Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
Posted May 31, 2026
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These brown sugar chocolate chip cookies have chewy edges, soft centers, and no white sugar. This easy recipe yields perfectly gooey, bakery-style cookies every time.
If you’re looking for soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies made without white sugar, this recipe is for you. I took my famous chocolate chip cookies and used all brown sugar to make these brown sugar chocolate chip cookies, and they’re just as delicious with a unique flavor profile.
Since brown sugar contains molasses, which adds moisture to the dough, using only brown sugar yields a slightly chewier cookie with a richer taste. Think – notes of caramel and molasses but in an elevated way that is subtle and delicious.
Add a generous amount of chocolate chips and you have a perfect, bakery-quality brown sugar chocolate chip cookie that’s as easy to make as it is to eat!
Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter or coconut oil work well.
- Light brown sugar. Use dark brown sugar for a bolder molasses taste. For regular chocolate chip cookies, make my famous chocolate chip cookie recipe.
- All-purpose flour. Use gluten-free all-purpose baking flour to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Semisweet chocolate chips. You really can choose your favorite baking chips here – milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, cinnamon chips, butterscotch, etc.
How to Make Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe is just like my famous cookies, but we use only brown sugar (no granulated sugar). So you’ll find lots of similarities!
Begin by beating the butter and brown sugar together for 1 minute. Don’t skimp on the beating; set a timer if you need to. You can use a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl with a handheld mixer.
Then, add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again for another full minute.
Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt and beat until incorporated. Note: you can mix these ingredients together separately if you prefer, but I was going for a one-bowl recipe here!
Beat in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.
Then, unlike my famous cookie recipe, these cookies need to be chilled for at least 1 hour (and you can keep the dough chilling in the refrigerator for up to 3 days). Brown sugar has a little more moisture than granulated sugar, so this step is important.
Once the dough is chilled, line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and use a 2-Tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out portions of dough.
Then, roll the dough into balls and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 9 minutes until the edges and tops are set. The cookies may not look done, but trust the process and do not over-bake.
Let the brown sugar chocolate chip cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, sprinkle them with flaky sea salt immediately after removing them from the oven.
Serve
Serve these brown sugar chocolate chip cookies slightly warm or at room temperature. I love topping them with a bit of flaky sea salt as mentioned above.
They are a great addition to any holiday cookie or dessert tray, so be sure to check out all my cookie recipes and my Christmas cookie recipes.
Store
Once cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Freeze
Or, you can freeze the baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave, on in a covered baking dish in the oven set to warm.
However, I prefer to freeze the dough. Roll it into balls and freeze them in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Then you can bake the cookies fresh by removing the dough from the freezer and letting it thaw before baking according to the recipe instructions.
Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe FAQS
Yes, of course – here you are perusing a recipe that uses only brown sugar. The only difference is that if you use brown sugar, you need to chill the dough.
Using only brown sugar yields cookies that are chewier and slightly darker in color compared to cookies made with white sugar.
Both work well. Light brown sugar results in a more classic taste, while dark brown sugar imparts a richer molasses flavor.
Absolutely. Doubling this recipe will yield about 30 cookies.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter (softened)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Make the Dough & Chill
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat butter and brown sugar for 2 minutes.
- Add egg and vanilla and beat for an additional 1 minute.
- Add the flour, baking soda, sea salt and baking powder and beat until combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips on medium-low speed until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Transfer the dough to an airtight container and chill for 1 hour.
Bake & Cool
- After 1 hour, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
- Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough.
- Then roll it into balls and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet (8 on each sheet).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8-9 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned, and the tops are set.
- Remove from the oven, let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. If desired, sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the cookies immediately after removing them from the oven.
- After 10 minutes, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter or coconut oil work well.
- Light brown sugar. use dark brown sugar for a bolder molasses taste. For regular chocolate chip cookies make my famous chocolate chip cookie recipe.
- All-purpose flour. Use gluten-free all-purpose baking flour to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Semisweet chocolate chips. You really can choose your favorite baking chips here – milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, cinnamon chips, butterscotch, etc.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
