When my granddaughter developed an egg allergy, I knew I had to come up with a way to create egg free cookies. This Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe ended up being that and so much more. The cookies turn out perfect everytime- crispy on the edges, chewy in the center and the right amount of gooey chocolate. The best part? We discovered this recipe makes the best tasting cookie dough!
Also, with the cost of eggs increasing, these egg free cookies are the perfect budget-friendly solution to satisfy your cookie cravings! This recipe makes two dozen bakery-style cookies that are just as chewy and decadent as the traditional version, no eggs needed.
This recipe is based on our Costco chocolate chip cookies recipe, but instead of eggs, we use unsweetened applesauce as a substitute. Both recipes were extensively recipe tested until we got it just right. When I went to create the egg free version I knew it had to be adapted from our 5 star “Better than Costco” chocolate chip cookie recipe.
And don’t worry, you won’t taste the applesauce at all! The result? A perfectly soft, buttery, chocolatey cookie that no one will ever guess is egg-free!
If you’re interested in learning about other egg alternatives for baking, don’t miss our guide on egg substitutes for cornbread post; we extensively review egg alternatives that you can adapt for many other recipes.
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Why We Love These Egg Free Cookies
- Budget-friendly and allergen-friendly.
It isn’t necessary to blow your grocery budget making these baked goods, and friends who are allergic to eggs will thank you! - Bakery-sized eggless chocolate chip cookies, with BIG flavor!
There are 3 tablespoons of cookie dough in each scoopful!! Pack these in lunchboxes along with our back-to-school cookies, perfect for busy mornings or after-school treats. - The perfect chip-to-dough ratio.
With 2 cups of chocolate chips in a batch of 24 cookies, you will find enough chocolate to satisfy even the biggest sweet tooth.
If you love unique flavors, our blueberry lemon cookies and matcha sugar cookies bring bright, bakery-style variety to your cookie lineup.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Applesauce: When you need an egg substitute for cooking or baking, unsweetened applesauce is a great option. It’s low in calories and fat-free. Some people like to use flax meal as an egg substitute. A “flax egg” is a combination of ground flaxseed and water. The problem is, flax is high in fiber, and fiber can give cookies a crispy, hard consistency. We’re going for chewy and soft, so we chose to use a different egg substitute. You can also use homemade applesauce. Apple sauce adds moisture, which is what you need for SOFT cookies. Also, it binds the ingredients together, just like eggs do!
- All-purpose flour: This type of flour gives chocolate chip cookies a chewy consistency. For softer, cake-like cookies, use half all-purpose flour and half cake flour. If you need a gluten-free option, any brand of 1:1 gluten-free flour blend should work.
For an accurate flour measurement we highly encourage you to give your flour a few big stirs to “fluff it up” prior to scooping out the correct measurement. Using compacted flour (especially straight out of a flour bag) will give you an incorrect measurement making your cookies dry and crumbly. - Sweeteners: We use both white and light brown sugar. Brown sugar gives the cookies moisture and also makes them a little more golden in color.
- Unsalted butter: If you like to bake, you may already have unsalted butter on hand. Using salted butter for baked goods does work, but the amount of salt varies by brand. So, if you have to use salted butter, we recommend decreasing the amount of added salt in the recipe.
- Chocolate chips: We prefer semi-sweet chips to keep the sweetness of the eggless cookies down a bit. For sweeter chocolate chip cookies without eggs, feel free to substitute milk chocolate, and for less sweetness, use bittersweet or dark chocolate.
For another fun holiday treat, try our snowman cookies along with these chocolate chip cookies made without brown sugar. They are soft, chewy, and simple to make anytime.
Recipe Variations
- Extra chewy cookies: Add a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with water for an even softer texture.
- Dairy-free version: Use vegan butter or coconut oil instead of dairy-based butter to get an egg free, dairy free cookie.
- Nutty Chip cookies: Stir in chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans for added crunch.
- Whole wheat version: Use whole wheat flour and coconut sugar for a less processed alternative. Making an egg-free cookie isn’t any more difficult than making traditional cookie recipes.
Equipment Used in this Recipe
- Baking Sheet
- 3-tablespoon scoop
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
Want to explore more chocolatey favorites? Don’t miss our sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cookies with white chips for a fun twist.
Why This is a No Chill Recipe
We are aware many other cookie recipes out there require a chill period. In my kitchen, I’ve always preferred uncomplicated recipes, ready when you are, without any extra steps! Other recipes will tell you that chocolate chip cookies without eggs require a chill period to avoid flat, spread out cookies. However, you’ll see in the recipe images that our cookies do not come out flat. Extensive recipe testing in our kitchen has led us to conclude that following the recipe steps as directed (and using our troubleshooting guide if needed!) gives us consistently thick and chewy cookies without waiting for a chill period.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies without Eggs
- Prep your workspace
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside. This prevents sticking and makes cleanup a breeze. - Cream the butter and sugar
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use an electric hand mixer with a large mixing bowl), combine the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, ensuring everything is evenly mixed.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
We recommend using either an electric stand mixer (like a KitchenAid) or an electric hand mixer. There are two big reasons for this.
First, to help eggless cookies rise, you want to whip air into the butter. Also, the dough itself is heavy and thick. While it is possible to combine the ingredients using a large wooden spoon, your wrist will get a workout.
- Add wet ingredients
Add the applesauce and vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix on medium-high speed for 30 seconds until well combined. The applesauce replaces the eggs in this recipe, keeping the cookies moist and chewy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again with your spatula.
- Mix in dry ingredients
With the mixer running on low speed, add the baking soda, salt, and flour one cup at a time. Mix on medium-low speed for 1-2 minutes until the ingredients are just combined. It’s okay if you see a few streaks of flour in the dough; don’t over-mix or your cookies will turn out tough and dry. - Add chocolate chips
Add the chocolate chips and mix on low speed for about 15 seconds to incorporate them throughout the dough. Alternatively, you can use a wooden spoon to gently fold them in by hand for more control. We love doing it this way because if you use an electric mixer to stir the chocolate chips into the cookie dough, you’ll risk overmixing the dough. - Scoop and bake
Using a medium-sized cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoons), portion the dough onto your prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between each scoop to allow for spreading. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until the edges look slightly dry and the tops are very light golden brown. This recipe makes bakery-style chocolate chip cookies. If you aren’t familiar with them, bakery style cookies are HUGE – about 3 inches wide! That’s almost twice the size of the average cookies from the grocery store.
So, it’s important to leave at least 1 1/2 inches between each scoop of cookie dough on the baking sheet.
- Cool and enjoy
Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes; this helps them set properly. Then use a spatula to carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Have you heard of the “bang the pan” technique used by bakers? Cookies are baked for about 8-10 minutes (to allow them to rise). Then the oven door is opened and with oven mitts you lift the cookie pan up about 4 inches and drop it back flat onto the oven grates to make a “bang”. This process is repeated every 2-3 minutes during bake time. This bang deflates the cookies allowing them to re-inflate and create a rippling effect-making a thinner, crispier edged cookie with a soft center. While we have not tested our cookie recipe with this method, we’d love to hear if you have!
Troubleshooting
- Cookies are dry or crumbly: Ensure you have an accurate flour measurement. We recommend flour be kept in a jar or other storage vessel, rather than the bag that flour comes in. The flour bag gets heavily compacted and compressed in shipping and during storage. Keeping flour in a jar allows you to stir it easily prior to scooping up your measurement. Using too much flour or over-mixing dough are the primary reasons for dry cookies.
- Cookies are flat: While we stand by our “no chill cookie method” we also don’t let the cookies sit for long periods of time prior to baking. Mix the ingredients together, scoop, and they go straight into the pre-heated oven. Over-mixing can also lead to flat cookies. Use a large cookie scoop and leave the dough in a ball shape to get big, bakery quality cookies.
- Cookies are too crispy: Brown sugar is an important ingredient for chewy cookies. Also, during baking it is more important to watch the cookies, rather than the specific cook time. Different ovens can account for timing differences. For the ideal chewy cookie you want to pull the cookies out when they are slightly golden brown around the edges, but still look softer in the middle. Pull them out of the oven but then leave them on the cookie sheet for up to 5 more minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Leaving them on the cookie sheet allows the center to finish cooking through from just the heat of the sheet.
- Cookies are too chewy: Cookies are usually too chewy because of retained moisture or not enough cook time. For a correct moisture level: ensure your butter is softened- not melted, and review accurate flour measurement instructions above. I’ve also noticed that “cheaper” applesauce brands can be a bit runny. If your applesauce is overly runny, pour out some of the moisture that accumulates on the top prior to measurement. As mentioned above, bake times are helpful for guidance but keep an eye on your cookies. Cookies that do not have slightly golden edges need to be cooked longer and can be overly chewy in the center because they aren’t done.
Switch things up with our oatmeal pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, crème brûlée sugar cookies, or white chocolate raspberry cookies, each one a sweet standout.
Serving Suggestions
These eggless chocolate chip cookies are perfect on their own, but you can also serve them warm with a glass of cold milk, hot chocolate, or coffee. For an indulgent treat, make cookie ice cream sandwiches by layering softened vanilla or chocolate ice cream between two cookies. Want a fancier option? Crush the cookies and use them as a topping for yogurt, pudding, or cheesecake! This recipe makes a thoughtful homemade gift for friends or neighbors, just like our Valentine’s Day sugar cookies, heart cookies, Christmas M&M cookies, and other festive favorites, such as sugar cookies with M&Ms, the original M&M cookie recipe, and cookies with mint M&Ms that brighten any cookie tray.
Recipe FAQs
Our recommendation and preference is to use unsweetened applesauce as an egg replacement. It adds moisture, flavor, and helps the dry ingredients to bind together.
There are plenty of cookie recipes that don’t require eggs, such as almond crescents and snowball cookies. However, if you don’t use a substitute for eggs in chocolate chip cookies, they will bake up dense and crumbly.
Freshly baked, the egg free cookies 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 baked cookies, keep them in a freezer-safe container. They usually keep for 3-4 months.
This being said, you will have a large batch of eggless cookie dough. So, you may want to bake off half right away and freeze the rest of the dough for later.
This is also a great idea if you struggle with portion control, because you can bake off as many as you want at a time. Plus, it’s a helpful solution when you need a quick dessert or treat for friends who stop by unexpectedly.
Adding various amounts of white or brown sugar to the cookie dough will change the texture of the baked treats. More white sugar results in crispy cookies, while more brown sugar makes for chewy cookies.
Make the cookie recipe without eggs as written below, up to the point where you portion scoops of dough onto the baking sheets.
Next, flash freeze the chocolate chip cookie 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 cookie dough will keep for up to 3 months.
Place frozen cookie dough on prepared pans. Allow it to thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Bake according to recipe instructions shown in the recipe card, below.
To achieve soft and chewy cookies, cream the butter and sugar well, avoid overmixing the dough, and don’t overbake.
More Sweet Treats to Love…
If you tried this eggless chocolate chip cookie 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!
Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Hand or stand mixer
- 2 parchment lined baking sheets
- cookie scoop - or 3-tablespoon scoop
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened, but still cool, (8 ounces)
- 1 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips or substitute with dark or milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare two cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.Preheat oven to 375º F.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use electric hand mixer and a large mixing bowl), add softened butter and both sugars. Mix at high speed for 2 minutes, then stop the mixer. Use a mixing spatula to scrape down the sides of bowl. Add applesauce and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix at medium-high speed for 30 seconds. Use the spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
- With mixer running on low speed, add baking soda, salt, and flour, one cup at a time. Continue mixing on medium-low speed for 1-2 minutes, until ingredients are just combined. ** It's okay if there are a few streaks of flour in the dough. Do not over mix or your cookies will be tough and dry.Add chocolate chips and mix on low speed for 15 seconds to incorporate. Alternatively, use a wooden spoon to stir chips in by hand.
- Using a medium-sized cookie scoop (3-tablespoon size), portion dough balls onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between each scoop of dough.
- Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until edges of cookies look dry and light golden.Remove pan from oven and let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Then, use a spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Store cool cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Having a few streaks of flour in the eggless chocolate chip cookie dough is okay. But, to prevent tough and dry cookies, do not over mix the dough.
- Although we love this recipe as cookie dough, ensure that your flour does not say “do not eat raw” before consumption of cookie dough. .
- Extra chewy cookies: Add a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with water for an even softer texture.
- Dairy-free version: Use vegan butter or coconut oil instead of dairy-based butter.
- Nutty: Stir in chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans for added crunch.
- Double chocolate: Swap ¼ cup of flour for cocoa powder to make double chocolate eggless cookies.
- After portioning the dough on the pans, place baking sheets in the freezer for 1 hour, to flash freeze the scoops of dough.
- Once frozen, place the dough in an airtight container (I like to use freezer bags for convenience) and return it to the freezer.
- Frozen cookie dough will keep for up to 3 months.
- Place frozen cookie dough on prepared pans. Allow it to thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Bake according to recipe instructions shown above. **NOTE: We recommend baking the cookie dough after thawing rather than straight from the freezer. This is because the scoops of dough are very large, so the inside of the cookie will undercooked when the exterior of the cookies are golden brown.
- Store cool cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
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Deb says
These are THE BEST! I loved the cookie dough tip but they come out perfect