Cracked Top Brown Sugar Cookies are among my favorite-ever recipes for chewy sugar cookies. Normally I don't find sugar cookies particularly exciting (because I'm a chocoholic), but these sugar cookies will give chocolate cookies a run for their money. The brown sugar makes them chewy and adds flavor, but I also think a good amount of vanilla and hint of almond extract are what make them even better.
How to Get Lots of Cracks and Crevices
I love chewy sugar cookies with lots of crevices and craters, and there are different ways to get them. With this recipe, using organic sugar seems to help, as it tends to be a little more coarse. Baking in a fan assisted or convection oven usually causes more cracking, as does using cream of tartar. Or at last sometimes. It all depends on what else is in the cookie. These cookies also have a lot of baking soda, so the cookies rise pretty quickly and fall (making the cracks).
Salted Butter
I'm on a salted butter kick right now and could swear these taste better with salted. Or maybe it's because I've been using Land o' Lakes. Or maybe I just want to believe they are better because Land o' Lakes is more expensive. Whatever it is, I recommend using salted Land o'Lakes brand butter in these, because when it comes to sugar cookies, they need all the help in the flavor department they can get.
Elevating Baking Sheet
Here's another little cookie trick you can play with if you are into cookie tricks. This seems to make the centers softer or at least, less cooked on the bottom edge. This could be desirable or not depending on what sensory experience you're after. When baking the cookies, stack your baking sheet on a smaller rimmed baking sheet so that there's a layer of air between the two sheets. For instance, you can stack a 13x18 inch pan on a 13x9 inch sheet pan or cake pan. This seems to make cookies a little more "bendy".
Chewy Cracked Top Brown Sugar Cookies
135 grams all-purpose flour (1 cup)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 oz unsalted or salted butter ( 1 stick)
½ cup granulated sugar, preferably organic
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons beaten egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (plus ¼ teaspoon almond extract)
Turbinado sugar or additional granulated sugar for rolling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Stir flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt together in a bowl; set aside.
Cream the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla (and almond extract, if using) together in a mixing bowl using high speed of an electric mixer. Add the egg and beat for about 30 seconds, then add the flour mixture and stir by hand until it is mixed in.
Roll the dough into 36 little balls and coat tops with sugar. Arrange about 2 ½ inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake 12-13 minutes or until edges are nicely brown and tops appear crackly and set.
This should give you about 14 if you use a medium size scoop.
Recipe
Cracked Top Brown Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (275 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 oz salted Land o' Lakes butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar (100 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract or just more vanilla extract
- Turbinado sugar or additional granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If you have a convection oven, use that.
- Stir flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt together in a bowl; set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar in a mixing bowl until very light and creamy. Add the egg and beat for about 30 seconds, then beat in the vanilla and almond extract (if using).
- Add the flour mixture and stir by hand or on low speed until it is blended in.
- Using a medium size cookie scoop, scoop up about 28 balls of dough. You can cover the dough balls and chill on dinner plates or bake right away.
- To bake right away, arrange the balls about 2 ½ inches apart on baking sheets and bake one sheet at a time for 12 minutes OR until the cookies are lightly browned and appear set.
Anna says
Thanks for letting me know, Jennifer! I need to make these again too so I can update the photo.
Jennifer says
I make a lot of cookies at Christmas time to give out as gifts. These made the list this year and out of everything I made these were my favorites! I am a sugar cookie lover anyway, but for some reason these just really did it for me.
I'll be curious to see how they go over with family and friends when I make up my cookies tins and trays this year.
I will definitely make these again. Super easy and really yummy!
Anna says
Louis, did you weigh the flour? If you weighed the flour and used the same weigh as ATK, then it wouldn't have been an issue. But if you measured by volume, your cup of flour could have held less than theirs and you might have (no fault of your own) used too little flour. I've found that when my cookies come out too thin it's because I didn't use the same amount of flour as the recipe developer (remember, 1 cup of flour can weigh from 3.8 oz to almost 6!).
Sometimes cookies spread because the butter is too soft or reasons involving the cookie sheet (too warm, too thin). but I think in most cases, it's just discrepanices in flour amounts and I'm glad more people are using scales to measure rather than just volume.
This brings me to one last thing that *might* have caused spreading. If I use to much sugar, cookies spread. Since the ATK recipe calls for brown sugar, maybe you packed yours into the cup more than they did and used a higher percentage of sugar? Just a though. I still think it was the flour.
louis says
Hello: This remindes me of a recipe for brown sugar, sugar cookies from ATK that involved browing the butter. I tried twice and each time ended up with big, flat however , very good tasting cookies. NOT the un-flat, cracked top like they made on tv. What happened? Thanks
CPB says
I made these cookies last weekend and they were wonderful. I took some of them to a cub scout camping trip and they got RAVE reviews. I cut back the sugar some (1/4 c. less). With the turbinado sugar on top, I think I could cut it back even further and they'd still be super.
Ghislaine says
I agree with Suzy, the CI brown sugar cookies are absolutely delicious. I've made them twice already and actually liked them better when baked after the dough had spent the night in the refrig (like a lot of cookies).
Alexandra Bruskoff says
Those cookies look unbelievable! Exactly what I'm craving with my coffee with morning. I hope your eye is feeling better. Also try the Arnica oral tablets. You can take them and use the cream together to speed up the recovery process even more. Take Care!
Anna says
Thanks for the sympathy! I think the arnica is really working.
Now it's Friday. I'm going to try to stay out of trouble. I liked Janet's spa suggestion so I think I'll check into Barton Creek Resort today.
Gluthlu, thanks for the thorough review! I hope that answers J's questions about texture. Mine came out exactly the same as yours.
I can't help but wonder how these would be with a little more flour. I used 9 oz (2 cups), but some people's 2 cups is actually 10 oz, so the original version *may* have used more flour. That is, a heavier-handed 2 cups.
Suzy, thanks for reminding me about the CI recipe. I have it in my files and will try it. Here are their measurements. They use more flour, less butter, more sugar, extra egg yolk, different leaveners and the technique is typical CI with some tricks thrown in.
2 C plus 2 T all-purpose flour (10.5 oz)
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
14 T unsalted butter
1 3/4 C packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 T vanilla extract
Some Gran & Brown for topping (1/4 gran, 1/4 brown)
Suzy says
These look just like the Brown Sugar Cookies from Cook's Illustrated. I saw them make them on TV and had to try them out. The difference is that they brown the butter first. It's one of the best cookies I've ever had! You might try those and see if you like them too.
Gluthlu says
I just made these cookies - for me they came out very thin, crunchy around the edges and chewy in the middle. The brown sugar and vanilla make their flavor reminiscent of a chocolate chip cookie sans chips. Delicious!
Jill says
Sorry to hear about that! It's good thing you had frozen rhubarb for rescue. Thanks for posting the recipe.
Judy says
I put my back out a few years ago unplugging the vacuum cleaner! "that'll teach you to try something new," my husband said! He's a funny one!
deeba says
What a morning, but I love how well you handled it. Way to go girl...& YAY for the yummy cookies!
dawn says
Ouch! I hate those kind of days. After those kinds of days I really enjoy snuggling up in bed and collasping.
You know?
janet says
Never heard of arnica but will definitely check it out at the drugstore. Ouch, you have had a morning! Hope the rest of your day went better. This recipe looks really good...I think I am going to have to get a bigger area for "Anna's recipes to try";-) Thanks! Take care of yourself.
Rina says
You poor thing! I love arnica - discovered it through my dance instructor years ago and can't imagine life without it.
At least your cookies are gorgeous, that would have been the last straw. I wonder how many funny looks you received en route to the store with a bag of rhubarb pressed against your face.
unconfidentialcook.com says
Stop cleaning, keep cooking....These look simple and simply delicious!
clumbsycookie says
That was quite a morning you had! I'm glad at least the cookies turned out good, so you can eat them and fell a bit better! Hope your eye doen't turn blue, but if does you should totaly post a picture with the title: See what happens when you do housework instead of baking! Take care!
Sue says
Ack! You're definitely having one of 'those' weeks. Tomorrow you'll be able to say TGIF, and really mean it!
The cookies look so good!
Elyse says
You should never clean again! Stupid broom. I hate it when things like that happen, it makes me want to throw a bit of a temper tantrum. But, I feel like these cookies might have some major healing powers. They look delicious!
Janice says
Anna,
You have had a he**ofa week!
Time for a weekend at the spa.
The cookies look great but you need some Anna time!
😉
xoxo
Louise says
The Italian bishops are asking people to give up their iPods, texting, internet, etc. for Lent. Now we'll see how committed everyone is. 😉
J says
You poor thing! I'm glad you got the arnica.
About these beautiful cookies: What is the texture?
and:
LOL @ Carole Resnick!
Carole Resnick says
I gave up cleaning for Lent about 20 years ago and never took it up again. And, I'm Jewish.
Feel better, Anna.
Sara says
Yikes - I've never had lemon in the eye, but I have had chile pepper in my eye on more than one occasion.
Louise says
April 2009 Bon Appetit has a recipe for Strawberry-Rhubarb Tarts, but I'd suggest you get some new rhubarb. It's coming into season now. I'll be making the tart this weekend. 🙂
Amy says
Now THAT's my kind of cookie!
pooh, I hope you don't end up with black eye:(
Heather - Ghost Baker says
Yep, that sounds like something I would do! Glad you had the rhubarb on hand! Do these taste like brown sugar sugar cookies? They look great!
Louise says
Wow! Never heard of the gel, but I'll have to look for it. Another reason to avoid housework -- it can be down right dangerous.
Lara says
Oh my gosh, you poor thing! Be careful! 🙂 Also, I would kill for one fo those cookies RIGHT NOW.
Kristacular says
These look so YUM! Good to know about the gel! Hope you aren't too sore!
K:)
Katrina says
Yum to the cookies! Yuck to the kapow to the eye! Hope you can keep the healing going! Be careful. I totally agree, housework-thumbs down, baking-two thumbs way up! Take care.
Maria says
What a morning! I hope you are ok!! The cookies look great, never had brown sugar cookies before. I am sure I will love them!