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.