These chewy chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar are soft and even more delicious than classic chocolate chip cookies. Rich and buttery, these easy cookies are also dairy free, egg free, and need only 7 ingredients.
Chewy chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar are delicious and easy to make dairy free and egg free with just 7 ingredients. Maybe you are out of brown sugar, or maybe you found your brown sugar is hard as a rock. Well, I got you! You'll love this simple recipe which makes a cookie with a soft texture, and crispy edges, even without the typically important brownie sugar.
The ingredient list is short, the dough requires only a 20-minute chill, and you won't have to place a grocery order or run to the store for brown sugar.
When you are done with these cookies, try my chocolate sugar cookies, my buttery milano cookies and my edible chocolate chip cookie dough, if you prefer not to cook at all. And if chocolate chips are your thing, you will definitely want to check out my oatmeal chocolate chip bars. Or if almond flavoring is your favorite, try my new almond sugar cookies, ready in 15 minutes, and my fun cut outs, 3 ingredient almond flour sugar cookies!
Why You'll Love This
Simple ingredients, short chill time. These chewy chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar need only 7 basic ingredients that are always in your kitchen. And the chill time is only 20 minutes, so you'll have cookies in your mouth in a short time.
Why it works without brown sugar. The apple sauce in this cookie contributes the moisture to the texture that brown sugar normally contributes. Use store bought or homemade apple sauce.
Make ahead cookies. You can make the dough or the cookies ahead of time, both freeze super well.
Work for all diets. These cookies are dairy free and without eggs so vegans and vegetarians can eat them. Make them gluten-free by using a gluten free baking flour, and they are naturally nut-free.
Ingredients
- flour. Use all-purpose flour or gluten free baking flour for best texture.
- sugar. Organic cane sugar tastes best, and is less refined, but any cane sugar works.
- butter. I used dairy free butter, but any butter works.
- apple sauce. Use unsweetened. Pectin in apples works as the binder here, replacing eggs nicely.
- baking soda, powder
- vanilla, salt
- chocolate chip. I used semi sweet mini chips by Enjoylife, but you can use your favorite.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
For more detail, visit the complete recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.
Step 1: Cream room-temperature butter and sugar in a bowl, add apple sauce and vanilla and beat for about 2 minutes. Combine the dry ingredients and add those through a strainer.
Step 2: Mix the batter for about 1 minute until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with a dish or plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Scoop using a 2-tablespoon scoop and space balls 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes. Look for golden brown edges, and pale centers with cracks.
Step 4: Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe Tips
1.Make sure your butter is at room temperature. Either put it out for a few hours before baking, or microwave it out of the paper, in a bowl, for 10 seconds.
2. Since these cookies are missing brown sugar - a key ingredient to ensure soft texture - it is important to not overbake them. Remove them as soon as the top surface is dry, and the edges show a hint of brown. You don't have to worry about salmonella from eggs in under cooked batter because these cookies do not have eggs.
3. Be sure to spend some time creaming the butter and sugar to be sure the sugar is dissolved. But barely stir the final batter, combining the wet and dry ingredients to prevent the cookies from becoming tough. That's because when over-stirred, flour releases gluten and makes a tough cookie.
Storage
Store cooled chocolate chip cookies at room temperature in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze the batter or baked cookies for up to 3 months.
FAQS
Brown sugar is used in most chocolate chip cookie recipes to add moisture, chewiness, and a caramel flavor. Apple sauce that I use in this recipe instead of eggs, replaces the moisture and caramel flavor nicely as well as adds structure. I use apple sauce instead of eggs in many of my cake recipes.
If you don't have brown sugar, use cane sugar or coconut sugar at a 1 to 1 ratio. Other healthy sweeteners include date paste and maple syrup although the recipe might require added flour.
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 Hand-mixer
- 1 baking sheets
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (192g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (62g) applesauce unsweetened
- ¾ cup (150g) cane sugar
- ½ cup (113g) butter softened, dairy free
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- ¾ cup (127g) mini chocolate chips (also ½ a chocolate bar chopped - optional)
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180°C) .
- Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature. You can microwave it for 10 seconds to help it along, but letting it sit out for 2 hours is more advisable.
Make Cookies
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, stirring or mixing about 2-3 minutes with a spoon, hand mixer or stand mixer.¾ cup (150g) cane sugar, ½ cup (113g) butter
- Stir in applesauce and vanilla for another 1 minute or until incorporated.¼ cup (62g) applesauce, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sift the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredient mixture. Be sure to measure the flour exactly - I used the spoon and level method. If you don't want to sift, simple stir the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, and then dump that on top of the wet ingredient mixture.1 ½ cups (192g) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, pinch of salt
- Mix the batter until just combined either with a spoon and by hand, or with a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Mix only about 1 minute. Don't overmix or you'll create a rubbery batter.¾ cup (127g) mini chocolate chips
- Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks (or both) with a spatula.
- Cover the batter with crinkle wrap and refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Scoop using a 2-tbsp size scoop and space the dough balls 2 inches apart. This will make 15-18 cookies.
- Bake 350 F for 10-12 minutes. Do not over-bake these chocolate chip cookies! Look for golden brown edges, and pale centers that look just dry, and are beginning to show slight cracks.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Store
- Store these chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
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