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Here’s a vintage recipe for Betty Crocker Old-Fashioned Brown Sugar Drop Cookies that was a big hit when I tried it out recently. I found the recipe in my old 1978 Betty Crocker Cookbook, but am pretty certain it dates back to at least the 1950s.
Described as “one of the most versatile cookie doughs ever tested,” with more than a half dozen variations listed, these Brown Sugar Drops bake up soft and chewy with the flavor of brown sugar.
I divided the batch of dough into thirds, using 1/3 of it to make a dozen of these simple brown sugar drops.
I used the remaining 2/3 to test out a couple of variations – coconut drops and chocolate Special K drops – that I promise to write about soon.
How Many Calories and WW Points in these Old-Fashioned Brown Sugar Drop Cookies?
According to my calculations, each 2 cookie serving has about 108 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
Cookie Ingredients
- Brown sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Low-fat buttermilk, or water
- Egg
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
Recipe Notes
The recipe suggests that you ice these Betty Crocker brown sugar drop cookies with a light browned butter sugar glaze, but I wanted something not-too-sweet and was short on time, so skipped it. When I have more time, I plan on making a small batch of the glaze and trying it on a few.
Mom, Rod and I all really liked them. In fact, of the three variations, this was Rod’s favorite. He said it reminded him of a cookie he used to eat as a kid. And since I never mentioned the icing, he didn’t even miss it!
With only 7 WW Points (or 3 PointsPlus) for 2 cookies, they are Weight Watchers friendly too. These little gems would make a great addition to your holiday dessert table or a delightful hostess gift. Enjoy!
Betty Crocker Brown Sugar Drop Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup buttermilk or water
- 1 large egg
- 1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, butter, buttermilk and egg until creamy and well blended. (The mixture may look curdled which is fine.)
- Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt just until blended.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Position an oven rack in the center of your oven. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
- Drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls, about 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake in the center of the oven until almost no indentation remains when touched, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
- Repeat with the remaining cookie dough, being sure that the cookie sheets are cool before placing dough on them.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 3 PointsPlus (Old plan) The original recipe suggests that you ice these Betty Crocker brown sugar drop cookies with a light browned butter sugar glaze, but I wanted something not-too-sweet and was short on time, so skipped it. When I have more time, I plan on making a small batch of the glaze and trying it on a few.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Cookie Recipes Made Lighter
- No-Bake Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (SkinnyTaste)
- Easy Strawberry Shortcake Cookies (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- WW Chocolate Chip Cookies (EmilyBites)
- Crackle Spice Drop Cookies (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies (DrizzleMeSkinny)
So I didn’t see the 3/4 extra flour. I used what was left in my canister and it was very stiff. But when I cooked them they spread flat. I looked in my betty Crocker and it called for lard all ingredients doubled what this recipe was. I remember my mother making these. She might have even let me help. Lol
But very good flavor
Make a double batch of these and make raisin filled ( or any filling) ! They are amazing!
Looks delicious, am planning to make these tomorrow! One quick question: I notice it calls for buttermilk or water. I don’t have buttermilk on hand, but would regular milk be an ok substitute instead of water? Thanks!
Hi Andrea, I’ve only ever made them with buttermilk, as written so not sure how they turn out. Here’s a great article talking about the best substitutes for buttermilk. I usually opt for milk with vinegar or lemon juice. Hope this helps! https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/substitute-buttermilk-baking-article
I put chocolate chips in mine. The result is a cookie that tastes like the original but is thick and soft.
Thanks Linda. The addition of chocolate chips sounds delicious.
How fun to have a dough that goes three ways! Yum. Happy weekend, Martha!