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At first, you may think these chocolate chipless cookies are just cookies without chocolate chips- which, yes, they are, but they are so much more. Without the chocolate and with the addition of nutty brown butter, you can really taste the buttery, caramel flavour, the vanilla flavour and it gives such a delicious chewy, soft centre with crisp golden edges. You may also know these as ‘boneless cookies’ but whatever the name, they are so good.
If you’ve ever run out of chocolate chips, don’t love chocolate, or whatever it may be, these are perfect. But I’d encourage you to try these even if that’s not the case as they are just so good. Dunking them in hot chocolate is also a very good idea. Below you’ll find a quick recipe, step-by-step instructions, texture tips, and troubleshooting – a complete guide to these ingenious chocolate-free cookies.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- They focus on deep caramel-vanilla flavour, letting butter and brown sugar shine.
- Easy to prep ahead – the dough can rest overnight or be baked immediately.
- They make the perfect texture: chewy, crispy, soft centre and crisp edges.
- Perfect for chocolate-free diets, those with allergies, or when you just want something simple and satisfying.
Ingredients:
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Soft light brown sugar – the soft sugar creates the best texture versus a demerera/turbinado sugar.
Caster sugar – known as ‘superfine sugar’ in the US. The fineness helps with the texture.
Vanilla extract – I actually like to use vanilla bean paste but extract works of course. Just try to find a good quality one as vanilla is a key flavour here.
Plain flour – this provides the cookies with structure and lift. Also known as all-purpose flour in some parts of the world.
Substitutions and Variations:
Brown butter: browning the butter is an additional step that gives these triple chocolate chunk cookies a delicious nutty flavour. However, if you are short on time, you can just use regular softened butter.
Caster sugar – you can swap the caster sugar for granulated sugar if that is what you have.
Mix-ins – these are chocolate chipless cookies but if you do want to add anything like nuts or chocolate, this is a great base recipe. Just add in around 200g of your mix-in of choice.
Here’s how to make chewy chocolate chipless cookies:
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.
ONE: First, make the brown butter. For a complete guide on brown butter with images, use the step-by-step guide in my chocolate chunk cookie recipe. The recipe card below has the full written instructions.
TWO: In a large mixing bowl, add the brown butter, caster sugar and soft light brown sugar and beat together.
THREE: Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again until combined.
FOUR: Add the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Mix until you have a smooth dough. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
FIVE: Use an ice cream scoop or a spoon to scoop the dough into about 10-12 balls. Bake for 8-10 minutes until just set. The edges will just be set and the middle will still look very soft – they harden as they cool, so don’t overcook them. Sprinkle with flakey salt whilst hot.
SIX: As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, take a large cookie cutter or a glass and gently swirl it around each cookie to create the perfect circle shape. – whatever you’re using must be larger than the cookie or you get weird edges but this gives the cookies a lovely shape.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Too flat | Butter too warm | Chill dough 1 hr |
| Too cakey | Overmixed dough | Mix just until flour disappears |
| Grainy texture | Sugar not dissolved | Beat butter & sugar longer |
| Greasy | Too little flour | Add 10-15g extra flour |
| Hard cookies | Overbaked | Keep a close eye on them in the oven, remove when edges are just set but middle still soft |
| Sticky dough | Humid kitchen | Chill 30 min |
| Burnt bottoms | Thin tray/hot oven base | Use heavy-bottomed baking sheet or cook in batches in the middle of the oven |
| Pale colour | Low oven temp | Bake longer – all ovens vary |
Cooking Tips:
Flour & mixing: don’t overmix once you add the dry ingredients to the wet. Overworking = toughness, when we want soft and chewy.
Chill out: Don’t skip the chilling step! Even just 30 minutes makes a difference. Chilling helps solidify the butter, preventing the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. The result is thicker, chewier cookies with more even browning and better overall texture. It also gives the flour time to hydrate, enhancing the flavour. Short on time? Try making chocolate chip cookie bars instead.
Give them space: Make sure there’s plenty of room between each dough ball on the baking sheet. Cookies spread as they bake.
Cooling matters: Allow your cookies to cool for at least 15 minutes before digging in. This gives them time to firm up slightly, locking in that perfect chewy texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can do but you won’t get nearly as good a result. You only need to chill for 30 minutes, so I truly advise it and your cookie will be way better. But if you really don’t have time, skip this and just bake at a hotter temperature like 180c fan/200c regular/390f as the higher heat will set the edges quickly to stop it spilling too much.
I highly recommend it here, as the brown butter and vanilla are the dominant flavours, but if you are short on time, you can just use softened butter. It won’t have a caramel flavour but will still be delicious.
The brown butter can be made up to 2 weeks ahead and kept chilled in the fridge (remember to bring to a softened room temperature before making the cookies).
You can make the cookie dough up to 3 days in advance, then cover and chill in the fridge. Either keep it in the bowl and chill or chill after you have shaped it into balls.
Yes, you can bake these chocolate chipless cookies from frozen. Lay on a baking tray and bake as usual at 190c/170c fan. Cook for 13-15 minutes, keeping an eye on them. You want them golden and crisp on the edges but soft and puffy in the middle.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
I have a whole host of cookie recipes on my site, similar to these chocolate chipless ones. Try my chocolate chunk cookies, brookies (brownie & cookies in one!) or my tiramisu cookies. You might also want to try my thick hot chocolate or my salted caramel cheesecake.
Puddings
Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding
Easy Dessert Recipes
Apple and Blackberry Crumble
Puddings
Easy Homemade Pistachio Cream
Easy Baking Recipes
Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate Brownies
If you tried these Chocolate Chipless Cookies or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a rating or comment and let us know how it went!
Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chipless Cookies
Ingredients
- 115 g salted butter
- 100 g soft light brown sugar
- 50 g caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 155 g plain, all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- Flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- First make the brown butter: pop the diced butter into a medium-sized non-stick saucepan and set over medium heat. Stir gently until completely melted. Increase the heat to medium and allow the butter to bubble, stirring often. It will bubble and spit – don’t panic, this is normal (just take care!).
- Continue to cook the butter, stirring to ensure it cooks evenly, until the crackling noises fade and the bubbles subside. At this point, you should see a foam appear on the surface and the colour will change from golden-yellow to light brown to deep amber brown. This can take anywhere between 7-10 minutes, depending on the size of your pan and how high your heat is. Watch the pan closely as it takes just seconds to go from brown to burnt.
- As soon as brown flecks start to appear and you start to smell a gorgeous nutty aroma, remove from the heat. Quickly, but carefully, pour into a medium-sized heatproof bowl. This stops it cooking any further. Leave to cool slightly. It doesn’t need to be room temperature but shouldn’t be scorching hot. You can make the brown butter up to 2 weeks in advance and keep it chilled in your fridge. Allow to come to a softened room temperature before making the cookies.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the brown butter, caster sugar and soft light brown sugar. Using an electric whisk, beat together. You can use a wooden spoon too.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again until combined.
- Add the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Mix until you have a smooth dough.
- Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes – ideally overnight. I know it is tricky, but I promise it does make a difference and will be worth the wait! You can freeze at this point too.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C Fan. Line a couple of baking sheets with non-stick baking paper and set aside.
- Use an ice cream scoop or a spoon to scoop the dough into about 10-12 balls. Place on lined baking sheets as they do spread so I found doing 4 on a sheet worked best.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until just set. The edges will just be set and the middle will still look very soft – they harden as they cool, so don’t overcook them. Sprinkle with flakey salt whilst hot.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, take a large cookie cutter or a glass and gently swirl it around each cookie to create the perfect circle shape. – whatever you’re using must be larger than the cookie or you get weird edges but this gives the cookies a lovely shape.
- The video below will help with this recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These chocolate chipless cookies are incredible – they are chewy, buttery with a caramel flavour. Finished with flakey salt, they are my new obsession.