These chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar are thick, soft, and chewy, thanks to 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and an extra egg yolk. No chill time, and they're ready in about 25 minutes.
Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar At A Glance
- ✅ Recipe Name: Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar (Soft & Chewy)
- 🕒 Ready In: 25 minutes (no chilling required)
- 👪 Serves: 26 cookies
- 🍽 Calories: ~117 calories per cookie
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, egg plus an extra egg yolk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, baking soda, chocolate chips
- 🍯 Sweetener: Granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (no brown sugar)
- 📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian, gluten-free with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour, dairy-free with vegan butter and dairy-free chocolate chips
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Thick, chewy centers and pools of melty chocolate, with no chilling required. The dough also freezes well, so you can bake just a few cookies straight from the freezer whenever a craving hits.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
Funny story: these cookies started with a Christmas cookie party. I went to grab the brown sugar and realized I was totally out! So I added a little maple syrup and an extra egg yolk instead, and they came out so soft and chewy. They were gone in minutes!
Now we make them at least once a week. They disappear just as fast as my snickerdoodles without cream of tartar and oat flour chocolate chip cookies.
Hosting your own cookie party? Make these with my almond flour sugar cookies or these gooey chocolate chip sugar cookies. Want more protein? Try my protein chocolate chip cookies.
Jump to:
- Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar At A Glance
- Can You Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar?
- Ingredients You'll Need
- How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar (Step-by-Step)
- Recipe Video
- My Tips for Soft, Chewy Cookies
- Easy Substitutions & Variations
- How to Store and Freeze
- Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar FAQs
- More Cookies without Brown Sugar
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Can You Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar?
Yes! Brown sugar is simply granulated sugar with molasses mixed in, so you can absolutely make chocolate chip cookies without it. You only need to make up for what the molasses does.
Brown sugar does three jobs in a cookie:
- Moisture: Molasses keeps cookies soft and chewy.
- Flavor: It adds a warm, caramel-like depth.
- Color: It helps cookies brown.
This recipe covers all three. Maple syrup adds moisture and a hint of caramel flavor, and an extra egg yolk adds richness for that soft, chewy texture.
The cookies bake up a little lighter in color than classic chocolate chip cookies, which is totally normal. Pull them while the centers still look slightly soft, and they'll stay chewy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All I can say is WOW. One of the best cookie recipes I have made. I could not tell there was no brown sugar in them. They were sweet and chewy. I loved them.
- Alyssa
Ingredients You'll Need
You only need everyday baking staples to make chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar, plus a spoonful of maple syrup.
- Unsalted butter: Let it sit out until it's soft but not melted. If it's too warm, your cookies will spread.
- Granulated sugar: This is the only dry sugar in the recipe. Trust me, you won't miss the brown sugar.
- Maple syrup: Just 1 tablespoon keeps these soft and gives them a little caramel flavor. Grab pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup. If you love maple in cookies, my orange chocolate chip oatmeal cookies are sweetened with only maple syrup.
- Egg + egg yolk: Don't skip the extra yolk! It's what makes these so chewy.
- Vanilla extract: Use the real stuff. It makes a big difference in a simple cookie like this.
- All-purpose flour: Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off. Scooping straight from the bag packs in too much flour and makes the dough stiff. A 1:1 gluten-free flour works too.
- Baking soda: If your cookies ever come out flat, old baking soda is usually the culprit.
- Salt: Just a little to balance the sweetness.
- Chocolate chips: I always use dark or semi-sweet, and I save a handful to press on top before baking.
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this page for exact quantities.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar (Step-by-Step)
These come together in one batch with no chilling, so you can have cookies in the oven in about 10 minutes.
- Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat the butter and granulated sugar for 1 to 2 minutes, until light and creamy.
- Step 2: Add the wet ingredients. Mix in the maple syrup, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until just combined. Don't worry if it looks a little curdled at first. It comes together once the flour goes in.
- Step 3: Add the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, then add it to the wet mixture a little at a time. Mix until no dry streaks remain. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
- Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chips. Stir them in by hand with a spatula so you don't overmix the dough. Save a handful for the tops!
- Step 5: Scoop and bake. Roll 1.5-tablespoon dough balls and press a few extra chips on top. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set, but the centers still look slightly underdone. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.
Recipe Video
My Tips for Soft, Chewy Cookies
- Take them out early. The centers should still look a little underdone. They'll finish baking on the hot pan and stay soft.
- Freeze extra dough balls. Bake them straight from the freezer and add 1 to 2 minutes. You can have one warm cookie whenever you want.
- Sticky dough? Chill it. If it's too soft to roll, pop it in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
Easy Substitutions & Variations
- Gluten-free: Swap the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. Use one with xanthan gum for the best texture.
- Dairy-free: Use vegan butter sticks in place of the butter, and grab dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Salted butter: Totally fine! Just skip the added salt.
- No maple syrup: Use the same amount of honey or agave.
- No granulated sugar: Use coconut sugar in the same amount. The cookies will be darker with a deeper, caramel-like flavor.
- Mix up the chocolate: Try white chocolate, milk chocolate, or a chopped chocolate bar for bigger melty pools.
How to Store and Freeze
- Room temperature: Keep the cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Fridge: Store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze baked cookies: Let them cool completely, then freeze in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Freeze the dough: Roll the dough into balls and freeze them in a single layer until firm, then move them to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake straight from frozen and add 1 to 2 minutes.
Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar FAQs
Nope! This recipe uses granulated sugar, maple syrup, and an extra egg yolk instead. But if you'd like to make brown sugar at home, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of molasses.
Yes! A mixer makes it easier, but you can make them by hand too. Make sure your butter is really soft, then beat it with the sugar using a wooden spoon until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. It takes a little arm work, but the cookies turn out just as good.
Usually it's butter that's too warm, not enough flour, or old baking soda. Use soft (not melted) butter, spoon and level your flour, and make sure your baking soda is fresh.
Don't overbake them, and move them to an airtight container as soon as they've cooled. Leaving them out uncovered is what dries them out.
Yes! Double everything, including the eggs, so you'll use 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks. The dough freezes well, so you can bake some now and save the rest.
More Cookies without Brown Sugar
If you loved these chewy chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar, try these recipes next:
Did you make this recipe?
If you make this recipe, be sure to comment and rate it down below. Also, don't forget to tag me @healthfulblondie on Instagram and use the hashtag #healthfulblondie so I can see your delicious creation and share it with my followers!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (white sugar)
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ - 1 cup chocolate chips, dark or semi-sweet
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar: In a large bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar for 1 to 2 minutes, until light and creamy.
- Add the wet ingredients: Mix in the maple syrup, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients: Add the flour mixture a little at a time, mixing until no dry streaks remain. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
- Fold in the chocolate chips: Stir them in by hand with a spatula.
- Scoop: Roll 1.5-tablespoon dough balls, place them on the baking sheets, and press a few extra chips on top.
- Bake: Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly underdone.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe tested and developed by Tati Chermayeff, creator of Healthful Blondie. A former Division I rower, Ironman triathlete, and recipe developer based in Austin, TX, Tati creates high-protein and healthy recipes that actually taste like the real thing.
Eve says
Hello, I have make many cookies before and I always follow recipes as stated and measure correctly as it should. This is the only way to know if it comes out as the author. Unfortunately this these came. too sticky to make the dough into balls. Even though there’s no mention of this. I will put them in the fridge for an hour and hopefully then I can ball them to bake
Thank you
Tati Chermayeff says
I’m so sorry about that, Eve! If your butter gets a little too warm, the dough can turn out sticky. Chilling it for about 15 minutes makes it much easier to roll, and I’ve added that tip to the post. Thank you for letting me know!
Brittany Sprague says
These cookies are absolutely fantastic. They turned out beautifully and we're balanced so well. (Not too bitter from baking soda, yet still so nice and fluffy!)
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Tati Chermayeff says
This makes me so happy to hear, Brittany! So glad the cookies turned out perfectly. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a kind review!
Priya says
Hi, these cookies looks yummy. I have tried couple of times with 1:1 Bob's gluten free flour but didn't like the texture. May i please know which brand all purpose flour do you recommend for this recipe.
Thank you.
Tati Chermayeff says
Hi Priya! For regular flour, any all-purpose flour works great. I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 or King Arthur 1:1 for GF.
emily says
Loved these cookies!
Tati Chermayeff says
YAY, so happy to hear that emily!
andrea says
Best cookies ever!!! loved them.
Tati Chermayeff says
Yay!! So happy you loved them, Andrea! Thank you for leaving a review ❤️
Alyssa says
All I can say is WOW. One of the best cookie recipes I have made. I could not tell there was no brown sugar in them. They were sweet and chewy. I loved them. Thanks Agian!
Kim says
Amazing! I used 2/3 cup almond flour and 1 cup regular all purpose flour unbleached. I also used only a 1/2 cup sugar. They came out amazing
Tati Chermayeff says
So happy to hear that, Kim!
Tati Chermayeff says
This makes me so happy to hear!! So glad you loved the cookies, Alyssa. Thank you for such a sweet review!