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5 from 49 votes

Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar

These simple Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar only require 8 basic ingredients to make and dough chilling is completely optional. It does not get any easier! These are perfect for when that sweet tooth hits and you need a quick fix. You can’t go wrong with a classic!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 20 cookies
Calories: 257kcal
Author: Brianna May

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature*
  • ½ cup + 3 Tablespoons (138 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups (162 g) all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ - 2 cups (6-8 ounces) semi sweet chocolate*

Instructions

  • Review all recipe notes and instructions before beginning.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium high for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the egg and vanilla. Mix on medium until well combined.
  • Add the flour, salt, and baking soda in this order. Mix on the lowest speed or use a spatula to fold until about ¾ of the flour is combined.
  • Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate. (Optional: If you want thicker cookies, chill the dough for 1-2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator or for 30-40 minutes in the freezer.)
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Scoop the dough into 1 ½ Tablespoon mounds. Arrange 12 per baking sheet spacing them 2-3 inches apart.
  • Bake for about 11 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes or until set on the baking sheet.

Notes

Softened Unsalted Butter: Leave the butter on the counter for 1 hour. If you are short on time, you can soften the butter in the microwave. Place the butter on a microwave safe plate in its wrapper. Microwave on 50% power for 8 seconds. Flip and repeat. You do not want to overheat the butter. This will cause the cookies to spread too much. 
Semi Sweet Chocolate: You can swap this or use a combination of white and milk chocolate. I prefer semi sweet so the cookies are not too sweet. You can use chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, or chocolate chunks.
Use a kitchen scale. Accurate measurements are the most important aspect of baking. I measure all of my ingredients in grams. If you do not have one, be sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife. This prevents the flour from being packed in. 
Use room temperature butter. Room temperature butter is around 60 degrees. The best way to bring it to this temperature is to let it sit out or use the microwave trick I mentioned above. Do not use melted butter for this recipe. It will cause the cookies to overspread. White sugar spreads more than brown so it is especially crucial for this recipe. It also helps it seamlessly combine with the sugar. 
Cream the butter and sugar. Creaming the room temperature butter and sugar with an electric mixer creates little air bubbles throughout the mixture. This results in perfectly puffy cookies. 
Use good quality chocolate & vanilla. Since this recipe does not use brown sugar. The quality of the other ingredients are even more important because their flavors are on the forefront. I like Ghirardelli Chocolate the best. 
Do not over mix the dough. If you over mix the dry ingredients, the cookies will be denser and flatter. This is not the ideal texture.
Remove from the baking sheet. After the cookies have baked for a few minutes and are set, transfer them to a wire rack or plate. They will overcook if they continue to sit on the hot baking sheet. 
Rotate if baking two sheets at a time. If you want to bake all of the cookies at the same time, follow the same baking instructions, but swap the rack position of the baking sheets halfway though. This helps the cookies cook more evenly. 

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 93mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g