Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar

These Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar are classic chocolate chip cookies but made without any brown sugar. They are perfect to turn to when you are running low or are out of brown sugar.

I’ve included a detailed breakdown of what ingredients and techniques you can use to replace brown sugar and get that perfectly sweet chocolate chip cookie.

It's great to have a work-around when you're out of an ingredient and are craving chocolate chip cookies. If you're low on any ingredients you can also try these small batch recipes which require less of any given ingredients such as these Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies or Small Batch Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies, or if you're craving oatmeal chocolate chip, these Small Batch Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Or if you just want to go big try my absolute favorite Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cafe Cookies, or these Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Cookies.

Jump to:

• 🌟 The Trick to Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar
• 🔍 Recipe Development
• 🧈 Brown Butter
• 🍁 Maple Syrup or Molasses
• 🥄 Using Only Granulated Sugar
• 🍪 Variations of Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar
• 📝 Ingredients
• 🥣 How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar
• 🧊 How to Store and Freeze
• If you're interested in other cookie recipes you might also enjoy these:
• Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar

🌟 The Trick to Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar

The trick to making chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar is to replace that “caramel” like taste that you get from brown sugar with another ingredient. You can do this in one of three different ways with ingredients that you may already have at home.

1. Brown Butter: This gives you that caramelized flavor with an ingredient that you already have. 
2. Maple Syrup: Add just a little bit of maple syrup replacing the “caramel” flavor from the brown sugar.
3. Molasses: Rather than maple syrup, add a little bit of molasses.

More on these further below.

🔍 Recipe Development

I have made these chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar over a dozen times trying to figure out the best version with the easiest ingredients and preparation. I have experimented with a batch using all granulated sugar, another with a little bit of maple syrup, one with a lot of maple syrup, one with a little bit of molasses, one with too much molasses, and multiple variations with browned butter.

The recipe written below is using maple syrup. This is the simplest version. Maple syrup is a fairly common ingredient. Many households may already have maple syrup in their pantry, making it an easy addition. However, if you have molasses, it would be just as easy to add that instead (though fewer people might have this on hand).

🧈 Brown Butter

If you have the time and patience, browning the butter will get you closest to a classic chocolate chip cookie. When you brown the butter, you are toasting the milk solids and you get a caramelized nutty flavor.

If you brown the butter you will also have to cool the now melted butter. If you were to add the melted butter to your cookie dough, you would get a cookie that spreads too much and is too thin. Cooling the butter can be done in about 10-15 minutes in the freezer, which is not a ton of time, but it is an extra step.

If you do choose to brown your butter, do so in a small saucepan on medium-low heat. Watching carefully and stirring occasionally allow the butter to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Remove. Allow to cool slightly, then transfer to a bowl and place in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. Then proceed as indicated in the recipe below.

🍁 Maple Syrup or Molasses

Real Maple Syrup and Molasses are two ingredients you might already have in your pantry.

Real Maple Syrup (not pancake syrup) has a subtle caramel flavor that comes from boiling the sap from maple trees and reducing it to maple syrup. Adding a small amount of maple syrup to the cookie batter will add back a hint of caramel that you are missing when not using brown sugar.

Molasses is combined with granulated sugar to make brown sugar. So if you have molasses, it’s a great substitute. You don’t need a ton, however. Just 1 tablespoon will do the trick. Adding too much molasses will you give you a very strong molasses aftertaste in your cookie.

I have made these cookies with maple syrup and molasses side by side, and I cannot tell the difference between the two. They both have a subtle caramel flavor that you don’t get when using granulated sugar.

🥄 Using Only Granulated Sugar

If you only have granulated sugar on hand (no maple syrup and no molasses) and you don’t have the time or capacity to brown the butter, your cookies will still turn out great! They won’t have that caramel note, but if you have a good amount of chocolate chips in there – you’re all set! They’ll be sweet and chocolatey (and easy) and really hit the spot.

🍪 Variations of Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar

Below are photos of the different variations that you can try based on the ingredients and time available to you. I hope that these details and photos help you to make the best chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar at home! Because not much beats a chewy, melty, chocolatey cookie when you really need one.

📝 Ingredients

Below are the ingredients needed to make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar. Note that molasses can be used as a substitute for maple syrup.

• Butter: If choosing, the butter can be browned, and then cooled to room temperature. Otherwise, use softened butter along with the maple syrup or molasses.
• Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness but lacks the "caramel" flavor of brown sugar, which will be replicated with maple syrup or molasses.
• Maple Syrup (or molasses): Use real maple syrup (not pancake syrup) or molasses. Either will add a subtle caramel flavor to the cookie, replicating the flavor of brown sugar.
• Egg: Use a large egg, pasture-raised if possible.
• Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: For leavening.
• Salt: To balance sweetness and bring out flavor.
• Flour: Use all-purpose unbleached flour. You can also make chocolate chip cookies with Einkorn flour (an ancient grain) using this recipe for Einkorn Chocolate Chip Cookies.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips are commonly used for chocolate chip cookies, but you can substitute them with bittersweet, dark, or milk chocolate chips.

To learn more about these cookie ingredients, see my Guide to Cookie Ingredients.

See the recipe card further below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

🥣 How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar

Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar. These step-by-step instructions demonstrate how to brown the butter and use maple syrup as a substitute for brown sugar (though you can also use molasses instead of the maple syrup).

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350℉.

Step 1. (OPTIONAL) Brown the Butter: Add the butter to a small saucepan at medium heat. Stir occasionally until it starts to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Then remove from the heat. Add the melted browned butter to a mixing bowl and place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to cool down. Then proceed with making the cookie dough.

Step 2. Combine the Wet Ingredients: Add the butter (browned or just softened), granulated sugar, egg, maple syrup (or molasses) and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl and combine.

Step 3. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt and combine.

Step 4. Add the flour and combine.

Step 5. Add the chocolate chips and combine.

Step 6. Bake the cookies: Scoop 2 tablespoons worth of dough for each cookie and place on a baking sheet. You can fit 12 cookies per baking sheet.

Bake at 350℉ for 9-10 minutes.

Allow the cookies to cool slightly then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

🧊 How to Store and Freeze

To Store: Cookies can be stored in an airtight container or plastic bag on the counter for 2-3 days.

To Freeze: The cookies or the cookies dough can be made ahead and frozen, with preference given to freezing the cookie dough. Shape the cookie dough into rounds and place them in a plastic bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake the cookies, either thaw them to room temperature and bake as directed. Alternatively, bake the cookies from frozen adding two minutes to the baking time.

If you're interested in other cookie recipes you might also enjoy these:

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies: Thick and chewy oversized cookies with lots and lots of chocolate.

Crispy Salted Caramel Cookies: Thin and crispy salted caramel cookies with a pool of caramel in the middle.

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies: A recipe for a small batch of chocolate chip cookies for when you really only need a few cookies, not a huge batch.

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Cookies: Giant cookies filled with melty caramel, two kinds of chocolate, and mini salty crunch pretzels.

If you tried these Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!