Like a cross between basic sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies, these brown sugar cut-out cookies are made with butter, darkish brown sugar, and a contact of cozy spices. Good for the vacations or anytime you crave sugar cookies with a little bit further taste! Make them any form you want and have enjoyable adorning along with your alternative of icing.
Name them a compromise cookie. Perhaps you wish to adorn Christmas cookies, however you’ll be able to’t resolve between making sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies, and solely have the time/power/elements to make only one…
…or possibly you like the festive spiced taste of gingerbread cookies however can’t discover molasses the place you reside…
…or possibly you like sugar cookies, however crave one thing with a little bit extra taste…
Meet the answer that’s positive to please everybody: brown sugar cut-out cookies.
(Now, deciding whether or not to prime them with royal icing, straightforward glaze icing, or cookie adorning buttercream… you’re by yourself for that one!)
Brown Sugar Minimize-Out Cookies Recipe Snapshot
- Texture: These cookies have comfortable, thick facilities with barely crisp edges, similar to basic sugar cookies and Christmas sugar cookies.
- Taste: Buttery and candy with comforting brown sugar and comfy spice flavors. If you happen to favor a plain brown sugar cookie, you’ll be able to omit the spices.
- Ease: When you have an electrical mixer and a rolling pin, you’ll be able to positively make these cookies.
- Time: This dough wants to relax for at the very least 1–2 hours, however the time it takes to make the dough and bake the cookies is fairly quick. The way you resolve to brighten the cookies will account for including roughly time.
Key Elements You Want
- Brown Sugar: Like these pecan sugar cookies, utilizing all brown sugar rather than white sugar offers these cookies a deeper, extra advanced taste. I like to recommend darkish brown sugar right here for probably the most taste, however gentle brown sugar is okay if that’s all you may have.
- Spice: Cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg are the flavour energy gamers right here. If you wish to maintain these cookies as plain brown sugar cookies, you’ll be able to merely pass over the spices.
- The whole lot Good: You additionally want flour, baking powder, butter, an egg, salt, and vanilla extract. Cookie baking fundamentals!
Right here’s the lineup:
The best way to Preserve Brown Sugar Moist
I usually use Domino model sugar. I’m not sponsored by or working with the model—I similar to the standard of their merchandise for baking! However even shopping for a name-brand brown sugar at the next worth level doesn’t assure the sugar can be (or keep) completely comfortable and moist.
To maintain brown sugar comfortable, retailer it in an hermetic container in a cool, dry place, like a pantry, drawer, or cabinet. I retailer my flours and sugars in these containers, and have executed so for years.
In case your brown sugar turns into arduous and crumbly, all just isn’t misplaced! You’ll be able to soften it up once more by including one thing that absorbs moisture, corresponding to a slice of bread or a marshmallow, to the container and letting it sit in a single day. Simply keep in mind to take away the (now-stale) bread the following day, earlier than it turns moldy.
For a extra everlasting resolution, use a terracotta sugar saver. Terracotta absorbs moisture (and doesn’t go dangerous), and you should buy a brown sugar-saver bear or disc that’s particularly designed for this objective. You’ll be able to even purchase brown sugar storage containers that embrace a terracotta piece proper within the lid, like this one. They’re actually useful.
This brown sugar cookie dough comes collectively shortly with an electrical mixer. As soon as all of your elements are mixed, it’s time to roll out and chill the dough.
My #1 Tip for Making Minimize-Out Cookies
Roll the dough out earlier than chilling. I’ll clarify why that is so profitable. Divide the dough in half, roll out every portion, after which chill:
Most sugar cookie doughs require chilling so the cookies maintain their cookie cutter form within the oven. However should you’ve ever tried rolling out chilled sugar cookie dough, you could keep in mind how tough it’s to flatten chilly, stiff dough. So, roll out the dough whereas it’s nonetheless comfortable (proper after making it), after which chill the rolled-out dough. Right here’s my precise methodology, and it really works for chocolate sugar cookies, too:
- Divide the dough in half as a result of smaller sections are simpler to roll out.
- Roll out the cookie dough immediately on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper so you’ll be able to simply switch it to the fridge.
- Decide the entire thing up, set it on a baking sheet, and place it within the fridge. Keep in mind, you may have 2 slabs of dough. If you happen to don’t have sufficient room for two baking sheets in your fridge, merely stack the items of rolled-out dough on prime of one another, with parchment paper or silicone baking mat in between.
After the rolled-out dough chills for at the very least 1–2 hours, use cookie cutters to chop out shapes. Make sure to re-roll the dough scraps as wanted.
The cookies are executed when the sides are set and the middles nonetheless look barely comfortable. These cookies maintain their form properly within the oven, and bake up with a pleasant flat floor that’s good for adorning.
Now, for everybody’s favourite half!
Adorning Brown Sugar Minimize-Out Cookies
For the cookies you see pictured right here, my group and I used royal icing to brighten the cookies formed like reindeer, timber, sweet canes, and gingerbread individuals. And we used cookie adorning buttercream to brighten the snowflake cookies.
If you happen to’re new to adorning with royal icing, it might assist to observe my video tutorial on the way to adorn sugar cookies. I’ll stroll you thru 4 easy and approachable strategies which can be an incredible place to begin should you’re new to cookie adorning. For the pictured cookies, I used Wilton piping tip #4 for outlining and flooding with icing. This can be a great primary piping tip to have in your assortment.
I even have an straightforward cookie icing glaze you may strive as a substitute. It takes longer to dry than royal icing, but it surely’s fast and simple to make, it doesn’t require piping luggage/ideas. I exploit squeeze bottles for it! It’s great in case you have younger bakers keen to assist adorn.
And, in fact, don’t neglect the sprinkles. If you happen to plan to dedicate a complete day to cookie-baking, right here’s how The best way to Host a Cookie Adorning Day information. 
Sally’s Cookie Palooza
This recipe is a part of my annual cookie countdown known as Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the most important, most scrumptious occasion of the yr! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza web page together with:
Brown Sugar Minimize-Out Cookies
Prep Time: 2 hours, half-hour
Cook dinner Time: 12 minutes
Complete Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes
Yield: 24 3-inch cookies
Class: Cookies
Methodology: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
These brown sugar cut-out cookies are good for the vacations or anytime you crave sugar cookies with a little bit further taste. Make them any form you want and have enjoyable adorning along with your alternative of icing. The variety of cookies this recipe yields is dependent upon the dimensions of the cookie cutter you utilize. If you happen to’d prefer to make dozens of cookies for a big crowd, double the recipe.
Directions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and salt collectively in a medium bowl. Put aside.
- In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar collectively on excessive velocity till fully easy and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat on excessive velocity till mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the perimeters and backside of the bowl and beat once more as wanted to mix.
- Add the dry elements to the moist elements and blend on low velocity till mixed. Dough can be a bit comfortable. If the dough appears too comfortable and sticky for rolling, add extra flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, beating nicely after every addition.
- Divide the dough in half. Place every portion onto a bit of frivolously floured parchment paper or a frivolously floured silicone baking mat. With a frivolously floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use extra flour if the dough appears too sticky. The rolled-out dough may be any form, so long as it’s evenly 1/4-inch thick.
- Evenly mud one of many rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a bit of parchment on prime. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on prime. Cowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at the very least 1–2 hours, or as much as 2 days.
- As soon as chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line giant baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Rigorously take away the highest dough piece from the fridge. If it’s sticking to the underside, run your hand beneath it to assist take away it. Utilizing a cookie cutter, lower the dough into shapes. Re-roll the dough scraps and proceed slicing till all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough. (Word: It doesn’t look like a variety of dough, however you get a variety of cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.)
- Organize cookies on baking sheets 3 inches aside. Bake for 11–12 minutes or till frivolously browned across the edges. Permit cookies to chill on the baking sheet for five–10 minutes, then switch to a wire rack to chill fully earlier than adorning.
- Enhance the cooled cookies with royal icing, cookie buttercream, or straightforward cookie icing; prime with sprinkles, if utilizing. Be at liberty to tint any of those icings with gel meals coloring. For adorning inspiration, my The best way to Enhance Sugar Cookies tutorial is useful.
- Get pleasure from cookies straight away or wait till the icing units to serve them. Plain or adorned cookies keep comfortable for about 5 days when lined tightly at room temperature. For longer storage, cowl and refrigerate for as much as 10 days. If adorned with cookie buttercream, cowl and retailer adorned cookies at room temperature for 1 day, or within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Notes
- Freezing Directions: Plain or adorned sugar cookies freeze nicely as much as 3 months. Await the icing to set fully earlier than layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw within the fridge or at room temperature. You too can freeze the cookie dough for as much as 3 months earlier than rolling it out. Put together the dough via step 3, divide in half, flatten each halves right into a disc as we do with pie crust, wrap every in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw the discs within the fridge, then convey to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 4, then chill rolled-out dough within the fridge for 45 minutes–1 hour earlier than slicing into shapes and baking. See this publish on the way to freeze cookie dough for a video tutorial.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Wood Rolling Pin or Adjustable Rolling Pin | Vacation Cookie Cutter Set | Cooling Rack | Piping Luggage (Disposable or Reusable) | Couplers | Piping Ideas Set | Assorted Sprinkles (Like These or These)
- Can I Skip the Spices? Sure. If you would like a plain brown sugar cookie, you’ll be able to omit the spices with no different modifications to the recipe.
- Room Temperature: Room temperature butter is important. If the dough is just too sticky, your butter might have been too comfortable. Room temperature butter is definitely cool to the contact. Room temperature egg is most well-liked so it’s shortly and evenly combined into the cookie dough.
- Icing: Use royal icing, straightforward cookie icing, or cookie adorning buttercream. See publish above to learn in regards to the variations.
- Can I Double the Recipe? Sure. Double the entire elements and divide the dough into 3 or 4 sections in step 4.
- Make sure to try my prime 5 cookie baking ideas AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking instruments.
