These Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft, thick, and packed with deep caramel flavor. This easy recipe skips white sugar and still bakes up bakery-style cookies.
We see it often in chocolate chip cookie recipes: use more brown sugar for deeper caramel flavor. But what if brown sugar is all you have? Will it still work?
One day my nieces were craving cookies and we had no white sugar, so I had to put brown sugar to the test.
My first batch failed because I swapped the sugars without adjusting the amount. The cookies turned out far too sweet.
I reduced the sugar and baked again. That batch hit the sweet spot.
So if all you have is brown sugar and you need chocolate chip cookies now, this recipe has you covered.
Can You Make Chocolate Chip Cookies With Only Brown Sugar?
Yes. Brown sugar gives cookies a deeper caramel flavor and helps them stay soft.
Light or Dark Brown Sugar for Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Both work. It’s just a matter of preference.
Dark brown sugar contains more molasses, which makes the cookies darker, softer, and extra chewy. They also spread slightly more and develop a deeper, more pronounced flavor.
Light brown sugar produces soft cookies with caramel flavor, but they are less chewy and have a more subtle molasses flavor.
For this recipe, I used a mix of both.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what goes into the bowl.
- All-Purpose Flour. Measure carefully and avoid packing it into the cup. Too much flour leads to dense cookies.
- Brown Sugar. Use just one packed cup. The trick here is to stick to that amount, otherwise the cookies turn overly sweet.
- Butter. Use softened butter, not melted. If you use melted butter, you’ll need to chill the dough first. For this recipe, you don’t!
- Egg And Egg Yolk. The extra yolk adds richness and helps bind the dough.
- Baking Soda. Make sure it;s fresh. Expired baking soda affects spread and texture.
- Salt. Don’t skip this. Salt cuts through the sweetness of the brown sugar.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. Choose good-quality chocolate. Semi-sweet works best here since the dough already leans sweet.
How to Make Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
Let’s get these cookies in the oven.
1. Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. Beat the butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the eggs.
3. Add the dry ingredients. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add it to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Scoop and bake. Scoop the dough onto the baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.
5. Let cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt on top. Serve and enjoy!
Tips for Soft, Thick Cookies
The difference between good cookies and great ones lies in the details.
- Measure the flour accurately. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Too much flour leads to dry, dense cookies.
- Use room temperature butter and eggs. Softened butter creams properly with sugar, and room temperature eggs blend smoothly into the dough.
- Do not overmix the dough. Mix just until the flour disappears. Overmixing develops gluten and results in tougher cookies.
- Use an ice cream scoop for uniform sizes. A scoop keeps the cookies evenly sized, which helps them bake evenly.
- Don’t press the dough balls. The cookies will spread on their own during baking. I pressed them once, and they turned out flatter than I wanted. Still tasted good, though.
- Add mix-ins for texture and contrast. Try walnuts, macadamia nuts, and/or dried cranberries for variety.
- Press extra chocolate chips on top after baking. The cookies will still be very tender, and the chocolate will sink slightly into the surface.
- Sprinkle with sea salt on top. It balances the sweetness of the cookies and brings out their caramel flavor. Sprinkle it on while the cookies are warm so it sticks.
How to Store and Freeze Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies store beautifully, both baked and unbaked.
To Store: Let the cookies cool completely, then place them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For extra softness, place a slice of bread in the container and replace it as it dries out.
To Freeze (Unbaked Dough): Scoop the dough into balls and place them on a lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, then transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
To Cook: Bake the frozen dough straight from the freezer at 350°F, adding 1 to 2 extra minutes to the baking time.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg and yolk until fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing each cookie about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. The centers should still look slightly soft. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve and enjoy!
