Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1/4 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
This ingredient lineup is very close to other brown sugar cinnamon cookie and cinnamon‑sugar cookie recipes that center on a buttery base, brown sugar sweetness, and cinnamon for flavor.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to promote even baking and prevent sticking, a standard step in modern cookie recipes.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. This usually takes a couple of minutes with a hand mixer or stand mixer and is an important step for achieving soft, tender cookies.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined and smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg (if using) until evenly mixed so there are no pockets of leavening or spice.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed or by hand just until combined. Overmixing cookie dough is often cautioned against because it can develop gluten and make cookies tougher.
- Shape the dough into 1‑inch balls. Roll each ball in the granulated sugar to coat, which gives the cookies a light crunch on the outside and helps highlight the cinnamon flavor, similar to snickerdoodle and cinnamon‑sugar cookie techniques.
- Place the sugar‑coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers look just set. Many cinnamon cookie recipes note that cookies should not get too dark or they can dry out, so aim for light golden, not deep brown.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Warm cinnamon cookies are often fragile, so this brief cooling time on the sheet helps them firm up.
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 27 minutes | Yield: about 24 cookies at roughly 180 kcal each, similar to cinnamon cookie calorie estimates for this size.