My Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar are easy to make in just 20 minutes! They're as soft and delicious as my classic chocolate chip cookies, but only use 8 ingredients and no brown sugar.
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Almost all chocolate chip cookie recipes use brown sugar, but what happens when you're ready to bake and you realize you don't have any? Introducing these white sugar chocolate chip cookies!
These are truly a lifesaver when the craving for freshly baked cookies hits and you don't have time to go to the store. And surprisingly, these homemade cookies without brown sugar taste equally as good as the traditional recipe.
If you're looking for another amazing cookie recipe that doesn't use brown sugar, try my almond sugar cookies! They're tried-and-true and loved by many!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- You won't have to worry if you're out of brown sugar - you can still make tasty chocolate chip cookies!
- The texture of these cookies is soft and chewy with melty chocolate chips in every bite!
- You can freeze the dough or the baked cookies to enjoy at a later date!
- These easy homemade cookies without brown sugar come together in just 20 minutes!
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make these chewy chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar:
Ingredient Notes:
- Granulated sugar is the only sugar used to sweeten these cookies.
- Unsalted butter contributes to the soft texture and rich flavor. Use a high quality European butter for extra delicious results!
- An egg brings the dough together and helps create a chewy texture.
- Vanilla extract adds classic chocolate chip cookie flavor to the dough.
- Use good quality chocolate chips for the best flavor. I recommend semi-sweet, but use whichever chocolate you prefer, or a combination of flavors.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Add your favorite mix-ins, like walnuts, or candies like M&Ms.
- Use a chopped chocolate bar or chocolate chunks in place of chocolate chips for more melty chocolate puddles in your cookies.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Cookies Without Brown Sugar
Quick Recipe Video
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until it's light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract to combine.
Step 3: Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Then fold in the chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Step 4: Scoop the cookie dough onto a prepared baking sheet. Top with mini chocolate chips for an extra chocolatey treat! Then bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes.
Expert Baking Tips
- Weigh your flour in grams using a food scale for the most accurate measure. This will help ensure your cookies come out exactly as written in the recipe instead of dry and puffy.
- Don't over-bake your cookies to make sure they are soft and chewy.
- Scoot your cookies inside of a large, round biscuit cutter right as they come out of the oven for perfectly circular cookies.
Common Questions
Yes, you can make these cookies without brown sugar, and they will be equally as delicious.
Brown sugar adds both a molasses-like flavor and helps create a chewy texture in cookies.
You can by mixing one cup of granulated sugar with one tablespoon of molasses really well.
First, make sure you don't over-bake them. The cookies will continue baking on the hot sheet after removing them from the oven, so you'll want to take them out when the centers are still a bit underbaked.
Second, keep a slice of bread in the storage container with them. The moisture from the bread will keep the cookies soft for longer!
Nope! This recipe, as well as most of Broken Oven Baking's cookie recipes, do not require chilling.
Storage
Room Temperature
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Add a slice of bread to the container with the cookies to keep them soft longer!
Freezing Instructions
Store cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
You can also make the dough ahead of time and freeze cookie dough balls to bake up to 2 weeks later.
Reheating Instructions
Let the frozen cookies thaw at room temperature or heat in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
More Recipes Without Brown Sugar
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Without Brown Sugar
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Cookie scoop
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour weighed in grams (metric) or spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅔ cup (133.33 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (180 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or your favorite flavor
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips optional, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar (medium speed 1-2 minutes). Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop cookie dough balls and place them onto a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Optional: add mini chocolate chips on the top of the cookie dough balls.
- Bake on the middle rack until the edges begin to tan (9-13 minutes). Cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
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Good recipe! I made mine with sugar in the raw (cuz it was all we had in the pantry). I also did dark chocolate morsels and topped with semi sweet minis. I did have to bake a little longer than 13 minutes.
They turned out pretty good, if I have to say so myself. 😋
Made these during our 2026 snow/ice episode. We don’t get much of this weather in Texas so I tried to make sure I had ingredients on hand to bake while stuck at home. Well…the brown sugar gave out and we were craving chocolate chip cookies. I made these and they are fantastic! I must confess that I added some molasses (about 2 taps) and used a combination of mini chips and caramel chips! WOW! So good! It’s not that I didn’t trust the white sugar only method but I wanted that brown sugar taste so I did the molasses trick. And adding the caramel bits took it up a notch IMO because I love caramel!
amazing recipie yall should try it
it came out soft and crunchy!
5 stars!
These are my go-to cookie recipe. I just made 5 batches for a wedding cookie table and every batch is perfect. Thanks for sharing this! The mini chips on top make them look adorable.
Omg I'm honored you used my recipe for a wedding!! I LOVE that there was a cookie table 😆 thank you, Sarah!
These are delicious! Like other reviews mentioned, I definitely would recommend flattening them so if you don’t like puffy cookies.
Thanks, Ana!! So happy you liked them!
Amazing recipe
I highly recommend flattening the cookie dough balls out a little before you put them in the oven, if you don’t want puffy cookies (still delicious, tho). It made 24 cookies. They are great for a late night snack! They were very good, but not perfect.