Soft batch brown sugar cookies

Chewy & sweet with a hint of spice

Last weekend, I had a bake-off with myself: white sugar cookies vs. brown sugar cookies. Since then, I've shared (and eaten) plenty of each and have gotten mixed reviews as to which is the winner. Most people loved the angel sugar cookies made with white sugar the best; they're traditional, so that doesn't surprise me. But a couple friends raved about the brown sugar cookies, saying they couldn't wait to get the recipe — a sign of a great homemade treat. 

Personally, I find these brown sugar cookies taste a lot like blondies. Which is great! Except, at the end of the day, I probably prefer my blondie flavor in bar form. Even so, these cookies rock and I'll tell you why: You don't have to haul out the electric mixer. They stay soft for days. And they're one of those raid-the-pantry treats (you probably already have the ingredients on hand). 

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SOFT BATCH BROWN SUGAR COOKIES

WHAT YOU'LL NEED: 
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 and 1/2 tsp corn starch (or add an extra TBS flour)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 and 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature (see "Room temp egg note," below)
2 tsp vanilla
white sugar, for rolling

WHAT YOU'LL DO: 
1. Mix together flour, baking soda, corn starch, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk melted butter and brown sugar until no lumps remain. Whisk in egg, then vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until combined (the dough will be soft, but thick). Cover dough and chill for 2 hours or overnight (chilling the dough is mandatory). 

3. Remove dough from fridge and, if needed, allow it to come to room temperature until it's just soft enough to start working with it (I chilled the dough overnight and had to let it soften at least 15 minutes before I could really start rolling out cookies). 

4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour white sugar into a bowl. 

5. Using a TBS measure, scoop out dough and roll it into a ball. Roll the dough ball in white sugar and place on the baking sheet. Repeat for remaining dough, working in batches. 

6. Bake for 8 minutes, turning the baking sheet once in the middle of baking. Remove the sheet from the oven, and use the back of a spoon to gently flatten each cookie to create a flatter, crinkled top. Bake for 1 minute more. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

*Room temp egg note: To bring an egg to room temperature, take it out of the fridge as soon as you start prepping. Or, submerge the egg in a bowl of warm water while you mix up the other ingredients.

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Now it's your turn to have a sugar cookie bake-off! Let me know which cookie is the winner in the comments blow. Happy baking!