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These chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar are soft, gooey, and just as delicious as classic chocolate chip cookies! Made using just 8 ingredients, with no chill time, and ready in 16 minutes!
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If there is one thing that chocolate chip cookies have in common, it's that they pretty much all have brown sugar in them. Well what if you ran out of brown sugar but you still want cookies?! Don't worry, these chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar are here to save the day!
These chocolate chip sugar cookies taste just like a classic chocolate chip cookie, and use just the right amount of flour, granulated sugar and butter to achieve that soft texture that typically requires brown sugar! You can make these cookies using either dairy free butter or regular butter too!
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Why These Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar Work
- These cookies are ready in 16 minutes - they seriously couldn't be easier! The dough doesn't even need to chill.
- They freeze really well both before and after baking!
- If you find yourself running low on ingredients, you can still make these cookies! All you need are 8 simple pantry ingredients to make this recipe.
- If you want thicker cookies, you can easily just chill the dough overnight and bake the next day!
Ingredients Needed
- Flour: This recipe calls for all-purpose flour, and hasn't been tested using any other flour.
- Butter: You can make these cookies dairy free by using dairy free butter, or you can make them using regular butter!
- Vanilla extract: I recommend using real vanilla extract if possible, as it gives the cookies so much flavor!
- Chocolate chips: You can use semisweet, dark, or milk chocolate chips. You can even use white chocolate chips (if you're making these dairy free, use vegan white chocolate chips). I also like to chop up a chocolate bar and use chocolate chunks instead of chips!
- Egg: These cookies have not been tested with any egg substitutes.
Step By Step Instructions
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, then set aside.
STEP TWO: In the bowl of a standing mixer with thepaddle attachment or using a handheld mixer, beat butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy (around 1-2 minutes).
STEP THREE: Add in the egg and vanilla extract, then beat untilthe mixture is justcombined, being careful not to over-mix. Mix in the dry ingredients, then stir in the chocolate chips.
STEP FOUR: Use a mediumcookie scoop or spoon to form the dough into 1.5 tablespoon sized balls, placing them on the baking sheet, 3-4 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for 8-11 minutes, or until the edges look set and have just begun to darken - but are not golden brown! The cookies will look under-baked! Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Is brown sugar necessary for cookies?
Most chocolate chip cookie recipes use a mix of brown sugar (for added moisture and chewiness), and granulated sugar (for that slight crisp on the edges of a cookie), but it is not necessary. This recipe has been specifically created to work perfectly without any brown sugar.
Some other types of cookie recipes, like sugar cookies or
shortbread cookies, don't use any brown sugar at all and are still delicious!
Do I have to chill the cookie dough?
Nope! No chill time required, but if you want to make the dough now and bake the cookies later, you can cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store in the fridge to chill for up to two days.
Why are my cookies hard the next day?
The single most important thing to do when making these cookies is to not over-bake them. If you leave the cookies in the oven until they are golden brown, they will not stay soft the next day. Because these cookies don't have brown sugar in them (one of the key ingredients of a soft cookie), this is extra important!
What can I use if I don't have brown sugar for cookies?
In general, there are a few options for sugar substitutes if you don't have brown sugar:
1. Granulated (white) sugar: white sugar can be used as a substitute in many recipes at a 1-1 ratio.
2. Dark (demerara) sugar: Very similar to light brown sugar, demerara can usually be used as a substitute for light brown sugar.
3. Coconut sugar: coconut sugar works really well in many recipes and has a similar texture to brown sugar.
Expert Tips
- Properly measure your flour: Please use akitchen scaleor the scoop and level method toproperly measure your flour! This is the most common baking mistake I see and the cookies will be as soft and chewy as they should be if you over-measure your flour.
- Do not over-bake the cookies! Leaving the cookies in the oven even one minute too long can lead to over-baked cookies. These cookies don't rely on brown sugar for their soft and chewy texture, but instead rely on the right baking time! If you want cookies that stay soft for days, keep an eye on the cookies and when in doubt, it's better to take the first batch out too early, than too late! The edges will have a tiny but of color but will not be fully golden brown.
- Top the cookies with extra chocolate chips to create gooey pools of chocolate on top of them!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
To get that fresh out of the oven texture in the days after the cookies have been baked, pop one in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. They will now be gooey and warm again, but be sure to eat them right away or else they will harden after being microwaves.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
The baked cookies can stored in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature when you're ready to eat them.
To freeze the cookie dough, scoop it balls with acookie scoopand place them on a parchment lined plate in the freezer until they are firm. Transfer them all into a ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Allow the dough to soften a little before baking. They will require 1-3 more minutes of baking time and the edges will get golden brown (unlike when you bake the cookies directly after making the dough).
More Recipes Without Brown Sugar That You'll Love
- Snickerdoodles Without Cream of Tartar
- Sugar Cookie Dough (Edible)
- Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me onInstagramor Facebook so I can check it out!
Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar
Gabby
These chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar are made with 8 ingredients, no chill time, and ready in 16 minutes! Soft, gooey, and full of chocolate chips!
5 from 90 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 8 minutes mins
Bake 8 minutes mins
Total Time 16 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 19 cookies
Calories 157 kcal
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter, softened (regular or dairy free)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (regular or vegan)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer with thepaddle attachment or a handheld mixer, combine butter and sugar, mixing until light and fluffy (around 1-2 minutes).
Add in the egg and vanilla extract, and beat untiljustcombined (do not over-mix!).
Mix in the dry ingredients until a dough forms. Stir in the chocolate chips and mix untilcombined. SEE NOTES
Use a mediumcookie scoop or spoon to make 1.5 tablespoon sized balls and place them on the baking sheet around 3-4 inches apart.
Bake the cookies (one sheet at a time for even baking) for 8-11 minutes. Remove them from the oven when the edges look set and have just begun to darken on the edges - but the edges should not be golden brown! It is very important that these cookies are under-baked in order for them to stay soft. They will look under-baked (but will continue to bake on the baking sheet) and very pale, because there is no brown sugar in the recipe. Remove from the oven and leave them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
PLEASE NOTE: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients. Metric measurements are found above, under the "Metric" tab.
MEASURING FLOUR: Please properly measure your flour using either a kitchen scale or by fluffing it up in the bag with a fork, then using a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then use the back of a butterknife to level it off (the is the scoop and level method)
THICKER COOKIES: For thicker, puffier cookies, you can chill the dough in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
CHOCOLATE CHIPS: You can use any kind of chocolate chips. I like to use semisweet. You can also use a chopped up chocolate bar or even white chocolate chips.
Storage and Freezing:Store the cookies in an airtight container or ziploc bag at room temperature for 5-6 days.
The baked cookies can be frozen in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature when you're ready to eat them.
Freezing the cookie dough: To freeze the dough and bake later, use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto a baking sheet and place in the freezer. Once they are firm but not frozen completely, transfer to a plastic freezer bag if desired, then freeze up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 157kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 166mgPotassium: 46mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 356IUCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
