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How to make the best brown butter chocolate chipless cookies without chocolate chips. These are rich, buttery, soft, and chewy cookies with no chocolate chips. I will share how to brown butter for perfect cookies.
This was a highly requested recipe from some of my amazing readers out there plus my son who believes cookies are better without chocolate chips! Whenever I am making a batch of chocolate chip cookies, my son will ask me to make him a special cookie without chocolate chips.
Growing up, my brother, Ryan felt the same way about cookies and he desired the flavor of chocolate chip cookies without chocolate. So, I finally decided to create a special brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe without chocolate chips!
And let me tell you from someone who thinks chocolate chip cookies are the best things on this planet, I am a huge fan! These chocolate chipless cookies are absolutely delicious!
Since we aren’t reliant on chocolate to bring a rich, depth of flavor, I wanted to create a cookie base that had toffee, caramel notes, thanks to the browned butter so it could stand on its own. If you’ve ever wondered why some cookies have a rich, nutty flavor that sets them apart, the answer might just be brown butter.
These chocolate chip cookies without chocolate chips turned out even better than I imagined in my head!
Why you will love these Brown Butter Cookies:
- You will love the rich toffee flavor! The browned butter gives the cookies the perfect toffee and caramel notes.
- The texture of these cookies is 10/10. These cookies have soft centers with crisp buttery edges.
- No mixer required! Everything can be done is one saucepan so it makes it extra easy and convenient.
Ingredients:
These cookies without chocolate chips are made with ingredients you may already have in your pantry and refrigerator. The key is to use brown butter!
- Browned Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Sugar
- Egg and Egg Yolk
- Vanilla Extract
- Flour
- Baking Soda
- Salt
Brown the Butter!
This may be an extra step but it is well worth the time. It is melted in a saucepan until perfectly golden and it imparts rich toffee notes to the cookie dough.
How to brown butter:
When you brown butter, it creates a nutty aroma and a deep, caramelized taste. This adds complexity and depth to your baked goods. I am going to share tips and tricks for how to brown butter. It is easier than you think!
- Choose the Right Pan: Start with a light-colored pan. This will help you gauge the color of the butter more accurately as it browns.
- Cut Butter into Even Pieces: Cutting the butter into smaller, uniform pieces helps it melt more evenly.
- Melt Over Low Heat: Place the butter in the pan and melt it over low to medium-low heat. This slow melting process allows the butter to cook evenly without burning.
- Swirl the Pan: As the butter melts, swirl the pan occasionally to ensure even cooking and to prevent any spots from burning. This helps to see if any brown bits are forming at the bottom.
- Watch for Foam: As the butter melts, it will start to foam. This is the water evaporating from the butter.
- Keep an Eye on the Color: The butter will start to turn golden, and then it will develop brown specks at the bottom of the pan. This is the milk solids caramelizing. The butter will also emit a nutty aroma, signaling that it’s almost done. Make sure to watch carefully because you don’t want the butter to burn.
- Remove from Heat: Once the butter reaches a golden brown color and emits a nutty aroma, immediately remove it from the heat. The residual heat will continue to cook the butter, so it’s important to remove it from the stove at the right moment.
Browning Butter Tip:
Browning butter can happen quickly, especially once it starts to turn brown. Stay by the stove and keep a close eye on it. You definitely don’t want to overcook it or it can turn bitter and taste burnt.
How to make Chocolate Chip Cookies without Chocolate Chips:
- Start off by browning the butter. See above for tips on how to brown the butter.
- There are two options for adding the sugars. If you want to do everything in one saucepan, add the brown sugar and sugar to the pan and carefully whisk until it is smooth. The second option is to place the brown sugar and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Pour the browned butter into the bowl, scraping the pot to get all of the browned bits. Whisk for several minutes until the mixture is smooth and shiny. * If the mixture isn’t completely smooth, the addition of the eggs will help to create a smooth texture.
- Let cool at room temperature for 10 minutes. Add vanilla and whisk. Add egg and egg yolk and mix until glossy and smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients. Fold in flour, baking soda, and salt.
- IMPORTANT STEP! Since we are using melted browned butter, it is imperative to chill the cookie dough or you will end up with flat cookies. I suggest wrapping the cookie dough and chilling for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. If time is on your hand, I suggest chilling for 24-48 hours.
- When ready to bake, place the cookie dough balls on a light-colored baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Chill the Brown Butter Cookie Dough
Since we are melting and browning the butter, we need to allow time to chill the cookie dough to allow the butter to set up again. This is an imperative and important step to make the best chocolate chipless cookies.
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Chocolate Chipless Cookies (no chocolate chips)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 large Egg
- 1 large Egg Yolk
- 2 1/4 cups Flour
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Heat a light-colored pan or pot over medium-low heat. Add cubed butter. See below in the notes for tips on how to brown the butter. Once the butter has become a golden color, remove from heat.
- Carefully add brown sugar and sugar and stir with a wooden spoon, spatula, or whisk until glossy and smooth. This may take several minutes and this helps to cool the butter slightly. Set aside for 10-15 minutes to cool at room temperature.
- After it has time to slightly cool, stir in vanilla until smooth. Add egg and egg yolk and stir together.
- Fold in flour, baking soda, and salt until combined.
- Since we are using melted browned butter, it is imperative to chill the cookie dough or you will end up with flat cookies. I suggest wrapping the cookie dough and chilling for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. If time is on your hand, I suggest chilling for 24-48 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 365 degrees. If you chilled the dough for 24 hours, you will need to remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator about 1 hour before you are ready to bake to allow the dough to come to room temperature.
- Roll the dough into balls and place on a light-colored, parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies start to become a light golden color on the edges. Do not overbake!
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies set up for several minutes before removing from the pan.
Notes
How to brown butter:
- Choose the Right Pan: Start with a light-colored pan. This will help you gauge the color of the butter more accurately as it browns.
- Cut Butter into Even Pieces: Cutting the butter into smaller, uniform pieces helps it melt more evenly.
- Melt Over Low Heat: Place the butter in the pan and melt it over low to medium-low heat. This slow melting process allows the butter to cook evenly without burning.
- Swirl the Pan: As the butter melts, swirl the pan occasionally to ensure even cooking and to prevent any spots from burning. This helps to see if any brown bits are forming at the bottom.
- Watch for Foam: As the butter melts, it will start to foam. This is the water evaporating from the butter.
- Keep an Eye on the Color: The butter will start to turn golden, and then it will develop brown specks at the bottom of the pan. This is the milk solids caramelizing. The butter will also emit a nutty aroma, signaling that it’s almost done. Make sure to watch carefully because you don’t want the butter to burn. I would rather pull the butter early rather than over brown the butter.
- Remove from Heat: Once the butter reaches a golden brown color and emits a nutty aroma, immediately remove it from the heat. The residual heat will continue to cook the butter, so it’s important to remove it from the stove at the right moment.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Does it matter if it’s dark brown or light brown sugar ? I know dark brown gives it a more molasses flavor but I don’t think that’s what we are going for here so I’m assuming light brown ?
Hi Megan! I used light brown sugar in this recipe for a more classic flavor but you can also use dark brown sugar for more of a molasses flavor. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
I never comment on recipes but these are the best cookies I have ever had, i’ve added chocolate chips, i’ve rolled them in cinnamon sugar, i’ve made them plain, it’s literally just the best base recipe for a cookie. I live in a house full of boys so I triple the recipe and they are still gone within a day. Thank you for this recipe, it’s perfect and I will not stop using it
This makes me so happy Stormie! Thank you for your nice comment.
These cookies are perfect! They have an amazing caramel/toffee flavor. We love them!
Oh man, these are the bomb! Definitely worth the time to make browned butter. Delicious!!
Thanks for the recipe. I also love chocolate. Chip cookies without he chips. My problem with browned butter and also with carmel, is that I’m so afraid of it burning I take it off the heat too fast.
YUM! I have been looking for a cookie recipe that doesn’t have chocolate chips. This one is amazing, they are so soft and chewy!
These are delicious, they’re easy to make and they taste so good. I’m not a huge fan of Chocolate Chip cookies and these hit the spot for sure.
Thank you so VERY much for this recipe. My daughter, even now at 35 y.o., also likes the Nestle’s Toll House cookies BUT she wants me to leave out the choc. chips & double the amt. of chopped pecans. Glad to hear you have the same problem. Will try your recipe soon; can’t wait to see her response.
I love this! I always make a couple of cookies for me without the chocolate chips….the browned butter is the difference maker.❤️