Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar are soft and chewy, slightly crispy around the edges, and loaded with rich, buttery flavor and big chunks of chocolate. Delicious cookie recipe you'll love even if you aren't out of brown sugar.
If you're always on the hunt for a unique homemade chocolate chip cookie recipe, try Soft Oatmeal Craisin Cookies and White Chocolate Chai Cookies next!
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When you're craving chocolate chip cookies but fresh out of brown sugar, try this simple recipe!
Developed from a butter-free chocolate chip cookie base (my FAVORITE choc chip cookie recipe!), it swaps white sugar for brown, but with adjustments. To counter white sugar's spreading effect, extra flour is added. Enhanced with additional vanilla, salt, and chopped chocolate for richer flavor, these cookies are slightly thinner and crispier -- like buttery sugar cookies with chocolate chips!
You're Going to Love These
- Rich, buttery cookies filled with flavor, even though there's no brown sugar
- Easy cookie recipe with basic ingredients you might already have
- Delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe you can make without brown sugar
- Like a really good sugar cookie with chocolate chips!
- Chewy chocolate chip cookies with a soft texture and tons of chocolate
Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
Unsalted butter. Use room temperature butter so it will easily cream with the sugar and blend cohesively with the rest of the ingredients.
Granulated sugar. All white sugar in these chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar give them that classic buttery sugar cookie flavor.
One egg and one egg yolk. Egg whites can dry out cookies, so I took one out. The egg yolk adds richness and moisture to the cookie dough. Use room temperature eggs.
Pure vanilla extract. One full tablespoon of vanilla enhances the flavor in these cookies.
All purpose flour. To prevent dry and tough cookies, measure flour carefully. Stir in the container, spoon into the measuring cup, then level with a knife—avoid scooping directly from the container.
Salt. One teaspoon of salt enhances flavor, but if watching salt intake, you can reduce it.
Chocolate chips and chopped chocolate. I use both semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped chocolate, but you can use one or the other. Or switch it up with dark chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or white chocolate chips!
Brown Sugar Substitute
If you realize mid-favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe that you're all out of brown sugar, you can make your own brown sugar, as long as you have white sugar and molasses. You can stir it by hand, but I strongly suggest using a hand or stand mixer.
- Light brown sugar: Mix 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon molasses
- Dark brown sugar: Mix 1 cup sugar with 2 tablespoons molasses
Use light molasses, also called first, mild, or sweet molasses.
Dark molasses will also work, but will have a more intense flavor. Taste it with one tablespoon of molasses, then decide if you want to add the second tablespoon.
Blackstrap molasses is not recommended, as it has a bitter flavor. Save it for savory recipes like BBQ sauce, instead.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed. Mix in the egg and egg yolk until creamy. Add vanilla and mix until completely combined.
Step 2: In a separate large bowl, stir the flour, salt, and baking soda together.
Step 3: Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture. Mix on low speed, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Step 4: Set aside a handful of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks for later. With a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips and chopped chocolate. Cover and chill dough for one hour up to overnight.
Step 5: Preheat oven to 350. Scoop dough with a 2-3 tablespoon cookie scoop. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet. Press a few reserved chocolate chips and chocolate chunks on top of each ball.
Step 6: Bake 10-12 minutes or until the edges and tops just start to turn very light golden brown. Be careful not to overbake. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way.
EXPERT TIPS
- Be careful not to overbake the cookies. Check on them a minute or two before the bake time is up.
- Chill the cookie dough for at least an hour, up to overnight, if you like a softer, chewier cookie. A shorter resting time creates a thinner cookie that spreads just a little bit more. It's still very moist and delicious.
- For cookies with a craggy texture, when portioning out the dough, break the dough ball apart and stick it back together with the rough sides on the outside.
- Shape the dough into a tall ball to help keep the cookie from spreading too much during baking.
FAQS
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days. Freeze baked cookies in a single layer between wax paper in a freezer safe container or freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature.
Yes. Freeze cookie dough balls in a freezer bag for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. Store chocolate chip cookie dough in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
That extra egg white you have left over can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for up to a few months.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter 1 ½ sticks
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips and/or chopped chocolate I use ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped dark or bittersweet chocolate.
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl at medium speed. Mix in the egg and egg yolk until creamy. Add the vanilla and mix until completely combined.
- In a separate large bowl, stir the flour, salt, and baking soda together.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Set aside a handful of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks for later. With a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips and chopped chocolate. Cover and chill dough in the refrigerator for one hour up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Scoop the dough into 2-3 tablespoon cookie dough balls. Place cookie dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Press a few of the reserved chocolate chips and chocolate chunks on top of each cookie dough ball.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until the edges and tops just start to turn a light golden brown. These are very light colored cookies, be careful not to overbake.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to the rack to cool the rest of the way.
Notes
- Be careful not to overbake. Check on them a minute or two before the bake time is up.
- Chill the cookie dough longer for a softer, chewier cookie. A shorter resting time creates a thinner cookie that spreads a bit more -- but it's still very moist and delicious.
- For a craggy texture, break the dough ball apart and stick it back together with the rough sides on the outside.
- Shape the dough into a tall ball for a thicker cookie.
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