think about it.
It was a very long two hours.
And then it was over, and it was time to bake cookies. Woohoo!
Dough balls. Sugar. Cookie sheets. Everything I’d been thinking about for the past two hours came to life.
I baked them for 8 minutes, then briefly slid them out of the oven just long enough to push the tops down with the back of a spoon. They were so light and airy that I almost felt as if I was deflating them. Then I gave them two more minutes in the oven, and then, my friends, then they were baked. After ten more minutes on the baking sheet, they were perfect.
Right? Perfect. That Sally, of Sally’s Baking Addiction, is a genius.
CHEWY BROWN SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE (original)
My version of Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies (adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction)
makes about 3 dozen
ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat white flour
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1/3 cup cane sugar, for rolling
directions:
Melt the butter, to give it time to cool.
In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, and sea salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk the dark brown sugar in with the melted butter until completely smooth. Add the egg, and whisk. Add the vanilla, and whisk again.
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well with a spatula. The dough will be soft and thick. Cover the dough and chill for at least two hours. (You can keep it chilled for up to 3 days if needed, but I don’t know how you’d wait that long unless you were on vacation and couldn’t see it.)
Give the dough a few minutes to soften up. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Roll the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each, and roll the balls in the sugar to coat completely. Place on baking sheet, two inches apart.
Bake for 8 minutes, then ease the tray out and use the back of a fork or spoon to flatten the cookies. This will give you those beautiful cracks. Bake for 2 more minutes.
When the cookies are still puffy and soft in the middle but have firm-ish edges, they’re ready. Give them ten minutes more on the baking sheet, then move to a wire rack.
Theoretically they will stay fresh for up to a week, but I can’t actually imagine them being around that long.
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