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    Home » Recipes » Cookies and Candy Recipes

    Grandma Josephine's​ Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe!

    Published: Sep 12, 2019 · Modified: Jul 20, 2020 by Bowl Me Over · 16 Comments

    Old Fashioned Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe are tender and chewy! Stuffed with jam and baked until golden brown they are sweet and delicious!
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Soft chewy and delicious this old fashioned Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe bakes up tender, sweet cookies that are stuffed with your favorite jam or jelly!

    Freshly baked Brown Sugar Cookie on orange plate with glass of milk.
    Bake Brown Sugar Cookies until they are golden brown!

    Easy Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe

    Honestly when I was reading my Grandma's notes on these cookies I thought perhaps some ingredients were left out.

    No white sugar?

    Water?

    Hmmm...

    But I thought I'd bake them up, just like her notes because there's obviously something I'm missing.

    And Grandma was right!

    These cookies are soft and chewy, full of molasses-ee sweetness from the dark brown sugar.

    This recipe has been in our family for almost 200 years - this is my Great, Great, Grandma Josephine's Recipe and I'm honored to share it with you!

    Boy are these cookies good! Stuffed with jam - use your favorite, I used Strawberry Rhubarb Jam and Apricot Jam, YUM!!! I even filled a few with Fig Spread and man, it was hard to pick a favorite!

    What I loved best is that such a simple cookie could be so perfectly delicious!

    Why use brown sugar in cookies?

    Have I mentioned Grandma Cochrane was a Home Economics Professor? Grandma knew what she was doing here all the way.

    When you only use brown sugar in a cookie it bakes soft and moist. Using only brown sugar makes for a chewier cookie!

    Why is brown sugar brown?

    It's brown because it's flavored with sweet molasses. It's what keeps the sugar moist and super sweet!

    Which brown sugar is best for cookies?

    Light brown sugar and dark are interchangeable in this recipe, but I like that extra bit of flavor you get from dark in this recipe! If light is what you have, then go for it - either way you won't be disappointed!

    When a recipe calls for brown sugar is it light or dark?

    As mentioned above, either will work - unless it specifies they are interchangeable.

    Brown Sugar Cookies stacked on blue plate.
    Moist from the brown sugar and stuffed with jam, these are a sweet treat!

    How to make Brown Sugar Cookies

    Ingredient list for the cookie recipe

    • brown sugar - makes moist, tender cookies
    • butter - shortening or butter also helps keeps cookies moist
    • eggs - helps ingredients to bind together and makes cookies chewy
    • flour - depending upon the amount in a recipe can make the cookies crunchy or chewy
    • salt - keep the sweetness from taking over and balances the flavors
    • cinnamon - adds flavor and balances with the molasses in the cookies
    • vanilla - more flavor - delicious!
    • baking soda - helps the cookies rise
    • jam - for a sweet surprise in the middle!

    Steps to make Brown Sugar Cookies

    1. Allow the sugar to come to room temperature.
    2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon - set aside.
    3. In a mixer cream the eggs, brown sugar, butter, water and vanilla.
    4. Add the dry ingredients, mix well.
    5. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet.
    6. Make a dimple in the middle of the cookie.
    7. Drop a teaspoon of jam into the middle of each cookie.
    8. Top with another small spoonful of dough.
    9. Bake until golden brown.

    For more baking tips to make the BEST Homemade Cookies click here for The Science of Baking Cookies.

    Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe on baking sheet - cookies are cooling.
    Allow the cookies to cool completely on a baking rack.

    BEST Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe

    Don't crowd the cookies on the cookie sheet as they will spread when baking!

    Deb Clark

    Bowl Me Over

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    Check out this recipe
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    I knew I'd temp you with one of these delicious cookies! Comment below, I'd love to hear which is your favorite!

    Brown Sugar Cookies stacked on blue plate.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 7 votes

    Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe

    Old Fashioned Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe are tender and chewy! Stuffed with jam and baked until golden brown they are sweet and delicious!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time10 mins
    10 mins
    Total Time20 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 36 cookies
    Calories: 142kcal
    Author: Deb Clark
    Cost: $10
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups brown sugar
    • 3 ½ cups flour
    • 1 cup butter softened
    • 3 eggs
    • ½ cup water
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

    Instructions

    • Allow the sugar to come to room temperature.
    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, prepare baking sheet - lightly spray - set aside.
    • Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon - set aside.
    • In a mixer cream together eggs, brown sugar, butter, water and vanilla.
    • Add the dry ingredients, in two separate batches until well combined, scraping down the side - mix well.
    • Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between the cookies as they spread shile baking.
    • Make a dimple in the middle of the cookie. Drop a teaspoon of jam into the middle of each cookie.Top with another teaspoon of dough.
    • Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown

    Notes

    • Be sure to leave plenty of room between the cookies as they spread while baking.
    • Simply drop a teaspoon of dough on top of the jam, no need to try and seal the dough over the jam.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 177IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
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    About Bowl Me Over

    Welcome to Bowl Me Over! My name is Debra and I send warm greetings from sunny California. I am a serious foodie – I’ve been known as the go-to girl in our family for years, catering weddings and anniversary parties. In the summer I help cook mountains of food for our family reunions. Often times things I create end up in a bowl, hence the name Bowl Me Over! Let's stay connected, you can email me at [email protected] and find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

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