Did you know you can make Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar? You can! This yummy cookie recipe is perfect for when you’re out of brown sugar, but still want all of the chewy, chocolate goodness of a classic chocolate chip cookie.
Why Do We Need Brown Sugar in Chocolate Chip Cookies? Brown sugar adds flavor and it has more moisture than granulated white sugar, so cookies without brown sugar tend to be drier. Brown sugar is a combination of granulated sugar and molasses. Therefore, if we want to make chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar, we can substitute in white sugar and molasses. See ingredient notes section or recipe card for exact amounts.
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Why We Love Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar
1. No fancy ingredients 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!
2. 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).
3. 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.
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.
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 an eggless chocolate chip cookie 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
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Without Brown Sugar – Tips For Success
- 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.
Freezing and Storing
- 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.
How to Freeze Cookie Dough
- 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.
🎯 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.
Cookie Without Brown Sugar FAQ
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.
Looking for something to serve with your white chocolate chip cookies?
A cup of coffee or taro milk tea are wonderful options. In the summer, we like to serve no brown sugar chocolate chip cookies with a tall glass of basil lemonade.
Consider these easy cookie recipes!
- white chocolate raspberry cookies
- creme brulee cookies
- chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar
- original M&M cookie recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookies 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.
PREVIOUS
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!!!