Brown Sugar Cut Out Cookies
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Brown Sugar Cut-Out Cookies bring a warm, caramel-kissed twist to classic holiday sugar cookies. Soft and tender with beautifully clean edges, they're perfect for Christmas decorating - or anytime you want a cookie with deeper flavor and a little more character.
If you’ve baked my Christmas cookie cutouts, you’ll love this brown sugar variation.
Recipe Overview
- Flavor: warm vanilla, buttery, lightly caramelized
- Texture: soft-set, tender center, crisp edges that hold clean shapes
- Time: 10 min prep + 10 min bake + chill time
- Perfect for: cut-out shapes, holiday decorating, cookie boxes, freezing
- Icing: Learn how to dip cookies in royal icing for an easy technique!
What I Love About These Cookies
There's something enchanting about the way brown sugar transforms a simple cut-out cookie. That extra molasses note adds warmth-just enough to feel cozy and festive without altering the classic flavor profile too much.
The dough rolls easily, bakes evenly, and the shapes stay crisp and defined (essential for holiday baking days). They're lovely plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or iced with royal icing.
And unlike many cut-out cookies, like my German gingerbread cookies, these require only a quick chill-just 15 to 20 minutes while the oven preheats.
If you love deeper-flavored cookies like my Ginger Cookies or Speculoos Cookies, these will feel like a step in that direction while still being unmistakably a sugar cookie.
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Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients you’ll need when making these easy sugar cookies.
- Butter: Softened, for a creamy, fluffy base that aerates easily.
- Brown Sugar: Adds caramel notes, moisture, and softness.
- Granulated Sugar: Helps the cookies hold their shape and adds structure.
- Egg: Binds the dough and adds richness.
- Vanilla: Warm, classic flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: The backbone of the cookie.
- Baking Powder: Adds light lift so the cookies aren't too dense.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances flavor.
Quick Note on Brown Sugar vs. Traditional Sugar Cookies
Classic sugar cookies are usually made with all granulated sugar, producing a firmer, crisper cookie with a clean, neutral sweet flavor. Using brown sugar introduces moisture and molasses, which creates a softer, slightly chewier cookie with deeper flavor.
While you can make cut-outs with all brown sugar, they tend to puff and spread slightly more. My blend of brown and white sugar gives you the best of both worlds:
- Rich flavor
- Soft centers
- Edges that stay sharp and clean
Perfect for cut-outs you'll decorate.
How to Make Brown Sugar Cut Out Cookies
These cookies come together more quickly than most cut-out recipes. The dough rolls beautifully right away, and you only need a short chill-just 15 to 20 minutes on the baking sheet while the oven preheats-for crisp edges and perfect shapes.
- Step 1: Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, then mix in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until combined. Transfer to a floured surface.
- Step 2: Divide the dough in half and roll each half to 1/4-inch thickness.
- Step 3: Cut into shapes and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Step 4: Refrigerate cut-out cookies on the baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cold, while preheating the oven to 350° F. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until set. Let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a rack for cooling.
Hint: These cookies are a bit softer than classic cut out sugar cookies, so handle them carefully until completely cooled. I used this 4-inch christmas tree cookie cutter and this 5-inch leaping reindeer cookie cutter, which I purchased on Amazon.
Variations
- All Brown Sugar: Sweeter, darker, softer; expect slightly more spread.
- Add Warm Spices: Like our spiced sugar cookie recipe, add ½ to 1 teaspoon cinnamon or chai spice for a cozy cookie.
- Glaze or Royal Icing: Great canvas for holiday decorating.
- Cut-Out Shapes: Stars, trees, snowflakes, or ornaments look especially pretty.
- Sprinkle Edges: Brush with egg wash and dip edges in sparkling sugar before baking.
Serving Ideas
- Add to your Christmas Cookie Box (these hold their shape beautifully).
- Serve with hot cocoa, coffee, or afternoon tea.
- Create a decorating station for kids or holiday guests.
- Pair with your Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs for a "light and dark" cookie tray.
Top Tip
- Chill the dough for a few minutes for the sharpest shapes.
- Roll between sheets of parchment for the easiest cleanup.
- Use light-colored baking sheets to avoid overly browned bottoms.
- Bake just until edges set - they firm up as they cool.
Recipe FAQs
The combination gives you flavor and softness (from brown sugar) and structure (from white sugar), so the cookies hold their shape.
Very minimally - chilling the dough and using parchment helps ensure clean edges.
Yes. Freeze the dough disk tightly wrapped for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Absolutely. The baked cookies freeze beautifully and stay soft when thawed.
Royal icing sets firm for stacking; buttercream is delicious but softer for storage.
More Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes
Looking for other festive recipes like this? Try these:
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Christmas Icebox Cookies (Easy Slice and Bake Cookies)
- How to Dip Sugar Cookies in Royal Icing
- 2025 Christmas Cookie Box
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Brown Sugar Cut Out Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla; beat to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and combine. Continue to beat until the dough comes together, pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
- Divide the dough in half and roll out on a floured surface to about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into shapes and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate cut-out cookies on the baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cold.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Bake cookies for 9 to 10 minutes, or until set and light brown around the edges. Let sit on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
- Serving Size: This recipe makes 30 two-inch cutout cookies, but the quantity will vary depending on the size of your cookie cutter.
- Chilling: For the cleanest cut-out shapes, chill the dough until cold. I chill unbaked cut out cookies in the refrigerator while preheating the oven.
- Sugars: A blend of brown and white sugar adds extra flavor while helping the cookies maintain structure in the oven.
- Rolling the dough: Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment for the easiest handling and cleanup.
- How to tell when the cookies are done baking: Cookies will look soft when they come out of the oven - they firm as they cool.
- Freezing cookies: These baked cookies freeze beautifully and are great for decorating ahead of time.
- Icebox Variation: This dough works great as an icebox cookie. Instead of forming the dough into a disk, form it into a log, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate until ready to bake. Then slice and bake. Or… roll the log in sprinkles or chopped nuts and then slice and bake. As you can see, there are endless variations!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
These cookies are a dream to make! I love how they hold their shape, are soft and crisp at the same time, and have that delicious sweet and warm flavor from the brown sugar.