Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar (still chewy!)

No brown sugar? No problem! You can still make a batch of chewy gooey chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar. Super easy to make and just as delicious as the classic version, let me show you how to make the perfect gooey homemade cookies even when you’ve run out of brown sugar and can’t wait for the next trip to the grocery store.

Before we dive into this recipe, I have to disclose honestly that I am obsessed with my brown butter chocolate chip cookies. However, I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by this no-brown-sugar version. They were simple, buttery, crisp on the edges, still chewy, soft and gooey in the middle. My husband’s coworkers certainly enjoyed them.

Key ingredients

As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post.

The key to this recipe is actually the lack of brown sugar! You can easily make brown sugar by mixing granulated sugar with molasses, but if you don’t have molasses in your pantry either, then you can just make this chocolate chip cookie recipe with no brown sugar. The process is no difference, only the texture of your cookies will be slightly altered compared to a typical chocolate chip cookie recipe with brown sugar.

Now, you will typically see a lot of my cookie recipes call for a combination of brown and granulated sugar. This is because brown sugar adds moisture, making the cookies more moist and chewy while granulated sugar contributes to their crispiness, which gives all types of chocolate chip cookies their ideal texture.

You can still achieve this chewy gooey texture in these cookies without using brown sugar by taking advantage of the other key ingredients:

• You will definitely want to use melted in butter in this recipe to create a more chewy texture since softened butter will make the cookies more cakey.
• An additional egg yolk is added on top of one whole egg, this will also contribute to make these cookies more moist, tender and chewy.
• And finally, you’ll need baking soda to give these cookies a little bit of color and to make them more chewy. Usually, baking soda will need something acidic to react with – typically this would be brown sugar or cream of tartar like in snickerdoodle cookies. But since we’re not using brown sugar in these cookies, I cheated a little bit and double up on the leavening agents by using baking powder, which already has an acidic component to react with our baking soda.

How to make it + tips

The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

1. Cream melted butter with sugar

2. Beat in remaining wet ingredients

Don’t be afraid to beat the wet ingredients really well at this stage until very light and fluffy, to allow the eggs to emulsify into the butter.

3. Form the cookie dough

Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients to form the cookie dough. I recommend stopping the mixer and scraping the bottom of the bowl as needed in this step to make sure everything is well combined but don’t over mix here.

4. Add chocolate chips

I usually like to portion the dough right away with a large cookie scoop, but if the dough is too soft, you can pop the whole bowl into the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. But further chilling the dough is essential to allow the melted butter to fully solidify, which will help curb spreading, and also to let the flavor of the cookies to develop making them more tasty.

5. Scoop and bake

Once portioned, you can keep the cookie dough balls refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking them or freeze them for longer storage. I recommend only baking one tray at a time for more even browning.

5 from 3 votes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (no brown sugar)

By Trang Doan

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies without brown sugar are extremely easy to make and just as delicious as the classic version. Perfect for when you’ve run out of brown sugar and can’t wait to get your hands on some gooey homemade cookies.

Servings: 19 large cookies

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Chilling Time: 2 hours hrs

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

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Equipment

• Stand Mixer
• Baking Sheet
• Large Cookie Scoop
• Saucepan

Ingredients 

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• ▢ 8 oz unsalted butter, 227 g, melted and cooled
• ▢ 1 ½ cup granulated sugar, 300 g
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 large egg yolk
• ▢ 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 300 g
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 2 cup chocolate chips, milk or semisweet, 380 g

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Instructions 

• Add cooled melted butter and granulated sugar to the stand mixer bowl and beat with the paddle attachment for 2-3 minutes until light in color and creamy.
• Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and continue beating for another 2-3 minutes until fluffy.
• In another mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir in the kosher salt and give it a good mix to distribute. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredient mixture in the stand mixer bowl, stir until incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
• Add the chocolate chips and stir to incorporate. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a spatula and give it another good mix as needed. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. You can portion the dough at this point with a cookie scoop but it may be a bit soft and sticky, refrigerating it will allow the dough to firm up, making it easier to scoop. Make sure to set a timer.
• Portion the cookie dough with a large cookie scoop and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least another 30 minutes. Optional: If you want the cookie to be rounder, roll the portioned dough into balls.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Place 6 dough balls on a baking sheet, about 2 inches apart, and bake 1 batch at a time for 15 minutes, until the outer edges of the cookies turn golden brown while the middle is still slightly underbaked. Don't overbake, the residual heat will finish baking them outside of the oven. Overbaking will make the cookies dry and crispy instead of soft and gooey.
• Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

• For smaller cookies: You can use a medium cookie scoop to make smaller cookies. Smaller cookies will bake faster, reduce the baking time by 2 – 3 minutes in this case.
• For perfectly round cookies: If spreading occurs, take a round cookie cutter, larger than your cookies, place it over a baked cookie and swirl it around in a circular motion as if swirling a glass of wine. Make sure to do this right when the cookies come out of the oven and are still soft. This will gather the cookies up and make them perfectly round and a bit thicker too.
• Storing baked cookies: Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 – 5 days. To keep them soft for longer, place a slice of sandwich bread inside your container. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before serving.
• Storing cookie dough: Portioned cookie dough can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days if you’re making them ahead of time, or in the freezer for 3-6 months. You can bake directly from frozen without thawing, simply increase baking time by 1 – 2 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 67g, Calories: 324kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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