With the holidays fast approaching, the time has come to dig out all your best recipes so you’re not that girl at the cookie exchange sporting chocolate chip again. Some will bring pumpkin pies for their Thanksgiving family gatherings, and you will surely see every Santa, reindeer and holly shaped cookie the world has to offer come December. But show up with these cookies and your friends and family will be taken aback by their simplicity. Packed with the sweetness we all expect during the holidays and warm flavors like brown sugar and vanilla, this unassuming recipe will quickly become one of your go to crowd pleasers year-round.

 Brown Sugar Cookies:

• ¾ cup soft butter
• 2 cups brown sugar (light or dark is fine)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking power
• ½ tsp salt
• Granulated sugar (for topping)

Vanilla Glaze (optional):

• 2 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
• 1 ½ tbsp butter
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tbsp salt
• 3-4 tbsp milk (I usually just fill up the cap three or four times)

 For the cookies:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Cream the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
3. Mix in the salt and baking powder.
4. Gradually add the flour (I usually do this in three parts) until the dough is well combined.
5. Form into tablespoon-sized cookies and flatten the tops of the cookies with a spoon.
6. Sprinkle the granulated sugar into the depressions (optional).
7. Bake for 11 minutes on greased cookie sheets. The cookies won’t spread in the oven, and they will be light in color, so be sure not to overbake them!

For the glaze:

1. Sift the confectioners’ sugar.
2. Whisk all ingredients until very smooth.
3. Drizzle over baked cookies (and by drizzle, I mean douse.)

*If you’re not in the mood for glazed cookies, this recipe is also delicious if you mix butterscotch chips into the dough and omit the glaze. It’s your cookie, do what you want with it!

words_erin fischer. photo_raquel zaldivar.