Slice and Bake Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies
This incredible Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookie recipe is based on my buttery classic shortbread cookie recipe, but uses dark brown sugar instead of granulated sugar. The molasses in the dark brown sugar produces a wonderful blend of toffee and caramel, making these cookies so good they'll disappear fast.
Servings: 28 cookies
Calories: 118kcal
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (114 grams) dark brown sugar light brown sugar can also be used
- 8 ounces (227 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 12 ounces (340 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg optional
Topping
- 2 tablespoons raw cane sugar or turbinado sugar
Instructions
Make the Cookies
- Measure out all the ingredients before you start mixing them together.
- Place the brown sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla bean paste in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until the mixture is thoroughly combined and smooth about 2 minutes.
- Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl, and add all the flour at once. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix until all the flour is just combined. The dough will be crumbly at this point. Increase the mixer speed to medium and mix until the dough has come together into large pieces. The dough should be soft and easy to handle.
- Divide the dough into two pieces, each weighing about 340 grams. Lightly flour a clean working surface. The flour will prevent the dough from sticking as you shape it. Place one portion of the dough on the floured surface and gently press it into a rough rectangular shape, about 1 inch thick. Now, with your hands, start to gently roll the dough back and forth, applying even pressure. As you roll, the dough will begin to lengthen and form a log shape.
- Continue rolling and shaping the dough until it forms a smooth, uniform log about 1-1/2 in diameter. If the dough starts to crack, don't worry! Just gently press it back together. Once you're happy with the shape of your log, wrap it in wax paper.
- Cut a sheet of wax paper that is long enough to wrap around the log with a little extra for overlapping. Place the log 2 inches from the long edge of the wax paper. Bring the long edge of the paper together over the top of the dough and smooth it so there are no gaps. Roll the log in the wax paper. You may need to occasionally stop and pull the wax paper tight if any gaps form. Twist the ends of the wax paper like a candy wrapper to secure the log. Repeat this process with the second portion of dough. Now your dough logs are ready for chilling
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and for up to 2 days. Chilling the dough will help the cookies hold their shape when baking.
Bake the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a half baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove one log of cookie dough from the refrigerator. Unwrap the cookie dough and leave it on the wax paper. Sprinkle, the lightly press the sugar into the surface of the log.
- Use a ruler to mark the log every 1/2-inch for cutting the cookie log. Slice the dough into rounds. Please up to 12 cookie rounds on a prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 17-20 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be lightly golden brown.
- Take the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a cookie rack to completely cool.
- At this point the cookies are ready to eat.
Storage
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
How to Freeze Unbaked Cookie Dough
- Once your cookie dough logs are securely wrapped in wax paper, you can freeze them to bake later. First, chill them in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour so the log is firm.
- Place the wrapped logs in a large freezer bag or airtight container. This freezer bag will help prevent freezer burn and keep your dough fresh. Make sure to squeeze out as much air as possible from the freezer bag before sealing it tightly. Lay the bag flat in the freezer. This will help the logs maintain their shape and prevent them from getting squished by other items in your freezer.
- Shortbread cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready to bake, take a log out of the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight until it's firm but pliable enough to slice. Slice and bake according to the recipe instructions. Add a minute or two to the baking time to account for the dough being chilled.
Nutrition
Calories: 118kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 203IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg