Craving cookies but out of brown sugar? No problem! These chocolate chip cookies made without brown sugar are just as soft, chewy, and packed with chocolatey goodness as the classic version. This simple recipe proves you can still bake delicious homemade cookies with pantry staples—even when brown sugar isn’t available.
Do you remember coming home after school to a warm, freshly baked cookie and a glass of milk? Brown sugar chocolate chip cookies are delicious, but don’t let the lack of brown sugar in your pantry keep you from baking this classic afternoon snack.
Most classic chocolate chip cookie recipes call for brown sugar because it adds a caramel flavor and chewy texture. But if you’re out of brown sugar, you can still make delicious chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar using just granulated sugar! These cookies bake up with crisp edges while staying soft and chewy in the center, giving you that classic homemade cookie experience.
So why is brown sugar important in chocolate chip cookies? Brown sugar contains molasses, which adds moisture and richness to cookie dough. Without it, cookies can turn out drier. However, you can still achieve great texture and flavor by substituting white sugar and molasses—check out our ingredient notes or the recipe card for exact measurements.
To get the best results, make sure your cookie dough balls are evenly sized before baking to ensure uniform cookies. Whether you’re making these cookies for a quick snack, a family gathering, or just to satisfy a craving, these recipes for chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar proves that you don’t need brown sugar to create chewy, chocolatey goodness!
Why We Love Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar
- No fancy ingredients are needed.
It’s frustrating when you start making a recipe only to realize that you’re out of something important, like brown sugar. This recipe is here to the rescue! - You can freeze the dough and bake it later!
This recipe makes 2 dozen cookies, so it’s great to make and freeze half to bake up later. (See our notes below on how to do this). - They’re just as good as bakery cookies!
We’ve been making and adapting this recipe for over 25 years! They taste just as good as Costco chocolate chip cookies. Plus, these cookies bring all the chewy, chocolaty joy of inside out chocolate chip cookies, proving you don’t need brown sugar to create a cookie masterpiece!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Molasses: It’s optional, but molasses provides a rich, deeper flavor and allows the cookies to brown a bit better in the oven. It’s the perfect brown sugar substitute.
- Eggs: This recipe uses eggs, but if you are out of eggs, we also have a chocolate chip cookies recipe eggless recipe!
- Vanilla extract: You can omit this or replace it with another extract like maple extract.
- Baking soda: Don’t mix this up with baking powder!
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: Feel free to substitute these with white chips, dark chips, peanut butter chips, or even chopped dried fruit or nuts.
- Recipe for brown sugar: 2 cups granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons molasses
Recipe Variations
- Nutty chocolate chip cookies: Add chopped walnuts or pecans for extra crunch.
- Extra chewy: Increase the butter slightly and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking.
- Chocolate lovers‘: Use a mix of milk chocolate chips and dark chocolate chunks.
- Crispy cookies: Bake for an extra 2 minutes to create a firmer, golden brown texture.
- Salted chocolate chip: Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top before baking for a sweet-salty twist.
How to Make these Recipes for Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar
- Use softened, room-temperature butter and eggs. It makes a difference! Cold butter and eggs will not bind as well with the sugar, giving you a flatter, denser cookie.
- Do not overmix the dough.
Just over 3 minutes of mixing with your hand or stand mixer is all it takes!
- Use a scoop so they are all the same size. This ensures they bake evenly – you won’t have any that are under or overbaked.
- Avoid over-baking.
Set your oven before you start making the dough, to ensure that it’s hot and ready to go. Bake them at 375º F for just 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Avoid over-baking.
Set your oven before you start making the dough, to ensure that it’s hot and ready to go. Bake them at 375º F for just 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
If you’re looking for another unique twist, try our sourdough chocolate chip cookies—they’re packed with flavor and a great way to use up sourdough discard. Or try our favorite matcha white chocolate chip cookies!
Serving Suggestions
These chocolate chip cookies made without brown sugar are the perfect treat to enjoy with a glass of cold milk or a hot cup of coffee. For a classic pairing, serve them warm with vanilla ice cream or use them to make ice cream sandwiches by placing a scoop of ice cream between two cookies. If you love a bit of crunch, enjoy them alongside pecans or walnuts, which complement the rich, buttery flavor.
For cozy evenings, these chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar go great with a hot latte or a cup of hot chocolate. If you’re looking for a refreshing summer pairing, try serving them with a tall glass of basil lemonade or taro milk tea for a unique twist.
To keep your cookies fresh, store them on a baking tray before transferring them to an airtight freezer bag for longer storage. Whether you use classic chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips, these recipes for chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar are sure to be a hit!
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
For our chocolate chip cookie recipe without brown sugar, you’ll have better success by baking thawed dough rather than frozen.
Because the balls of dough are large, it can take a while for them to warm up in the oven. If you bake them right from the freezer, the inside will still be raw when the exterior is perfectly golden brown.
Recipe FAQs
The amount of sugar and butter in the recipe will affect the texture of the cookie. Crispy cookies have more sugar and less butter. Chewier cookies have less sugar and more butter. This recipe is for perfectly crispy cookies on the outside but gooey and chewy on the inside.
Follow the baking instructions to avoid overbaking them, and store leftovers in an air-tight container.
This could be because you didn’t bake them long enough. Bake cookies until they’re golden brown and set. Let them rest on the baking sheet before moving them to a cooling rack.
Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar will keep at room temperature for up to a week. Just be sure to store them in an airtight container.
If you want to freeze them, put them in a freezer-safe container. They usually keep for 3-4 months.
This being said, you will have two dozen cookies with this recipe. We like to bake half and freeze half.
If you struggle with portion control, then this is ideal since you can bake as many as you want at a time. And, it’s perfect for times when you need a quick dessert or treat for friends or family who stop by.
Make the recipe as written below, up to the point where you portion scoops of dough onto the baking sheets.
Next, flash-freeze the dough, by placing the sheet(s) into a freezer for 1 hour.
Once frozen, place the dough balls in a freezer-safe Ziploc or other container, and return it to the freezer. Frozen dough will keep for up to 3 months.
It’s best to stick with dry sugar for this recipe, but if you want to experiment, try reducing the liquid elsewhere to maintain the right consistency.
Chilling the dough helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much, resulting in a thicker, chewier texture. It also enhances the flavor!
Consider these easy cookie recipes!
If you tried this chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Chocolate Chip Cookies made without Brown Sugar
Equipment
- stand mixer - fitted with paddle attachment
- cookie sheet
- medium cookie scoop
- parchment paper - OR
- silicone baking mat
- cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º F. Prepare cookie sheets by greasing or lining with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Add butter and sugar, to a large mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or an electric hand mixer, combine ingredients at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, stopping once to scrape down the insides of the bowl.
- To the bowl, add cracked eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract, and mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until well combined.
- With the mixer running on low speed, add baking soda, salt, and flour to the bowl, one cup at a time. Continue mixing on low speed for 1-2 minutes, until most of the flour is incorporated. **NOTE – Do not over mix, or your cookies will be tough and dry. Add chocolate chips to the bowl, then use a silicone spoon or spatula to stir them in by hand.
- Using a medium-sized cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) or spoon, portion the dough onto cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between each.
- Bake cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until edges are golden and tops have a slight glossy appearance. Remove from oven and let the chocolate chip cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then gently transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze in airtght container or storage bag for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
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Ieva says
Your recipe saved the day! I wanted to make my usual cookies, but realised I’ve run out of brown sugar. Thank goodness I had some molasses left in the cupboard, and I found your recipe! Cookies turned out great!
Harriet Young says
Gorgeous cookies! Really tasty and the texture is just perfect. Thank you!
Kerri says
These cookies were so delicious! I couldn’t even tell they didn’t have brown sugar!
Sara Welch says
Whipped up a batch of these for an afternoon treat, and they were a sweet success! Turned out moist, chewy and delicious; exactly what I needed to cure my sweet tooth!
Paula says
All our brown sugar was too hard to use so I was excited to find this recipe to replace our usual. It was delicious!!!