No one should be surprised to read that I love baking. But, more specifically, I love baking cookies. The uniformity of them appeals greatly to my inner organizer. It makes me endlessly happy to see a few dozen perfectly-sized cookies cooling side by side on my kitchen counter.
These particular cookies manage to be simple and interesting at the same time. While there aren’t many ingredients, the ones present really take center stage. In the end, you have a brown sugar laden treat packed with toasted pecans and covered in sweet confectioners’ sugar.
The recipe for these cookies comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. It is jam-packed with just about any kind of cookie you can imagine. For all my fellow cookie bakers, it is a must-have for your cookbook collection.
The very fine folks at King Arthur Flour have generously offered to give a lucky Bake or Break reader their very own copy of this fabulous cookbook. How great is that? But, wait! It gets better! We’ve put together a Cookie Baking Essentials giveaway that I’m very excited about giving to one of you. In addition to the cookbook, you’ll get a coupon for a free bag of King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, a bag of Sparkling White Sugar, a bottle of Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract, and a bag of Mini Peanut Butter Cups.
UPDATE: Contest is now closed. Thanks to all who participated! Congratulations to Heather, who expressed her love of Snickerdoodles!
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup salted, toasted pecans*
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
Beat brown sugar, butter, and vanilla until well-blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in baking soda and salt. Add flour and pecans, stirring until smooth.
Cover bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease or line baking sheets.
Place confectioners’ sugar in a shallow dish. Using about a tablespoonful of dough, roll dough into balls. Roll balls in confectioners’ sugar, coating thoroughly. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake 12 minutes, or until cookies have spread and cracked on top. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Then, transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
*Before toasting pecans, lightly spritz with water and sprinkle with salt.
Recipe adapted from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.
April 17th, 2012 at 8:47 am
I love chewy chocolate chip!!
April 17th, 2012 at 9:00 am
My favorite is Oatmeal Raisin Cookie.
I found the recipe on the internet a few years ago which uses rice flour. It is the best.
By the way, I made the Caramel Oatmeal Bar. My sister and I loved it.
Thank you.
April 17th, 2012 at 9:10 am
Favorite cookie……….a very hard choice. I might say my current favorite is a chocolate cookie that surrounds a peanut butter center. In fact, I think I found the recipe on one of your Saturday reviews of things you’d bookmarked!
April 17th, 2012 at 9:12 am
My favorite cookie is the classic chocolate chip cookie! Warm and gooey out of the oven! Yum!
April 17th, 2012 at 9:18 am
My favorites are Kim Boyce’s whole wheat chocolate chip cookies with maldon salt on top, I feel like i’m being a little healthier and the whole wheat flour makes them a little sweeter.
April 17th, 2012 at 9:19 am
My favorite is these linzer cookies my mother-in-law makes! Old school and amazing.
April 17th, 2012 at 9:24 am
Peanut butter blossoms. Or white chocolate macadamia. Or molasses. DAMMIT. I can’t pick a favorite.
April 17th, 2012 at 9:25 am
These look like a great companion to a cup of coffee, which, by the way…I love with brown sugar and a bit of cream. I will definitley try these. They look so delicious!
April 17th, 2012 at 9:29 am
Chocolate chunk with toasted walnuts! Yummmmmmm
April 17th, 2012 at 9:31 am
I love oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!
April 17th, 2012 at 9:35 am
peanut butter cookies
April 17th, 2012 at 9:36 am
I never get tired of oatmeal chocolate chippers with dried cranberries.
April 17th, 2012 at 9:45 am
I pinned it on my “Food I Want” board:
http://pinterest.com/eatrunread/food-i-want/
April 17th, 2012 at 9:46 am
Hands down, chocolate chip!
April 17th, 2012 at 9:48 am
I love baking chocolate chip cookies with dried cherries, but I have been trying to find a good chewy chocolate cookie recipe for a while now.
April 17th, 2012 at 9:49 am
Just pinned it.
April 17th, 2012 at 9:50 am
My favorite cookie is chocolate chip
April 17th, 2012 at 9:50 am
Just tweeted.
April 17th, 2012 at 9:51 am
Chocolate chip cookies
April 17th, 2012 at 9:54 am
Might be boring, but I love a good traditional chocolate chip cookie.
April 17th, 2012 at 9:54 am
Pinned it!
April 17th, 2012 at 9:57 am
I LOVE cookies! Snickerdoodles I think are my tried and true favorite. They always make me happy!
April 17th, 2012 at 10:00 am
Oatmeal chocolate chip is the best combination–by far my favorite!
April 17th, 2012 at 10:04 am
I’m going to have to go with the traditional chocolate chip…warm out of the oven, of course!
April 17th, 2012 at 10:15 am
I think my favorite homemade cookie would have to be a really good peanut butter cookie.
April 17th, 2012 at 10:23 am
I really like a nice dark cookie with ginger and molasses. The more ginger, the better!
April 17th, 2012 at 10:23 am
I love oatmeal raisin cookies, but I am a sucker for any cookie no matter what flavor.
April 17th, 2012 at 10:33 am
Cookies in general are a favorite of mine so it’s hard to pick one kind over the rest… ginger chocolate chip cookies tied with monster cookies tied with thumbprint cookies are probably the closest to favorites that I have
April 17th, 2012 at 10:33 am
pinned it! Hope I win!
April 17th, 2012 at 10:34 am
Chewy chocolate chip or shortbread, but the KA magic in the middle cookies are pretty yummy too.
April 17th, 2012 at 10:38 am
These cookies look delicious! Too hard to decide my favorite cookie…I think I’ll go with peanut butter chocolate chip
April 17th, 2012 at 10:47 am
If I had to pick a favorite it would be sugar cookies with red hots! I would LOVE to win this because I LOVE to bake cookies too!
April 17th, 2012 at 11:08 am
I love so many kinds of cookies…but if I have to choose, it will be soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies!
April 17th, 2012 at 11:15 am
My favorite are these chocolate crinkles – http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chocolate_crinkles/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+elise%2Fsimplyrecipes%20%28Simply%20Recipes%29
April 17th, 2012 at 11:20 am
It’s so hard to choose…but I guess I’d have to say chocolate chip if I can only pick one
April 17th, 2012 at 11:20 am
My favourite cookie has to be a chocolate chip peanut butter cookie – the two flavours go perfectly together!
April 17th, 2012 at 11:21 am
Peanut butter with white chocolate chips and mini Reese’s PB cups. YUM!!!
April 17th, 2012 at 11:54 am
I love oatmeal chocolate chip almond with cinnamon. Yummy!
April 17th, 2012 at 11:55 am
I think my cravings change daily, but right now I’d have to say any cookie with peanut butter in it. Or maybe a big soft ginger cookie. See! I can’t even decide here.
April 17th, 2012 at 11:55 am
Pinned it!
April 17th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
I love the GF chocolate chip cookies from the KAF website recipes!
April 17th, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Oh My, how does one limit their loves to one favorite??? hmmmm, i guess mine would have to be the PB cookie full of various chocolate chips/chunks. Dreeeeeeeamy!! And I LOVE king arthur flours for baking breads and rolls. Awesome find!
April 17th, 2012 at 12:19 pm
and I just facebooked this too!!
April 17th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
My favorite cookie is defiantly my modified chocolate chip cookie frozen!
April 17th, 2012 at 12:23 pm
I love soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies!
April 17th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
My favorite is Chocolate Crinkles which is a lot like the Brown Sugar crinkles you featured today but rich and fudgey. I use Dark Cocoa when I make them and they are delicious! Thank you for wonderful recipes!
April 17th, 2012 at 12:33 pm
Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chip from the Flying Apron Cookbook out of Seattle. Best chocolate chip cookie ever – gluten free or regular!
April 17th, 2012 at 12:38 pm
Glazed vanill buttermild tea cakes (soft cookie)
April 17th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
I love chocolate chip cookies. The best kind are made with dark brown sugar in my opinion!
April 17th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
I just tweeted about this giveaway!
April 17th, 2012 at 12:57 pm
What a great giveaway! My favorites are oatmeal chocolate chip!
April 17th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
My favorite cookie is the big and chewy ginger cookie. Oh!
April 17th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
I have also pinned this.
April 17th, 2012 at 1:03 pm
i really love lemon bars.
April 17th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
I love raspberry linzer cookies!
April 17th, 2012 at 1:07 pm
My favorite cookies are lemon crinkles. I could eat the whole batch!
April 17th, 2012 at 1:09 pm
Yay, shared with facebook friends!
April 17th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Consider me pinned!
April 17th, 2012 at 1:13 pm
My favorites are chocolate chip toffee cookies.
April 17th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
My current favorite cookies are oatmeal chocolate chip made with chocolate and white chocolate chips, a bit of peanut butter, and the oatmeal is put through the food processor after measuring.
April 17th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
Chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven! Yum!
April 17th, 2012 at 2:06 pm
As plain as this may sound, good ‘ole chocolate chip cookies are my favorite! I love them soft, thick, warm, and loaded with dark chocolate chips. Thanks for the lovely giveaway!
April 17th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
I love white chocolate chip butterscotch chip cookies!
April 17th, 2012 at 2:41 pm
Facebook-ed!
April 17th, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Tweeted!
April 17th, 2012 at 3:07 pm
Fav cookie of all time: Mexican Wedding! Love the nuts and powdered sugar.
April 17th, 2012 at 3:14 pm
I love maple walnut cookies!
April 17th, 2012 at 3:40 pm
my favorite cookie is oatmeal, coconut chocolate chip.
April 17th, 2012 at 3:41 pm
i don’t have facebook or twitter so i can’t get extra entries that way – can i get one for being a subscriber?
April 17th, 2012 at 3:45 pm
Classic chocolate chip cookies – no nuts are my favorite
April 17th, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Snickerdoodles are my favorite!
April 17th, 2012 at 4:28 pm
i love compost cookies! and monster cookies…i can’t choose!
April 17th, 2012 at 4:52 pm
If I had to choose, I’d say Honey Shortbread Cookies Sprinkled with Sea Salt are my favorite cookie. There’s something so fundamental and transcendent about a good shortbread cookie.
April 17th, 2012 at 5:10 pm
Such a tough one… but my all time favorite cookie would probably have to be pignoli cookies. You sometimes find really good ones at italian bakeries.
April 17th, 2012 at 5:16 pm
I can never say no to a chewy chocolate chip cookie!
April 17th, 2012 at 5:18 pm
I LOVE thumbprints!
April 17th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
I think right now (emphasis on right now) my favorite is a chocolate chip cookie recipe by David Lebowitz that uses Valhrona feve disks and are finished with a sprinkling of sea salt. To die for!
April 17th, 2012 at 5:55 pm
I shared this on FB.
April 17th, 2012 at 5:55 pm
Shared the love on Pinterest.
April 17th, 2012 at 5:59 pm
Chocolate espresso!
April 17th, 2012 at 7:15 pm
I love chewy molasses!
April 17th, 2012 at 7:24 pm
Just pinned this!
April 17th, 2012 at 7:26 pm
Tweeted!
April 17th, 2012 at 7:40 pm
I have to go with the classic chocolate chip cookie. I LOVE all cookies though.
April 17th, 2012 at 7:42 pm
tweeted it https://twitter.com/#!/SaraMama/status/192442854839291904
April 17th, 2012 at 7:42 pm
pinned it @saramama
April 17th, 2012 at 8:40 pm
I love oatmeal cookies. No raisins to mess up that goodness.
April 17th, 2012 at 9:28 pm
My favorite would be my cocoa chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
April 17th, 2012 at 10:05 pm
I am so excited about this recipe!
April 17th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Oh, my favorite cookie is The Neiman Marcus $250 Cookie.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/fooddrink/a/cookie_recipe.htm
April 17th, 2012 at 10:13 pm
Pinned it!
April 17th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
My favorite cookie is a Chewy Brownie Cookie that my son bakes to perfection!
April 17th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
I pinned it!
April 17th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
My favorite cookie would definitely be an Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie
April 18th, 2012 at 1:21 am
will have to make these for this weekend as I love that mellow taste of brown sugar
thanks for the recipe and the offer!!
April 18th, 2012 at 2:03 am
A lady at church makes crispy oatmeal cookies-love them!
April 18th, 2012 at 3:01 am
I love baking cookies and King Arthur Flour! My favorite cookie right now is probably browned butter chocolate chip!
April 18th, 2012 at 3:45 am
My favorite cookie is White Chocolate Macadamia
April 18th, 2012 at 6:20 am
My favorite cookie??? Has to be whatever I happen to be eating! Love cookies. . .any kind!
April 18th, 2012 at 7:13 am
I love chocolate chip pan cookies!
April 18th, 2012 at 7:15 am
Tweet!
https://twitter.com/#!/tcrowley122/status/192617146839347200
April 18th, 2012 at 7:43 am
I pinned the recipe! And will definitely be trying it sometime soon!
April 18th, 2012 at 8:06 am
My favorite cookies are oatmeal chocolate chip!
April 18th, 2012 at 8:41 am
I love double chocolate chip whole wheat cookies.
April 18th, 2012 at 9:02 am
I love pretty much every KAF cookie recipe I’ve ever baked. But what I recall right now are the Magic in the Middles–chocolate cookies with a peanut butter center. (They’re not a sandwich cookie.)
April 18th, 2012 at 9:03 am
Shared on FB
April 18th, 2012 at 9:40 am
I can never resist a good soft chocolate chip cookie. Other than basic chocolate chip, my favorite cookies are probably the ones that I invented with a friend for finals study snacks last semester… it’s a secret recipe that may be revealed on my blog (http://ovenly-delights.blogspot.com) once we have perfected them. Hint: they include chocolate covered espresso beans. They actually make me look forward to finals week!
April 18th, 2012 at 9:42 am
I tweeted (@al2011ps)
April 18th, 2012 at 9:45 am
Shared on Facebook!
April 18th, 2012 at 10:54 am
My favorite cookie is probably a super thick and chewy snickerdoodle! Yum.
April 18th, 2012 at 12:52 pm
I love peanut blossoms, I make them every year around the holidays.
April 18th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
Haven’t met too many cookies I don’t like, but, my favorite would have to be peanut butter chocolate chip.
April 18th, 2012 at 1:59 pm
Chewy oatmeal with raisins or dried cranberries or cherries!
April 18th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies!
April 18th, 2012 at 6:00 pm
I have to say that favorite is always changing, last best thing I made was from your site, it was the chocolate chip blondies with fluer de sel, so amazing.
April 18th, 2012 at 7:03 pm
Jam Thumbprints rolled in coconut.
April 18th, 2012 at 7:04 pm
Chocolate Espresso Chews and Thomas Keller’s chocolate chip cookies.
April 18th, 2012 at 9:15 pm
My go-to cookie is Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. Always a crowd pleaser and I can pretend they are ‘healthy’.
April 19th, 2012 at 12:39 am
Kim Boyce’s Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies.
April 19th, 2012 at 4:41 am
A very fudgy chocolate brownie!
April 19th, 2012 at 9:59 am
My favorite cookie is white chocolate macadamia…it gets me every time!
April 19th, 2012 at 10:00 am
I shared this post on my FB page!
April 19th, 2012 at 11:40 am
Woah– I just found out that KAF has a cookie cookbook and was thinking about buying it, myself … fate!! I generally don’t discriminate against cookies, but I have to say my absolute top, favorite cookie is the molasses cookie. Not just any, but my Grandma’s recipe. YUM.
April 19th, 2012 at 11:41 am
Just pinned these!
April 19th, 2012 at 12:17 pm
It’s definitely hard to choose a favorite cookie! (I would never turn any one down!) But I’ve always had a special fondness towards shortbread cookies!
April 19th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
All time favorite is molasses cookies, or any variation of them.
Current favorite is salted pretzel chocolate chip cookies. A definite winner in the quest for something to satisfy that sweet salty craving!
April 19th, 2012 at 5:36 pm
scottish shortbread – so simple, but so delicious!
April 19th, 2012 at 6:42 pm
I like them all but if I have to pick just one I guess it would be peanut butter chocolate chip.
April 19th, 2012 at 9:08 pm
I am also in love with cookies! I so enjoy molasses cookies and pecan snowballs.
But I have to say that my heart belongs to the classic toll house chocolate chip cookies.
April 19th, 2012 at 9:13 pm
I shared this on face book!
April 20th, 2012 at 3:34 am
hmmm…that’s a tough one. I love a chewy molasses gingersnap. but also a big fan of classic chocolate chip. oh – and peanut butter! too many to choose! these look perfect, though. I will have to try this recipe soon.
April 20th, 2012 at 9:00 am
I love flat-ish, chewy chocolate chip cookies with either mini-chips or chunks/pieces of a dark chocolate bar throughout.
April 20th, 2012 at 9:30 am
Oreo stuffed chocolate chip!
April 20th, 2012 at 9:32 am
I shared this post on Facebook
April 20th, 2012 at 11:33 am
There is this bakery in Fresno that makes the most amazing melt-in-your-mouth “Sugar Dream” cookies!! Definitely my favorite!
April 20th, 2012 at 1:07 pm
My favorite cookie? That’s like asking your favorite child! But when I read this post, I immediately recalled a cookie I just found in “A Baker’s Odyssey” by Patent, et al. It is the Roman Chocolate Cookie and without seeing the symbolism, I baked them Thursday night to take to work on Friday – Good Friday. These cookies were dark, looked dense but were so light and airy that my co-workers all asked for the recipe (or better yet, just more cookies). Right now, this is my favorite cookie; of course, my answer is subject to change without notice
April 20th, 2012 at 3:42 pm
My favorite cookies are called Mrs. Gelbach’s cookies. My grandma used to make them and I have no idea where they came from. They are made with like a ton of flour.
April 20th, 2012 at 3:43 pm
I’ve shared this on Facebook.
April 20th, 2012 at 3:44 pm
Pinned on Pinterest.
April 20th, 2012 at 7:16 pm
My mom makes these candy cane cookies at Christmas: almond-flavored dough, half dyed red and half white, then twisted in the shape of a candy cane, and topped with actual crushed candy canes. I wait for them all year.
April 20th, 2012 at 9:57 pm
I’d have to say my grandma’s chocolate chip cookies, though lately I’ve been enamored with snickerdoodles and can’t turn down a nice spritz. Mmmm…butter!
April 21st, 2012 at 6:47 am
My favorite cookie is Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!
April 21st, 2012 at 7:31 am
my mom’s sour cream chocolate chip cookies thanks
April 21st, 2012 at 7:32 am
http://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fshar.es%2FrOmKB&t=Brown+Sugar+Crinkles
April 21st, 2012 at 7:37 am
Chocolate chip, of course. =o] Throw in a handful of toasted coconut and some slivered almonds, and I’ll be in heaven.
April 21st, 2012 at 7:58 am
I made these today – love them!
April 21st, 2012 at 9:31 am
My favorite cookie is a plain old chocolate chip cookie
Mmmm!
April 21st, 2012 at 11:31 am
I have to admit, I’m a classic chocolate chip cookie lover!
April 21st, 2012 at 11:40 am
Can’t ever go wrong with Nestle Tollhouse’s package recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Otherwise shortbread cookies =)
April 21st, 2012 at 11:45 am
i love chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
April 21st, 2012 at 11:50 am
i tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/mermont84/status/193773539885723649
April 21st, 2012 at 11:53 am
i shared on facebook
April 21st, 2012 at 5:16 pm
Oh, chewy chocolate chip cookies, for sure.
April 21st, 2012 at 6:55 pm
This remind me of the humble and delicious cookies I baked today–honey spice. Same crackly brown top. But if I were in a desert island (dessert island?) situation, I maybe have to go with the classic, the amazing oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. It’s got it all.
April 21st, 2012 at 7:10 pm
What a great give-away! It’s a tough call since I love most cookies but my great grandmother’s soft molasses cookies are in my top three for sure
April 21st, 2012 at 7:36 pm
I tweeted the link to this post! The cookies look so good! Yum.
April 21st, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Yum! For some reason I cannot turn down a classic chocolate chip cookie.
April 22nd, 2012 at 2:07 pm
Ohh this is difficult! Oatmeal chocolate chip, but I’d never turn down an Almond Cloud cookie (KA recipe)
April 22nd, 2012 at 3:01 pm
Different Sugar Cookies,yum!
April 22nd, 2012 at 3:02 pm
I love a warm chewy chocolate chip!!
April 22nd, 2012 at 3:03 pm
oh – and i shared on FB, tweeted, and pinned:)
April 22nd, 2012 at 3:09 pm
My current favorite is probably pecan pie cookies…but mostly because I’m terrified of trying to make an actual pecan pie.
April 22nd, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Oatmeal chocolate chip!
April 22nd, 2012 at 3:37 pm
My favorite “cookie” would have to be an ice cream sandwich cookie. Malt mixed into vanilla ice cream and then layered between two shorbread cookies. Yum!
April 22nd, 2012 at 4:55 pm
just pinned! yumm-o!
April 22nd, 2012 at 4:56 pm
my favorite cookie is the snickerdoodle! i think mostly because it’s so fun to say!
April 22nd, 2012 at 5:18 pm
Asking me to choose my favorite cookie is a little like asking me to choose my favorite kid, but I have to say, nothing beats a warm from the oven, chocolate chip cookie. Just barely brown on the edges!
April 22nd, 2012 at 5:18 pm
posted on my Facebook page too!
April 22nd, 2012 at 5:18 pm
and pinned it to my recipe board
April 22nd, 2012 at 6:22 pm
Chocolate chip cookies
April 22nd, 2012 at 7:19 pm
Snickerdoodles!
Thanks for the chance.
April 22nd, 2012 at 9:54 pm
i know what you mean about baking cookies and uniformity i’m righ there with you! it bugs me when muffins or cupcakes don’t bake to the same size but i love baking nonetheless
April 23rd, 2012 at 9:49 am
I love oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies with pecans. Mmm…
(A close second are Dorie Greenspan’s ginger cookies. Big, soft and spicy.)
Your brown sugar crinkles look pretty fabulous, too!
April 23rd, 2012 at 10:35 am
Chewy oatmeal raisin, although my family love chocolate chip.
April 27th, 2012 at 9:11 am
Give me a big glass of milk and i am ready. Wonderful recipe. Thanks for sharing