Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chipless Cookies

WHY YOU'LL LOVE THEM 

Tastes like cookie dough. All the buttery, vanilla flavor of a chocolate chip cookie, with none of the chips.

Soft and chewy. Golden edges and a tender center you'll want to make again and again.

Pantry friendly. Butter, sugar, flour, and a few basics you already have.

Chewy for days. A little cornstarch keeps them tender long after they cool.

WHAT ARE CHOCOLATE CHIPLESS COOKIES

Chocolate chipless cookies are a chocolate chip cookie base with the chips left out. Instead of folding in chocolate pieces, you bake the sweet, buttery dough on its own, so every bite is soft, chewy, and golden.

The payoff is texture and flavor. Without chips, you get that cookie dough taste in every bite, with no hard or melted chocolate interrupting the chewy, tender crumb. They're perfect for anyone who loves the dough more than the chips.

INGREDIENTS

• 11 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIPLESS COOKIES

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until creamy and light.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix.
6. Scoop the dough with a #40 cookie scoop and roll each into a ball. Place them a few inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges look set and lightly golden and the centers still look soft.
8. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes before moving them to a rack.

QUICK TIPS

• Don't overbake. These cookies set up as they cool, so pull them when the centers still look a little soft.
• Use the cornstarch. It softens the gluten so the cookies stay tender and chewy instead of tough.
• Bake a test cookie first. One cookie for 9 to 11 minutes tells you exactly how your oven runs before you bake the whole batch.
• Chill the dough for thicker cookies. A 30 minute rest in the fridge helps keep them from spreading too flat.

WHY ADD CORNSTARCH TO COOKIES

Cornstarch softens the gluten in the flour, which keeps the cookies tender instead of tough, and it helps them hold that soft, chewy center after they cool. It's the single ingredient that most improves the texture here, so don't skip it.

HOW TO STORE THEM

Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. A slice of bread in the container helps keep them soft.

You can also freeze the dough. Scoop the balls onto a sheet, freeze until solid, then store them in a bag for up to three months. Bake straight from frozen and add a minute or two to the time.