Brown Sugar Cookies with Rosemary Butter Glaze
/These easy, shortbread-like cookies are soft and chewy thanks to the addition of brown sugar. They are stamped and dipped in a rosemary butter glaze.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but sugar cookies hang out near the bottom of my “favorite Christmas cookie” list. They’re often a bit fussy, not holding the cute little Christmas tree and snowflake shapes that you painstakingly cut out of them. They usually taste solely of sugar, butter, and royal icing, which isn’t bad but I think we can do better. They are fine cookies, just not anything special, but they are a holiday classic so I set out to gussy them up a bit.
how to make the best brown sugar cookies
First off, get rid of the ‘sugar’ part and sub it with brown sugar. I did this for a few reasons. 1) FLAVOR. Brown sugar is just granulated sugar with a little molasses added to it, so it gives a deeper, more spiced flavor to an otherwise semi-bland cookie. (And if you are interested in all things sugar, you can read my ingredient deep dive here.) 2) TEXTURE. Brown sugar has extra moisture (from that added molasses), which means it creates a slightly fluffier, chewier cookie—a texture I am very much into.
Next, stamp these babies! My cookie cutters have been gathering dust since I got myself some cookie stamps. They are much easier, read: no gingerbread men with lost limbs, and they have a more mature, antique-y vibe in my opinion. Very fun and very fancy. **And if you don’t have cookie stamps, find a fun textured glass or vase and roll that on the dough before cutting out circles.
Last, scratch the royal icing and replace it with a rosemary butter glaze that can be eaten straight from the spoon. Simply melt butter with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, let it steep, and then whisk in powdered sugar and a splash of heavy cream before brushing onto the warm cookies. It’s a perfect ending to a sweet little cookie.
Brown Sugar Cookies with Rosemary Butter Glaze
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup (80 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 6 tsp heavy cream
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and brown sugar. Beat for 1-2 minutes, until throughly combined. Add the egg yolk and beat again for one minute, until homogenized. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients. When everything is added, increase the mixer speed to medium. The mixture will look crumbly, but that is okay. Continue mixing until the a dough begins to form a cohesive mass.
- Transfer the dough to a work surface and pat into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour, and up to 12 hours.
- When you are ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place the disc of dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out until 1/4” in thickness. Dip cookie stamps or a round cutter in a bowl of flour and cut out or stamp cookies into the dough. (If using a cookie stamp, be sure to press firmly or the shape will bake out in the oven.)
- Transfer cookies to your prepared baking sheet and let chill in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before baking. Bake cookies for 8-9 minutes, until just beginning to turn golden around the edges.
- While the cookies are baking, make your glaze. Place butter and rosemary in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook until butter is melted and rosemary is fragrant. Remove rosemary and pour melted butter into a small mixing bowl. Whisk in powdered sugar and 4 tsp heavy cream and mix until smooth. Add more heavy cream if needed to reach your desired consistency. Brush cookies with glaze while they are still warm and let cool until glaze sets.
