The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies (without Brown Sugar)
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These soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies will become your new favorite. Made with milk chocolate chips, white sugar, and creamy butter this easy cookie recipe should be on your "must make" baking list.
Everyone loves chewy cookies, and these white sugar chocolate chip cookies have the softest texture. These are so easy to make as well, needing only 7 simple ingredients. So let's get started.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Only 7 basic ingredients are needed to get these cookies in the oven.
- The white sugar creates crisp edges while still maintaining a soft and chewy texture.
- They only take about 10 minutes to make and 15 to bake. That means warm, fresh delicious cookies in your hands in less than 30 minutes.
- Use any kind of chocolate chips- semi-sweet, milk, or even white chocolate work. Or, of course, you could use a combination of all 3! Dark chocolate also works here if you're wanting a richer flavor.
- These will become your new favorite chocolate chip cookie and they will satisfy even the most serious cookie craving!
Ingredients needed
- plain flour/ all-purpose flour
- butter- you can use salted or unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, then just omit the extra salt from the recipe. I only use salted butter in my baking to keep any additional cost down.
- baking powder
- baking soda / bicarb of soda
- granulated sugar or caster sugar
- large egg
- vanilla extract
- chocolate chips
See the recipe card for quantities.
Step By Step Instructions for chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar
- Start by preheating the oven and making sure the butter and egg are at room temperature. Using softened butter helps to incorporate more air into the butter mixture and helps to create soft chocolate chip cookies. And we all know a soft texture is the most important part of a cookie.
- In a large bowl measure out the dry ingredients. Flour, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside.
- Next up, in a separate bowl use an electric whisk and a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and whip the butter until it's light and fluffy. Incorporate lots of air into the butter.
- Pour in the sugar and whisk again for a little bit longer- an extra minute or two should do it.
- Add the egg to the butter and sugar and whisk until just combined. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula before continuing.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and use the rubber spatula to mix until just combined or use the mixer on low speed to make sure the flour doesn't go everywhere. Stir in the chocolate chips. You can also use chocolate chunks here too, I just prefer chips in this recipe.
*Pro-tip- be sure to not over mix the flour because that will build up too much gluten and make the cookies tough rather than soft.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and use a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop to drop the chocolate chip cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for about 2 minutes.
- Open the oven door and gently lift one side of the baking tray and tap it on the oven rack. This is Sarah Kiefer's pan-banging cookie method and it creates gorgeous soft and fluffy ridges around the edges of the cookies. Close the oven door and continue to bake for another 3 minutes and repeat the pan banging. Finish baking the cookies for another 8 minutes until the edges are golden and the center is soft and fluffy.
Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
*Cookies using only white sugar will spread more than cookies that use brown sugar too.
Recipe FAQ's
Because they both affect leavening, color and flavor, and we want these cookies to be golden brown, and soft and fluffy in the middle. And when we're making chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar we need the baking soda (bicarb) to help get that golden color.
We're using a whole egg rather than just an egg yolk because it gives you the best results. The yolk adds flavor and color and the white adds structure and strength. Because we're only using white sugar.
Dark brown sugar and light brown sugar both affect the color and flavor of any baking but it's especially noticeable in a classic chocolate chip cookie. Brown sugar give a caramel flavor to the cookies.
Because brown sugar has more moisture these all-white sugar chocolate chip cookies will result in a slightly more crispy cookie than making a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Substitutions and variations
- Brown sugar- Make your own brown sugar using some molasses if you have it. But these really are like a sugar cookie with chocolate chips so they aren't your classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, but they are really great cookies.
- Coconut sugar- instead of granulated will a lovely rich flavor
- Whole wheat flour- instead of plain flour will give a thicker cookie with more structure.
See these chewy chocolate cookies of these cookies made with brown sugar! They are very soft and chewy. Or chocolate chip cookie bars! When you turn a cookie into a bar, they are ultra soft and fluffy.
Equipment
You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
The best method for measuring out flour, or any ingredients is to weigh them with a kitchen scale. Most North Americans still prefer using a measuring cups and ounces, though. So, it's best to use the scoop and sweep method for measuring all the ingredients.
And use a cookie scoop or a small ice cream scoop to drop the dough on to the baking tray.
Storage
Storing homemade chocolate chip cookies -
- Room temperature- airtight container for about 3 days and they will stay nice and soft.
- Fridge- you can store the cookies in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap or a container for about 5 days and either let them warm up at room temperature or microwave them to warm them up.
- Freezer- store the cookie dough balls in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. This is really helpful if you'd only like to bake a couple of cookies at a time.
Top tips
Oven temperature is crucial for baking especially when we're trying to get chewier cookies.
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Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar
Ingredients
- 285 g (2 ⅙ cups) plain flour
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) bicarb soda, baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) salt
- ¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) baking powder
- 225 g (8 oz) butter, soft and room temperature
- 300 g (1 3/7 cups) caster or granulated sugar
- 1 (1) large egg
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) vanilla extract
- 200 g (7 oz) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175ºc
- In a small bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Using an electric hand whisk or a stand mixer whip the butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes until light, pale and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Switching to a spatula, add the flour mixture into the butter and sugar and gently mix until just combined, being very careful not to over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Use a cookie scoop to place the cookie dough on a lined baking tray. Place in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. With the oven door open, lift one edge of the pan and drop gently. Bake for a further 2 minutes and repeat this process with the other side of the pan. Bake for a total of 14-15 minutes.
My 10-year-old son made these cookies yesterday and they were so easy and they taste great. Thanks!
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating! It's so appreciated.
This is such a great recipe! Really easy to make and they are THE perfect texture.
So happy you loved this recipe, Sarah. And thank you for taking the time to leave a review and a rating. It's very appreciated.