Chocolate Toffee Cookies Without Brown Sugar

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Making cookies without brown sugar is actually very easy; just use white sugar instead! However, there are more tips and tricks to make cookies without brown sugar to give you the best result.

The chocolate toffee cookies in this recipe are incredible, can be reduced to 7 base ingredients, and use only white sugar.

Related: Tips for Cookies from Scratch

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

What is Brown Sugar vs White Sugar

Brown sugar contains traces molasses which give it its rich flavor and darker color. White sugar is refined all the way to the point of the molasses being completely extracted. Brown sugar has slightly fewer calories and more minerals than white sugar.

Difference Between Brown and White Sugar in Cookies

While the flavor profiles of white and brown sugar are quite different, the texture created when using each only slightly differ.

White sugar usually makes cookies rise more while brown sugar may make your cookies more moist and flavorful. In general, both white and brown sugar can be used interchangably in cookies depending on what you have on hand, and your preferences.

What is the Purpose of Brown Sugar in Cookies

Brown sugar affects the flavor, texture, and thickness of cookies. Cookies made without brown sugar will be less flavorful, thinner and crispier than those made with brown sugar. However, there are some tips to have super moist and flavorful cookies without brown sugar!

Best Brown Sugar Substitutes for Cookies

Granulated sugar 

Also called white sugar, granulated sugar is an excellent cup-for-cup replacement for brown sugar. Your cookies will turn out a little more crispy and less moist than when you add brown sugar to the recipe.

This replacement option is probably the most available to you if you’re trying to just use what’s in your pantry.

Golden sugar 

Golden sugar is white sugar with some of molasses retained in the refining process and can be used as a cup for cup replacement for brown sugar in cookies.

Unrefined cane sugar

Also called muscavado sugar, comes straight from the freshly harvested cane and is my favorite option. Unrefined sugar is the true “raw sugar” and still contains much of the molasses and is moist in texture like brown sugar. Brown sugar can be subbed cup for cup with unrefined cane sugar in cookies.

Demerara sugar 

A type of cane sugar with large grains which changes the texture of your baked goods. If you are using demerara sugar as a brown sugar replacement in cookies, know that it will change the texture of the cookie quite a bit since it doesn’t melt during baking like brown sugar would.

Coconut sugar 

Nutty and caramelly in flavor, coconut sugar is often seen as a healthier substitue for brown sugar in cookies. Coconut sugar only slightly changes the taste of baked goods when it’s used as a substitute for brown sugar, and the texture will be very similar. Brown sugar can be subbed cup for cup with coconut sugar.

Homemade brown sugar

Yes, you can make your own brown sugar by taking white sugar and mixing it with molasses. See below for details on how to do this.

Pudding mix

Using pudding mix as a brown sugar replacement in cookies is a novel idea that’ll not only provide great sweetness and flavor to your cookies, but great moisture too! Simply add 1 box of instant pudding mix to the dry ingredients of your cookie dough.

How to Make Brown Sugar

If you have molasses and white sugar, you can make your own brown sugar.

Light brown sugar: Simply mix 1 cup white sugar with 1 tablespoon molasses.

Dark brown sugar: combine 1 cup white sugar with 2 tablespoons molasses.

*Note: when making your own brown sugar, use light, medium or treacle molasses as blackstrap molasses can be too strong and bitter.

Tips for Cookies Without Brown Sugar

• Use more vanilla extract – brown sugar has a rich flavor from the molasses, make up for this flavor by adding more vanilla extract (double the amount in the recipe).
• Pick the right sub – Use a sugar option that retains some of the molasses, or has similar flavor or moistness. Unrefined cane sugar, coconut sugar, and golden sugar are the best options to mimic brown sugar’s purpose in cookies.
• Keep an open mind – keep in mind that brown sugar adds moistness to your cookies and if you replace with white sugar, you’ll get a thinner and crispier cookie, but still delicious!
• Slightly underbake – to make your cookies more moist even though you aren’t using brown sugar, slightly underbake the cookies by about 1 minute and then letting them cool for 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to the cooling rack.
• Storing cookies – store your cookies in an airtight container, with sheets of wax paper between, and include a slice of fresh bread to retain the moisture.

Recipe Highlights

• No need for brown sugar
• All the adjustments for no brown sugar already made
• Only 7 base ingredients
• Can be modified with favorite add-ins

Cookies Without Brown Sugar Recipe

These cookies without brown sugar are incredibly thick, moist and rich – you’d never know there isn’t any brown sugar!

Base Ingredients & Substitutions

All-purpose flour & bread flour – This is the key to getting the perfect textured cookie – mixing bread flour in with your all-purpose flour. If you don’t have bread flour, simply use only all-purpose.

Baking powder – Your leavening agent

Flakey sea salt – I use Maldon’s brand but you can use another type of sea salt.

Salted butter – Another key to ridiculously good chocolate chip cookies – using salted butter to bring out the flavors in everything else.

Cane sugar – typically, this recipe would use a mix of brown and white sugar, however, this can be subbed for just white sugar.

Egg – Binds your cookies together.

Vanilla extract – use a little extra vanilla extract to make up for the flavor you’d otherwise get from the brown sugar.

Optional Ingredients

Walnuts, pecans, or pretzels – The choice is yours. I often rotate between using pecans and pretzels.

Chocolate chips – Using a mix of dark and milk chocolate chips is delicious if you have both on hand. Use whatever you have, though.

Toffee bits – These get slightly melty in the oven and caramelize the cookie.

Step by Step Instructions (with photos)

• In a large bowl, whisk flours, baking powder and salt.

• In a stand mixer, whisk the sugars and butter until combined. Then add your egg and vanilla extract.

• Add your dry ingredients and mix until combined.
• Fold in the nuts, chocolate chips, and toffee. 

• Scoop dough a little larger than golf balls and roll into a ball, then slightly flatten and put on baking sheet. Do this until you fill up the baking sheet with dough evenly spaced.

• Bake for about 15-20 minutes until browned on the edges.

• Immediately after pulling out of oven, sprinkle with flakey sea salt and let cool on the baking sheet until set then transfer to a cooling rack.

How to Store Cookies Without Brown Sugar

Room temperature

Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

*Tip – Put a piece of white bread in the container with your cookies so the bread will absorb the moisture from the bread and stay softer longer. You can also separate the cookies with wax paper to retain even more moisture.

Freeze Baked

Freeze your baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container or plastic bag for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature.

Freezing Cookie Dough

Make the dough, form it into balls, then place the balls in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Then bake the cookies from frozen, as directed in the recipe adding 2 minutes to the bake time.

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