These cookies are made with all brown sugar, and their flavor is spectacular. They are especially good as Christmas cookies, rolled out, cut into shapes, baked, and frosted.
You can frost them, leave them plain, or sprinkle them with sugar before baking. You can also drop them by spoonful onto the cookie sheet, press them into round shapes, and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Brown Sugar Sugar Cookies - Old Family Recipe
I loved my Grandmother's brown sugar cookies and so did everyone else. My grandmother was well known for her brown sugar cookies or brown sugar sugar cookies as we called them. Most of the time we simply called them Grandma's sugar cookies.
Over the years, I have tried recipe after recipe for sugar cookies, trying to find one as delicious as Grandma's. I found a lot of good cookie recipes, but none have measured up!
Then my cousin graciously sent me Grandma's recipe. It is, hands down, the best cut-out sugar cookie recipe I have found.
Brown sugar contains of molasses and gives the sugar and the cookies a slight caramel taste. The flavor is amazing. You will never go back to plain old sugar cookies made with white sugar.
Brown sugar also adds moisture to the dough and makes the cookies chewy. You should use light brown sugar, and when measuring for recipes, always pack the light brown sugar into the measuring cup using the back of your spoon.
In addition to brown sugar, you will need shortening, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and a little warm water. I prefer the frosted sugar cookies; for that, you need powdered sugar, vanilla, almond flavoring (optional), milk, and butter.
How to Make Brown Sugar Cookies
Just a heads up: Making these Christmas cookies takes some time because you have to chill the dough for at least an hour, roll it, and then cut it with cookie cutters.
Cookie Ingredients:
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon 1 ½ baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoon warm water
- 4 cups flour
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond flavoring optional
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon margarine or butter
- a few drops of food colorin
Instructions
To make the dough:
- Mix the brown sugar, shortening, eggs, and vanilla until fully "creamed" or kind of fluffy and combined.
- In a separate dish, add the water to the baking soda. It will fizz. Stir it to combine. Then, pour it into the sugar mixture.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix well
- Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. The dough will be sticky and stiff.
- Roll it into a ball once all the flour is incorporated into the dough.
- Cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour to chill it.
Roll the dough and cut sugar cookie shapes:
- After an hour or more, take the dough out of the refrigerator. Pinch off a baseball-sized bit to roll out.
- Place this dough in the center of a floured surface or between two pieces of wax paper.
- Using a rolling pin dusted with flour (it is not necessary to flour if you are using wax paper), roll the dough to about ¼ inch.
- Roll the dough from the middle to the outside to ensure a consistent depth for each cookie.
- Cut the dough out with cookie cutters. If your cutters stick to the dough, flour the cookie cutters to prevent this.
- Carefully place each cookie about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. They puff up a bit but do not spread if you use shortening.
- Bake at 325F degrees for about 10-11 minutes or until the cookies' tops start to turn a little brown.
- Cool on a wire rack.
Frosting:
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Mix all the frosting ingredients with a spoon (or electric beater) until creamy smooth, but not liquid. Add a little milk or a little powdered sugar as needed to give it the right consistency.
-
If you think the frosting is too sweet, add just a dash of salt, which will help reduce the sweetness. Set aside until the cookies are cool.
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Frost cookies and top with sprinkles, nonpariels, cinnamon hearts, or other toppings.
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Store the frosted cookies in an airtight container with wax paper between layers.
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Grab and eat on the run or serve on a pretty plate for guests.
Tip: You can make the dough the night before. If you chill it overnight, you will likely have to let it warm up a little, or the dough won't roll out very well. You can warm it by flattening it on the counter (or a piece of waxed paper) and kneading it slightly to loosen it up.
In my humble opinion, this is the best type of cookie cutter. They are open in the middle, which makes it easy to remove cookies from them, and the cookies will most likely hold together and not break.
When the cookies are cooled and frosted, lay them on parchment paper or the clean counter for at least an hour until the frosting is no longer sticky. Put wax paper between the layers and store them in an airtight container for up to a week. But really, you should hide them because they will be gone in no time!
How long and why do I have to refrigerate the dough?
You need to refrigerate the dough for at least one hour. Refrigeration helps to stiffen the dough and makes it easier to roll out.
What size cookie cutters should I use?
You can use any size cookie cutter, but larger cookies may take longer to bake. I prefer cookie cutters that are about 3-4 inches long. I also prefer metal cookie cutters because the dough doesn't stick to them as much and the cookies are easier to remove to place on the cookie sheets.
I don't have cookie cutters. What can I use to cut the cookies out?
You can use a small glass (the open side) or a small clean can for cutting out cookies. Or, you can roll the cookies in little balls, place the balls about 2-3 inches apart and flatten them with the bottom of a glass.
I don't have a rolling pin. What can I use to roll the cookies out?
Some people use a clean glass bottle, like a wine bottle, for this purpose.
Brown Sugar Cookies Old Family Recipe
Author: Recipe Idea Shop
Ingredients
Cookie:
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon 1 ½ baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoon warm water
- 4 cups flour
Frosting:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond flavoring optional
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon margarine or butter
- a few drops of food coloring
Instructions
Cookie:
- Cream brown sugar and shortening.
- Add egg and vanilla.
- Add soda to warm water and then mix into dough.
- Combine baking powder and salt with the flour then add to the wet mixture.
- Chill overnight or at least one hour.
- Roll out, cut and bake at 325F degrees for about 10-11 minutes or until the tops are turning a little brown.
- Cool on racks.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting as follows and frost cookies when cool.
Frosting:
- Mix all the frosting ingredients with a spoon (or electric beater) until creamy smooth, but not liquid. Add a little milk or a little powdered sugar as needed to give it the right consistency.
- If you think the frosting is too sweet, add just a dash of salt and that will help reduce the sweetness.
- Frost cookies and top with sprinkles, nonpariels, cinnamon hearts, or other toppings.
- Store the frosted cookies in an airtight container with wax paper between layers.
- Grab and eat on the run or serve on a pretty plate for guests.
Notes
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Kathy acquired the blog, Recipe Idea Shop in 2024. She was raised on a farm in Arkansas where having a big garden and good food to eat was the norm. She shares recipes for homemade comfort food and new trending dishes.
Kathy began her blogging journey in 2011 when she founded PetticoatJunktion.com, a home décor blog focused on repurposing and upcycling furniture, and thrift store finds.
