Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar or Baking Powder

These homemade chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar are inspired by the original Toll House cookie recipe. If you do not have any, this cookie recipe using no brown sugar is for you.  You do not have to use brown sugar to bake fantastic fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.  These cookies are all the things you love, including they smell like home, are sweet, buttery, decadent, and packed with gooey semi-sweet chips in every bite.

There are a few changes so these chocolate chip cookies are still soft on the inside even without the brown sugar and using only white sugar.   Brown sugar lends to the chewy moist texture in cookies but my secret ingredient does ensure you still get a crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, & perfectly baked chocolate chip cookie. This easy recipe is still from scratch but made with just white sugar in place of both white and brown sugars combined.

Substitute for Brown Sugar in Cookies

If you have asked before if you can substitute white sugar for brown sugar in cookies, you are not alone.  Fortunately, the answer is yes and they turn out just as tasty.  You can replace brown sugar in a recipe and use only white sugar when making these chocolate chip cookies.  To substitute brown sugar with granulated white sugar, do so in a 1:1 ratio.

There is a small difference in texture and color when baking cookies without brown sugar texture. Cookies Brown sugar, thanks to the molasses in it, gives cookies moisture. It makes cookies soft, chewy, and a bit darker in color. When using only white sugar versus a combination of both, cookies will be more crispy and lighter in color.  To still maintain the soft chewy texture of a good chocolate chip cookie, while not using brown sugar add cornstarch to the dough.  Cornstarch will help make them thicker and softer so they do not flatten out, resulting in a thinner cookie that is crispy.

Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies are made with granulated white sugar only, no brown sugar.  This chocolate chip cookie recipe is without brown sugar but has all the other usual ingredients; flour, baking soda, salt, butter, eggs, vanilla, and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

The key to having moist and chewy cookies even without brown sugar is by adding cornstarch. Adding cornstarch also makes this recipe chocolate chip wonderful without baking powder. There is no need for baking powder when we are adding cornstarch and baking soda.  That is what I have done here and the results are soft, chewy, & fluffy.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar

For this recipe, it is best to start with room-temperature ingredients. So you may need to plan ahead so that your butter and eggs are ready once you want to start mixing the cookie dough.   Eggs mix easier when not cold, the yolk tends to combine easier with the whites and other ingredients. Eggs only need about 20 minutes or so to come to a temperature. Sticks of butter need at least an hour to soften at room temperature.  For a quick 15-20 minute hack try this microwave steaming method to Soften Butter Quickly. 

Combine the Dry Ingredients

Combine the Wet Ingredients

** remember **  Bring butter & eggs to room temperature before mixing the dough.

Add the Dry Ingredients to the Wet Ingredients

Add the Chocolate Chips to the Cookie Batter

Refrigerate the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

How To Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar

Scoop the Chilled Cookie Dough  & Bake

Cool the Chocolate Chip Cookies before Eating

Other Cookie Ideas

With just a few changes you can use this chocolate chip cookie recipe to make other delicious cookies too. If you do not have brown sugar or chocolate chips, you can still make these cookies.  Instead of the chips, chop up your favorite candy bar or add M&Ms to this cookie recipe without brown sugar. A simple replacement is to use different kinds of chips like butterscotch or peanut butter.  Here are other Chocolate Chip Substitutes. 

You can also make double chocolate cookies as well. For rich chocolate chocolate chip cookies, simply make this recipe as is but to the dry ingredients also add ¼ c of cocoa and reduce the all-purpose flour by that same ¼ cup.

How to Store Chocolate Chip Cookies

Freezing Cookie Dough

To bake later, you can freeze this chocolate chip cookie dough. It freezes well and bakes up perfectly later. It will last for up to 2 months in the freezer if stored in an air-tight ziplock bag properly. Thaw the frozen dough in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar

Angela

Chocolate chip cookies are easy to make without brown sugar. Using white sugar only in this recipe makes a wonderful cookie that is slightly crisp but soft and chewy even without the brown sugar.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 5 dozen

Equipment

• cookie baking pans
• cooling rack
• hand mixer

Ingredients

  

• 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks) softened/room temperature
• 1 ½ cup granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• Bring butter & eggs to room temperature before mixing the dough.
• In a small mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, salt, & cornstarch.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients - softened butter, sugar, and vanilla. Using a hand mixer, mix on medium speed to cream the ingredients together until well combined.
• Add the eggs one at a time and mix at low to medium speed. Once both eggs are combined with the wet ingredients, the dry ingredients are ready to be added.
• Add ½ of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With the hand mixer on low to medium, mix to bring the dry and wet ingredients together. Add the other half slowly with the mixer on low until all the dry ingredients are added. Then mix on medium speed to combine completely, scrape edges with a rubber spatula as need to incorporate all ingredients together.
• Once the dough is ready, pour in the chocolate chips. Fold or stir them gently into the cookie dough to evenly distribute.
• Chill the dough in the refrigerator for an hour. This will allow the cookies to bake slowly and not spread. This step is what gives the soft & chewy thick cookies even without the brown sugar. If you want them to be thin and crispier, you can skip this step.
• Preheat the oven to 350°
• Prepare a cookie sheet with a Silpat mat or spray/grease. Using hands or a cookie scoop, drop tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough on the baking sheet. A dozen at a time will fit as you keep them evenly spaced so they can bake up evenly.
• Bake 10-12 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.
• Using a spatula, carefully remove hot cookies from the baking sheet and place them on a cooling rack.
• Continue shaping, baking, and cooling each dozen. This will make about 4-5 dozen cookies, depending on the size of the cookies you are rolling into dough balls.
• Enjoy cookies slightly warm or cool.

  Chocolate chip cookies can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

  The dough can be frozen to bake later. It will last for up to 2 months in the freezer if stored in an air-tight ziplock bag properly.

Notes

This is the nutritional information for making 5 dozen cookies from the dough. 

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 60
Amount per serving
Calories	92
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4.7g	6%
Saturated Fat 2.4g	12%
Cholesterol 14mg	5%
Sodium 103mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate 12g	4%
Dietary Fiber 0.3g	1%
Total Sugars 7.2g
Protein 0.9g
Vitamin D 3mcg	13%
Calcium 3mg	0%
Iron 0mg	2%
Potassium 13mg	0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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