Looking for chewy chocolate chip cookies that do not use brown sugar? This easy cookie recipe contains only granulated sugar and gives you the best chocolate chip cookies.
With golden brown crisp edges, a perfectly chewy texture, and only basic ingredients needed, these cookies are sure to satisfy your cookie craving.
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🍪 Why you'll love this recipe
The majority of homemade chocolate chip cookies require brown sugar as a necessary ingredient.
Brown sugar is important because it provides moisture to the cookie, allowing it to stay moist and chewy when baked. Brown sugar also imparts a caramel flavor from the addition of the molasses.
Brown sugar is made of granulated sugar and molasses. Light brown sugar contains less molasses than dark brown sugar. You can make your own brown sugar, however, if you find yourself without it and you want to make delicious cookies, this recipe is it.
Here's why you'll love it:
- even without the addition of brown sugar, these are chewy cookies with a soft texture in the middle and crisp edges
- these cookies have the best flavor of a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe - you will not miss the brown sugar one bit
- when a cookie craving strikes, these cookies will be ready in under 30 minutes; no chilling required
🧾 Ingredients & Substitutions
For this recipe, you'll need basic ingredients you likely already have in your pantry and fridge:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in the cookies. For this recipe, the butter should be cold, not room temperature like many cookie recipes call for. I explain why cold butter is better below
- Granulated sugar: granulated sugar typically creates a crispy cookie. To balance out the crispness achieved from granulated sugar in regular cookie recipes, brown sugar is used to create moisture and keep cookies chewy. We are able to achieve those crisp edges and chewy interior texture in this recipe by balancing the amount of granulated sugar with the other ingredients, as well as other factors such as ingredient temperature, baking time and oven temperature
- Egg: remove the egg from the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to baking to allow it to reach room temperature. This will allow the eggs to incorporate evenly into the chocolate chip cookie dough
- Vanilla extract: use high quality vanilla - you'll taste the difference this makes in the final product
- Chocolate chips: be sure to save some extra chocolate chips for pressing into the tops of the cookies just before baking! Chocolate chunks may also be used. I recommend using semi-sweet chocolate chips rather than milk chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate chips, however, use whichever flavor you prefer or have on hand
🥣 How to make Chocolate Chip Cookies without brown sugar
This easy recipe comes together quickly and will have you enjoying one of your favorite cookie recipes in no time. Here's how to make them:
Step1: Preheat oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. I find baking at a slightly higher than normal baking temperature keeps these cookies from getting too crispy in the center, maintaining a perfectly chewy texture
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Step 3: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with an electric mixer, add the cold, cubed butter and granulated sugar and mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until mixture is light in color and fluffy. For best results, don't try to skip this step. It's important to ensure air is incorporated into the cookie, making for a chewier cookie. Don't worry, the cold butter will blend with the sugar. Using cold butter helps prevent the cookies from getting too flat when baking. And the cold butter helps produce steam while baking that makes for thick and chewy cookies
Step 4: Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture and mix on medium speed about 1 minute more. You want to ensure the mixture is evenly combined, so scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed
Step 5: Add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir on low speed just until no flour streaks appear. Do not over mix, as this will affect the texture of the cookies. Then stir in the chocolate chips
Step 6: Using a large cookie scoop, scoop 3 ounce (80 g) balls of cookie dough. Set the balls of cookie dough on the prepared baking tray about 2-3 inches apart. Gently press extra chocolate chips into the tops of the cookie dough balls
Step 7: Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until tops of cookies have turned lightly golden brown, rotating baking sheets halfway through. The centers of the cookies may still look a bit raw or wet. They will continue baking from the residual heat of the baking sheets after you remove them from the oven. Just after removing the cookies from the oven, use a round cookie cutter just slightly bigger than the cookies (approximately 3-4 inches in diameter) to scoot the cookies into rounds (see photo below for reference), if needed. Allow cookies to cool at least 15 minutes of baking sheets before placing on a wire rack to cool
👩🍳 Pro tips for making this recipe
- For best results, use cold butter. This may be counter to many a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe, however, using cold butter prevents the cookies from spreading while baking. The cold butter also produces steam while baking, allowing the cookies to remain thick and perfectly chewy instead of flat and crispy
- This recipe can be easily doubled to make 20 cookies rather than 10 called for in the original recipe
- These cookies can also be made smaller. Adjust the bake time down for smaller cookies. Check on them and remove them from the oven when the tops and edges are just starting to turn slightly golden brown. The cookies will continue baking from the residual heat of the cookie sheets after being pulled from the oven. So don't worry if they look under baked in the center at first
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❓FAQs
Brown sugar can be omitted from regular chocolate chip cookies with great results! Granulated sugar and other sugar substitutes make for good substitutes in your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. In this recipe, I balanced the ratios of ingredients, baking time, ingredient temperature and oven temperature to achieve a great final result!
See answer above. Simply omitting brown sugar from a chocolate chip cookie recipe will affect the texture and structure of the cookie. However, replacing brown sugar with granulated sugar or playing with the ratios of sugar to other ingredients in the recipe, like I did here, will yield delicious chocolate chip cookies.
No, brown sugar isn't necessary in cookies. Brown sugar is made of granulated sugar and molasses. Light brown sugar contains less molasses than dark brown sugar. You can make your own brown sugar or you can substitute it with granulated sugar or other sugar substitutes. If you find yourself without brown sugar and you want to make delicious cookies, this recipe is for you. But brown sugar can deliver a delicious cookie so I recommend trying both - here's a soft brown sugar cookie but no butter required. I hope you enjoy the taste test challenge.
Typically, substituting white sugar for brown sugar in cookie recipes will yield crispy cookies. Brown sugar has moisture that it adds to cookies, creating a softer texture while granulated sugar adds crispness to cookies.
These cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week. Store in the fridge or freezer for longer storage. To freeze, place cooled cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze at least one hour.
Once frozen, place the cookies in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature and warm in the microwave at 50% power for 30-60 seconds, or until desired temperature is reached.
Cookie dough may also be frozen. Once the cookie dough has been scooped, place the cookie dough balls side by side in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze at least one hour. Transfer frozen cookie dough to a freezer bag and store up to 3 months. Cookies may be baked from frozen. Add 2-3 minutes to the bake time.
I haven't tried making these white sugar chocolate chip cookies gluten-free. I have had luck baking with cup-for-cup or measure-for-measure gluten-free baking flour such as Bob's Red Mill, so I would recommend trying that. I do not recommend substituting the all-purpose flour in this recipe for almond flour or other gluten-free flour substitutes, as this will change the texture of the cookie.
FOR ALL MY FAVORITE BAKING TOOLS INCLUDING THOSE USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE, CHECK OUT MY BAKING RESOURCES PAGE!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus more for tops
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cold butter and granulated sugar and mix on medium speed for ~5 minutes, until mixture is light in color and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom
- Add egg and vanilla and mix on medium speed about 1 minute more, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixer.
- With mixer off, add in the dry ingredients and stir on low speed just until no flour streaks appear. Do not over mix, as this will affect the texture of the cookies. Stir in chocolate chips
- Using a large cookie scoop, scoop 3 ounce (80 g) balls of cookie dough. Set on parchment-lined baking sheets about 2-3 inches apart. Gently press additional chocolate chips in the tops of each cookie dough ball
- Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until tops of cookies have turned lightly golden brown, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Centers of cookies may still look a bit raw or wet. They will continue baking from the residual heat of the baking sheets after you remove them from the oven
- Just after removing them from the oven, use a round cookie cutter just slightly bigger than the cookies (approximately 3-4 inches in diameter) to scoot cookies into rounds, if needed
- Allow cookies to cool at least 15 minutes of baking sheets before removing
Notes
- This recipe is easily doubled
- Smaller cookies can be made. Bake time will be less, so watch the cookies as they bake and remove them when the tops are lightly golden brown
- It’s important to allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets, as the residual heat from the baking sheets will allow the centers of the cookies to set without over baking them. This allows the cookies to remain chewy on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside
- Cookie dough can be frozen. Scoop the dough, placing dough balls next to each other on a baking sheet. Freeze at least an hour then place cookie dough balls in a freezer-safe ziptop bag for up to 3 months. Remove the amount of cookies you wish to bake and place 2-3 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven, adding 2-3 minutes longer to the bake time if baking from frozen
- Baked and cooled cookies may also be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in a 350ºF (180ºC) oven for 3-5 minutes or until desired temperature is reached
Nutrition
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Clare
Could I sub the flour for gluten free?
Kimberlee Ho
I haven't tried this recipe with gluten-free flour, so I don't know how it'll work. I have had success with cup-for-cup GF all-purpose flour so I would start there. Good luck!