Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup (150g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 tsp (5ml) pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups (155g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp (3g) baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp (1.5g) fine sea salt

Instructions:

  1. Cream the butter and sugar. Combine the softened butter and light brown sugar in a bowl. Mix until combined, but stop before it gets fluffy. Note: Over creaming adds too much air, which makes the cookies cakey.
  2. Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Keep going until the mixture is smooth and the color is a uniform pale tan.
  3. Sift the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt directly into the wet mixture. Note: This ensures the baking soda is evenly distributed for a consistent rise.
  4. Fold the dough. Use your spatula to fold the ingredients together. Stop as soon as no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix or you'll develop too much gluten, and you'll lose that shatter crisp texture.
  5. Scoop and space. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto your prepared baking sheet. Space them at least 2 inches apart. These Crispy Brown Sugar Cookies will spread, and you don't want one giant mega cookie.
  6. Bake the batch. Slide them into the oven at 350°F (175°C). Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are deep mahogany gold and the centers are set.
  7. The critical rest. Take them out and let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes. This is when the structure firms up. If you move them too soon, they'll break.
  8. Final cool. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. This ensures the bottoms don't steam and become soggy.