These cookies are everything you love about a soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie—without the chocolate. Delicious brown butter ensures that while chipless, these cookies are definitely not flavorless. Best part is they're made in under an hour!
Have you ever craved a soft and warm chocolate chip cookie, just to realize you're out of chocolate chips? Never experience this tragedy again with these Chocolate Chipless Cookies!
What is a cookie if not in relation to chocolate chips? Well, this is a soft and chewy brown butter cookie with a subtle nuttiness and basic ingredients. It's anything but boring. They are soft baked for just 8-10 minutes, then topped with flaky sea salt for the perfectly balanced bite. It's basically the ultimate brown butter vanilla cookie!
I love a soft baked cookie, almost medium rare if you will. You can bake these cookies according to your liking, from soft to crispy! They are so simple to make that you can change them up however you like. But for the classic chocolate-less cookie, this is the only recipe you need.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No chocolate? No problem!
- Made with just a few pantry staple ingredients.
- Made in under an hour.
- No fancy equipment or stand mixer necessary.
- Chewy and soft baked cookies.
- Bake longer for a crispy cookie!
- Brown butter adds a caramel nutty flavor, so these cookies are not boring.
- Nut-free and easily gluten-free!
- Keep cookie dough in the freezer for emergencies.
Want more easy cookies? You'll also like my gluten-free lemon cookies, coffee cookies, brown butter chocolate chip cookies, ginger molasses cookies, or white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.
Ingredient Notes
Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make these chocolate chipless cookies:
- Salted butter: I always use salted in my baking. Add an extra pinch of salt to the dough if using unsalted butter.
- Dark brown sugar & granulated sugar: The combination of both sugars makes these cookies soft and chewy with crisp edges.
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All purpose flour: Spoon into a measuring cup and level so you don't add too much flour.
- Baking soda
- Fine sea salt & flaky sea salt: Use fine salt in the cookie dough, and flaky sea salt for topping.
What is Brown Butter?
This recipe adds depth of flavor by browning the butter. Brown butter is a magical product that results when butter is heated in a saucepan. When exposed to prolonged heating, some water evaporates and the milk solids in the butter begin to caramelize and brown. Browned butter has a nutty aroma and caramel-like taste and adds a delicious note to baked goods.
Substitutions
There are many ways to change up these cookies. Here are some substitution suggestions:
- Gluten-free flour. Make these cookies gluten-free by using a gluten-free all-purpose blend that contains xanthan gum. I typically use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag) or Robinhood gluten-free flour blend.
- Dairy-free? Use a dairy-free butter or coconut oil, and dark chocolate. Dairy-free butter won't brown, so skip that step and just melt it.
- No brown sugar? You could also use coconut sugar.
- Add nuts. Chopped pistachios, pecans, or almonds would be a great addition to the flavours in this recipe. Mix them into the cookie dough at the end.
- Add different extracts like almond extract, or add espresso powder and make my gluten-free coffee cookies.
- Add chocolate. If you do happen to have chocolate on hand, throw in ½ cup of chips or chunks. Check out my gluten-free brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Be sure to read the recipe card below for the full recipe.
(1) Cube the butter and add it to a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and allow the butter to melt, stirring occasionally. Once melted, it will begin to bubble, foam, and brown.
When the butter is an amber colour, pour it into a heatproof bowl, scraping all the brown bits with it. This whole process should take 6-10 minutes. Allow the butter to cool for 10 minutes. If you don't want to brown it, simply use melted butter.
(2) In a medium bowl, whisk the melted brown butter and both sugars until smooth. Whisk in the egg and vanilla.
(3) Switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold in the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and fine salt until just combined.
Place the cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven temperature to 350ºF and prepare 1-2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
(4) Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop the dough into about 10-12 balls. Place the balls of cookie dough on the sheet pan and bake for 8-10 minutes until just golden brown. The edges will just be set and they will have soft centers.
(5) Wearing oven mitts, slam the baking sheet on the counter a few times to encourage the cookies to spread. Immediately take a large cookie cutter or a glass and gently swirl it around each cookie to create the perfect circle shape.
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
How to Serve
These cookies are the best cookies for any occasion. Whether it's a birthday, the holidays, a bake sale, or you're just looking for a little treat—these cookies are easy to make and are always a crowd pleaser.
Here are some ways I like to serve them:
- With a hot tea or espresso. When dipped in a warm drink, these cookies soften into a delicious bite. Try a cappuccino, peppermint mocha, or a homemade gingerbread latte.
- Wrapped as a gift. Line a pretty box with some parchment paper, fill with cookies, wrap, and anyone is going to love to receive this!
- Enjoy with a holiday cookie spread. Pair with my gluten-free white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, peanut butter cup cookies, chocolate amaretti, slice and bake sugar cookies, and more desserts!
Storage
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze cookie dough balls in a closed container for up to 3 months. Bake as directed plus 1-2 minutes.
Wrap baked cookies tightly in plastic wrap or tin foil and place in an airtight, freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, allow to sit at room temperature for a few hours. Reheat for 10-15 seconds in the microwave if desired.
Expert Tips
Here are some of my top tips and tricks for successful cookies:
- Be sure to watch the butter when browning! It can go from brown to burnt very quickly. Once it smells nutty and appears brown, remove to a heatproof bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes before proceeding.
- Don't overmix the dough. Stop once all the flour is just absorbed, as overmixing can great tough, gluey cookies.
- Chill the dough for soft and chewy cookies. You can bake right away, but the cookies will spread a lot and become crispier.
- Don't be tempted to over-bake. Once the edges look lightly set and the middle still looks soft, remove them. They will continue cooking on the baking sheet.
- Shape them right out of the oven. For perfectly round cookies, take a large cookie cutter or the top of a glass and gently run it around each cookie immediately after removing it from the oven. This will reinforce a circular shape as the cookie cools.
- Enjoy warm! These cookies taste delicious fresh out of the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! And this recipe is proof of it. These cookies are not flavorless without the chocolate. Brown butter, sugar, and vanilla give these soft cookies so much flavor.
Yes—My favourite flour for all of my cookie recipes is the Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (in the blue bag). It is an all-purpose baking blend and contains xanthan gum. Feel free to use any gluten-free flour blend that also contains xanthan gum.
For dairy-free: Use your favourite dairy-free buttery sticks. Dairy-free butter will not brown as it does not contain milk solids. Instead, just melt the vegan butter and proceed.
For vegan: Use the above dairy-free substitution as well as an egg replacement. I have not tried replacing the egg, however try your favourite swap such as a flax egg.
There are many intentional factors that create these soft-baked chewy cookies.
1. Using brown and white sugar. Brown sugar gives the chewiness, white sugar gives the crisp edge.
2. Chilling the cookie dough. This allows the flour to hydrate so the cookie will spread slower and softer.
3. Do not over-bake them! Remove from the oven when the centre still looks quite soft, and it will firm up as it cools for the perfect soft cookie.
These chocolate chipless cookies have all the flavour of classic chocolate chip cookies, without the chocolate! They still bring all the flavour with brown butter, vanilla, and sea salt. When you're out of chocolate, these delicious cookies are sure to be a crowd pleaser!
More Cookie Recipes
- Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
- Gluten-Free Funfetti Cookies
- Italian Chocolate Amaretti Cookies
- Gluten-Free S'mores Cookies
- Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies
- Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Mini Skillet Cookie
- Gluten-Free Edible Cookie Dough
More Dessert Recipes
Have you made these chocolate chipless cookies? I'd very much appreciate it if you leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below, and tag me on instagram @fromoliviaskitchen!
Recipe
Chocolate Chipless Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Cube the butter and add it to a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and allow the butter to melt, stirring occasionally. Once melted, it will begin to bubble, foam, and brown. When the butter is an amber colour, pour it into a heatproof bowl, scraping all the brown bits with it. This whole process should take 6-10 minutes. Allow the butter to cool for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted brown butter and both sugars until smooth. Whisk in the egg and vanilla. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold in the flour, baking soda, and fine salt until just combined.
- Place the cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare 1-2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop the dough into about 10-12 balls. Place on the baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes. The edges will just be set and the middle will still look very soft.
- Wearing oven mitts, slam the baking sheet on the counter a few times to encourage the cookies to spread. Immediately take a large cookie cutter or a glass and gently swirl it around each cookie to create the perfect circle shape.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you're using unsalted butter, add an extra pinch of salt to the dough.
- Make these cookies gluten-free by using Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (in the blue bag), or another 1:1 flour including xanthan gum.
- Err on the side of underbaked cookies, as they will solidify as they cool.
- Store cookies in a closed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze cookie dough balls in a closed container for up to 3 months. Bake as directed plus 1-2 minutes.
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