Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chipless Cookies

chocolate chipless cookies on baking parchment.

5 from 1 vote

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chipless Cookies

These soft and chewy cookies are so much more than a chocolate-free cookie. They are caramelized, chewy with crisp edges, and full of buttery flavor.

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Chilling Time30

Total Time1

Course: Baking

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Author: Margie Nomura

Ingredients

4 oz salted butter about 1/2 cup (1 stick)
3.5 oz soft light brown sugar about 1/2 cup, packed
1.75 oz superfine sugar (caster sugar) about 1/4 cup
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
5.5 oz all-purpose flour (plain flour) about 1 1/4 cups
1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Flaky sea salt for topping

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

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 color 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 it to come to a softened room temperature before making the cookies.
In a large mixing bowl, add the brown butter, superfine sugar, and soft light brown sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat together. You can use a wooden spoon too.
Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again until combined.
Add the flour, baking 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 375°F (190°C/170°C fan). Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment 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; 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 flaky salt while still 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.

Video

Notes

Make-ahead and storage

To store: The baked cookies will last for up to a week in an airtight container – although they are best the day they are made.

To reheat: If, like me, you love a warm cookie, reheat in the microwave in 20-second bursts until warm. Or pop in a preheated air fryer at 340°F (170°C) for 3 minutes or so.

To freeze: This cookie dough freezes well for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing the individual balls so you can take them out and bake as you need from frozen (bake for 13-16 minutes). Alternatively, shape the chilled dough into a log before freezing. You can then defrost in the fridge before slicing and baking.

Make ahead: 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. You can either do this and keep it in the bowl or after you have shaped it into balls. You can also freeze in advance; I recommend freezing in individual balls and then bake from frozen. Just add a few minutes onto the baking time.

More quick tips

Bake what you need: You don’t have to bake all the cookies at once. I sometimes bake a couple of cookies at a time so I can enjoy them at their best. Plus, the dough will only improve as it chills in the fridge. If you are keeping it for longer than 3 days, shape into balls and freeze. Then bake from frozen for 13-16 minutes, as they will need longer than if they were just fridge-cold.

Chilling: I know it is tempting to skip this, but these chocolate chipless cookies will be better for having time to chill. It helps solidify the butter to prevent them from spreading too much in the oven. This gives a thicker, chewier cookie with better texture and more even browning. It also helps hydrate the flour, which enhances the flavor.

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