The Sugar Tip For Softer Drop Cookies

In the wide, wide world of cookies, drop cookies are some of the easiest and most delicious options. You can make a dozen drop cookies with citrus to evoke the flavors of lemon butter cookies. Or, you can simplify your ingredients with tried-and-true chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin recipes. In fact, Betty Crocker defines drop cookies as timeless and classic baked goods. Plus, drop cookies can easily move from the mixing bowl to the baking sheet. All it takes is a scoop of dough and then a drop — hence the cookies' namesake.

But just because drop cookies are simple and popular, doesn't mean there's not room for improvement. Your ingredients matter and can impact the final texture and taste of your cookies. There's nothing quite as disappointing as going through the hassle of making a cookie dough — only to bite into an over-baked or hard cookie. Luckily, MasterClass outlines one simple trick of the trade that will keep your drop cookies moist and delicious.

We already know that different kinds of sugar serve different purposes. But in making drop cookies, the type of sugar proves especially important. If you're looking for ultra-chewy, ultra-soft cookies, leave your standard white sugar in the cabinet and go for a darker version.

Yes, to make drop cookies with the perfect consistency, brown sugar is your best bet. MasterClass recommends brown sugar for the degree of moisture it brings to the table — or, rather, to your dough. Brown sugar is essentially white sugar paired with molasses, which is known to add wetness to whatever it goes into (via Better Homes & Gardens). On its own, white sugar has less moisture than its darker counterpart and is therefore better suited to crispier cookies (per Kitchn).

So, if you're looking for drop cookies that won't drop to a hard texture, swap in brown sugar. According to Kitchn, you can easily substitute brown for white sugar on a 1-to-1 ratio. Not only will your cookies moisten, they'll also darken — and taste all the better. How's that for a baking hack that's sweet as sugar?