It’s often said that the simple things in life are best, and these sweet little cookies prove that point a million times over. They aren’t adorned with chocolate chips or nuts or dried fruit, rather, they shine with a straightforward butteriness that’s bumped up with just a hint of toffee flavor from the brown sugar. They’re soft and chewy and easy to make – no cookie cutters required!

The dough starts with plenty of butter and brown sugar that you cream together. There’s no white sugar here, just light brown sugar to bring in that subtle molasses flavor.

The rest of the mixture is comprised of the usual baking suspects – flour, egg, baking powder, and some vanilla.

You roll the dough into little balls and dust them in some granulated sugar. This step isn’t required but it does give the cookies a nice sugary crunch in the end.

Then they head onto a baking sheet, where they get that cute fork criss-cross treatment that you frequently see on peanut butter cookies.

Next up, an important step but one that’s hard for the impatient – chill those cookies before you bake them. It’s hard, I know, but it helps keep the cookies from spreading out too much in the oven and ensures that wonderful soft and chewy texture.

I love these cookies because I nearly always have the things on hand to make them. No chocolate chips? Don’t want to use up all your peanut butter? No problem. Delicious, sweet little cookies are still in your future. And with the uncomplicated buttery brown sugar flavor, you won’t miss any of the usual add-ins one bit.