Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter
These dairy-free chocolate chip cookies without butter are flavorful with a chewy middle and are full of chocolate. The dough is super quick and easy to make too!
It’s no secret that I love butter, but with the price of butter going up so much these days, it’s good to have a cookie recipe that doesn’t use it. These butterless chocolate chip cookies are still flavorful and chewy, even without the butter. They use vegetable oil instead.
They have added flavor and texture with an extra egg yolk and a hint of espresso powder. Try this lemon yogurt loaf or spiced pumpkin bread for more recipes that use oil instead of butter.
About these delicious cookies
- No mixer is needed. Because they don’t use butter, there is no need for an electric mixer or stand mixer!
- Flavorful. There’s a hint of coffee powder in the dough which brings extra flavor and it’s what makes these such delicious chocolate chip cookies. They’re also full of melty chocolate chips.
- Nice and chewy. A good chocolate chip cookie is nice and chewy in my opinion. The addition of extra egg yolk and brown sugar makes the perfect chewy cookies.
The ingredients
The cookies are made with only simple ingredients. Find the actual ingredient amounts for this easy recipe listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.
- All-purpose flour. All-purpose white flour is the base of the cookie.
- Baking soda. – The leavening agent in the cookies.
- Instant espresso powder. This is an optional, but absolutely delicious extra. A little espresso powder brings extra flavor to compensate for the lack of butter. It doesn’t make the cookie taste like coffee, it just enhances flavor. I
- Salt.
- Vanilla extract or vanilla paste.
- Eggs. Room temperature egg and egg yolk. The extra fat from the egg yolk brings great chew to the cookie.
- Oil. You can use a more robust extra virgin olive oil or a neutral vegetable oil like canola oil, rice bran oil, or melted coconut oil. Olive oil chocolate chip cookies have a great depth of flavor.
- Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. This brings moisture to the cookie. You can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar as they both use molasses that bring moisture. Coconut sugar will not give the same result so don’t substitute brown sugar with this.
- White sugar. This gives the cookie slightly crispy edges. For crispier cookies, you could use more white sugar than brown.
- Chocolate chips. If you want these cookies to be dairy-free, make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips. You can also chop a bar of good-quality chocolate into chocolate chunks and use those.
Method
- In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and espresso powder.
- Set the flour mixture aside.
- In a medium bowl add the oil, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Whisk it together well until combined.
- Tip the dry ingredients and chocolate chips into the wet ingredients.
- Fold everything together until combined. Cover the bowl and the chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven temperature to 350°F/180°C and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie using a small cookie scoop or spoon, and roll it into a ball. You could use an ice cream scoop too for extra large cookies.
- Space the balls of dough at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until golden brown around the edges.
- For an extra chocolatey cookie, press a few extra pieces of chocolate into the top of the soft cookies as they come from the oven.
Let them cool on the tray for 5 minutes before placing them on a wire rack to cool further. If you like, sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top of the cookies. Enjoy with a big glass of milk.
The perfect cookie shape
If you want to achieve the extra round cookie look for perfect homemade chocolate chip cookies, you’ll need a circle cookie cutter or glass bigger than your cookies.
Once the cookies are baked, and still hot from the oven, use the cutter or glass and place it over the hot cookie, then swirl it gently around the cookie.
This will help form it into a perfect circle. The cookies need to be hot, and not over-baked for this to work. Then place them on a cooling rack.
Storing
Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. The cookie dough can also be frozen. Roll it into individual cookie dough balls and freeze on a tray for 10 minutes until firm. Then place the balls in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
The cookies can be baked from frozen, no need to thaw. They may need an extra minute of baking time.
Additions or substitutions
- Omit the coffee and add in 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract instead.
- Lightly toast some pecans or walnuts, roughly chop them and add to the dough.
- Swap out the coffee and dark chocolate and add in white chocolate chips and cranberries instead!
More cookie recipes
Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter
This chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe uses oil instead of butter. They’re still flavorful, chewy and delicious.
Ingredients
- 220g (1 ¾ cup*) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- 105g (½ cup) olive oil or vegetable oil
- 150g (¾ cup) soft brown sugar
- 50g (¼ cup) granulated white sugar
- 170g (1 cup) chocolate chips**
Instructions
- Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder in a small bowl. Set the flour mixture aside.
- In a medium bowl add the oil, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Whisk it together well until combined.
- Tip the dry ingredients and chocolate chips into the wet ingredients and fold until everything is evenly mixed.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven temperature to 350°F/180°C and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop around 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie and roll it into a ball. Space the dough balls at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking tray.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until golden brown around the edges.
- Let them cool on the tray for 5 minutes before placing them on a wire rack to cool further.
Notes
*The cup sizes given are US sizes. Note that these are smaller than metric. For best results use grams.
**To make these cookies dairy-free, ensure that you use dairy-free chocolate chips.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 195Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 152mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 3g
This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist
