These easy-to-make brown sugar cookies are soft, chewy, and made with simple pantry staples that you probably already have stashed in your kitchen cabinets. They get a dazzling holiday makeover with a sprinkle of vibrant red and white sparkling sugar, adding a festive flair and a little crunch that will make every bite feel like a celebration.
Earlier this year, in May, I made Simple Brown Sugar Cookies (Soft & Chewy). My goal was to create a sweet cookie, using brown sugar, that would have a great soft and chewy texture that pretty much anyone could enjoy. I wanted to keep the recipe simple: no nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, fancy icing, and definitely no sprinkles that always seem to look pretty but just end up tasting like stale somewhat chemical-tasting sugar. Simply put, I wanted to make a plain ol’ basic yummy cookie with zero frills.
Y’all, I loved that straightforward original simple brown sugar cookie recipe so much that I pretty much instantly decided to use it for every single one of this year’s Christmas Cookies Week recipes. It’s the perfect lil’ cookie recipe that almost anyone can bake, without the worry of something going wrong or needing to purchase unusual ingredients that may never be used again. And, with this week’s new recipes, you’ll have lots of new ways to gussy up the original recipe and make it even more delicious.
Today’s recipe is for sure the simplest recipe of this week’s five new brown sugar cookie recipes. It uses the same basic dough ingredients but adds sparkling red and white sugar in place of the optional demerara sugar from the original recipe. In this version of the recipe, the sparkling sugar adds a delightful crunch to the cookies, in addition to making them colorful and festive. When you need a cookie to add color to your holiday cookie plate, tin, or platter, these Red & White Sparkling Brown Sugar Cookies are definitely a winner.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1 Egg
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- Red & White Sparkling Sugar or Sanding Sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together for 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add the egg; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Add the vanilla; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Add the baking soda and salt; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Slowly add the flour 1/2 cup at a time on low speed. Mix until just combined.
- Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop the cookie dough out onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Top each cookie with a generous sprinkling of red and white sparking sugar or sanding sugar.
- Bake for 12 minutes.
Suggestions:
- Allow the cookies to rest for 5 minutes before removing them to a baking rack to finish cooling completely.
- These cookies will be puffed up and just starting to crack a bit on top when they are done baking. They will deflate as they cool, creating a soft and chewy cookie. If you overbake the cookies they will be dry and crispier.
- This recipe will yield approximately 1 1/2 dozen cookies. It’s an easy recipe to double if you so desire.
Improvements:
- Add chocolate chips or chocolate chunks to the cookie dough.
- Fold chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds into the cookie dough.
- Add some food coloring to the dough for festive and super-colorful holiday cookies.
- Replace the sparkling sugar with colorful sprinkles.
- CLICK HERE to check out all of our past cookie recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1 Egg
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- Red & White Sparkling Sugar or Sanding Sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together for 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add the egg; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Add the vanilla; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Add the baking soda and salt; mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Slowly add the flour 1/2 cup at a time on low speed. Mix until just combined.
- Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop the cookie dough out onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Top each cookie with a generous sprinkling of red and white sparking sugar or sanding sugar.
- Bake for 12 minutes.
PIN THIS RECIPE
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Cream Cheese Red Velvet Thumbprint Cookies
Chocolate Espresso Brown Sugar Cookies
Sparkling Sugar Irish Butter Slice & Bake Cookies
Christmas is a time for family, friends, and delicious holiday cookies. From classic butter cookies to iced gingerbread cookies, this list of ultimate Christmas cookie recipes has something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for festive colors, unique seasonal ingredients, or just a cookie that’s super easy to make, these Christmas cookie recipes will help you find the perfect cookie for the season. CLICK HERE for the recipes.
Try our original Simple Brown Sugar Cookies (Soft & Chewy) recipe. Looking for a simple non-fussy cookie recipe that uses basic ingredients you already have on hand in your pantry? Look no further than this soft and chewy simple brown sugar cookie recipe. The brown sugar adds a sweet flavor and a soft, chewy texture to these cookies, and a final sprinkle of demerara sugar before baking gives them a delightful crunchy topping. CLICK HERE for the recipe.
Softened unsalted butter, light brown sugar, vanilla, and a few other essential baking ingredients come together to create the perfect soft and chewy brown sugar cookie dough. By experimenting with additional ingredients or toppings, you can transform this simple dough into an endless variety of flavors and textures. Whether you’re baking up a storm for the holidays, crafting a colorful cookie platter for your next party, or simply indulging your sweet tooth, this cookie dough is your new best friend. Below, you’ll find some of our favorite flavor combinations, each offering a delicious and exciting new twist to the classic cookie recipe. CLICK HERE for the recipes.
This will be the 8th year Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck has participated in this particular Christmas Cookies Week event. Below you can find links to all of the recipes we have contributed throughout the years, however, you can also CLICK HERE to find an entire list of our past cookie recipes. Don’t be afraid to let a non-traditional cookie recipe play a role in your holiday baking this year because when it comes to Christmas cookies, variety is always a good thing. Happy baking y’all.
2024
Red & White Sparkling Brown Sugar Cookies
Honey Roasted Peanut Chocolate Kiss Cookies
Coconut & Dried Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter Frosted Jammy Bits Cookies
Cornmeal Dried Cranberry Brown Sugar Cookies
2023
Ginger’s Cherry Chocolate Chip Sprinkle Cookies
Sparkling Sugar Irish Butter Slice & Bake Cookies
White Chocolate Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
Orange Mixed Berry Glazed Thumbprint Cookies
Cinnamon Powdered Sugar Panko Cookies
2022
Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Toffee Cookies
Chocolate Fudge Brownie Oatmeal M&M Cookies
Lemon Iced Gingerbread Cookies
2021
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Grape Nuts
Cappuccino Swirl Butter Cookies
Dark Rum Cherry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cocoa Powder Cookies
Old-Fashioned Jubilee Jumbles Cookies
2020
Cinnamon Chip Holiday Spice Cake Mix Cookies
Peppermint Cream Cheese Crushed Oreo Cookies
Cran-Raisin Oatmeal Cookies with Grape Nuts
Sadie’s Double Pecan Butter Cookies
2019
Cream Cheese Red Velvet Thumbprint Cookies
Chocolate Hazelnut Winter Wonderland Cookies
Coconut Grinchy Christmas Breakfast Cookies
Soft Cinnamon Apple Pecan Cookies
Chocolate-Dipped Christmas Butter Cookies
2018
Chocolate Espresso Brown Sugar Cookies
White Christmas Peppermint Holiday Cookies
Chocolate Chip Vanilla Cookies
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Cereal Cookies
Whoville Christmas Wreath Sugar Cookies
2017
Crystallized Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mexican Chocolate Chip Crinkle Cookies
Make sure to check out all of the other great Christmas Cookies Week 2024 recipes below. A huge thanks to Jolene’s Recipe Journal for hosting this event.
- Christmas Monster Cookies by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Ginger Bourbon Cookies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Greek Butter Cookies by Art of Natural Living
- Christmas Butter Cookies by Blogghetti
- Red & White Sparkling Brown Sugar Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
- Gingerbread Pizzelles by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Swiss Lebkuchen by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms by Magical Ingredients
- Tea Cakes by That Recipe
- Christmas Magic Cookie Bars by The Spiffy Cookie
