The Five Best Alternatives to Chocolate Chip Cookies
I kind of get it now.

Let me start with saying that I’m really passionate about cookies. Largely chocolate chip ones, but I’m really a friend of all sorts of desserts and sweets. Although if you asked me if I’m a sweet or salty person, I’ll never be able to give you an answer… So what I really mean to say is, I’m extremely passionate about food, but a large chip–or rather, a chunk–of the love goes to cookies. 

Just how it may be wild to some that I absolutely detest anything with peanuts–even if I wasn’t one in six million in the US with an allergy–I must accept the radical notion that some people simply do not like chocolate. While I may never come to understand you, as a cookie lover who would try any and all cookies, I would not leave you behind. You do deserve space in the landscape of cookies, even if chocolate chips are virtually unbeatable. So, in honor of you weirdos out there, here are the five best alternatives to chocolate chip cookies you can make at home. You may be on to something… 

PS: I was going to list these ranked in favorites, but I’m terrible at choosing things and when I said you may be on to something, I really meant it. These were all delicious and I cannot wait to make them again. That being said, while it may be hard for me to choose, I want to make it easy for you, so I have listed these in order of which I recommend the most or think would be most crowd-pleasing, whenever we’re back in crowds. 

#1 

Chewy Miso Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies by Molly Baz (Patreon)

Don’t let the miso scare you, once you try these, you’ll never go back to regular oatmeal cookies; and if you didn’t like them in the first place, now you will. These were the most complex in their ingredient combination, but once baked, it’s not that each flavor didn’t stand out individually but everything clicked flawlessly. The oats and the time spent in the fridge makes them very chewy throughout and, if anything, I could have left them a little longer in the oven so the edges crisped up a tad more. I recommend these the most because I truly think they are the definition of a crowd-pleaser: not traditional, but so good it should be. 

Number of ingredients: 11

Cookies it yielded: 12

Cookies it said would yield: 12

Hot tip: In trying to make exactly twelve cookies (dip your scooper in water to avoid the dough sticking too much) these definitely turned out big and they spread. Although you definitely want somewhat of a high ball shape pre-oven, you can make them the size of a golf ball and yield more. 

#2

Snickerdoodles by Samantha Seneviratne (NYT Cooking)

These are simple and addicting, plain and simple. Aside from cooking time, which isn’t long (and exactly what it says it is for my oven), it took me exactly thirty minutes to pull these together. It does require an electric mixer to properly beat and fluff the butter and sugar together, but if your butter is soft enough and your arm strong enough, I’m sure you can do without it. And do, do them, they are honestly the perfect alternative to a classic chocolate chip cookie, chewy but fluffy, sweet but salty. 

Number of ingredients: 9

Cookies yielded: 14

Cookies it said would yield: 18

Hot tip: The batter for this, although amazingly simple, is essentially a sugar/butter cookie. I added a dash of cinnamon separate to the cinnamon it would be rolled in before baking to give it an extra oomph. 

#3

Slice-and-Bake Jammy Pinwheel Cookies by Claire Saffitz (Bon Appetit)

Yes, pinwheel cookies! They are only third because maybe they are more of a mother-in-law pleaser than a crowd pleaser, but of all the cookies I made, I was most impressed with these. What makes them so great, other than the fact that they come together using only one bowl, is that the flavor, even without the jam, isn’t as basic as you would expect. Claire uses both sugar and honey to sweeten them, plus half a teaspoon of cinnamon, which you definitely don’t want to skimp on. When I tried the raw dough with a little bit of the jam (I used Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves) I thought they were definitely going to be too sweet, but the half teaspoon of salt that it has seriously pulls through once baked. Also worth making because even if you’re not used to baking, the rules and steps are very accurate and advise you on how to handle anything you might encounter. 

Number of ingredients: 9

Cookies yielded: 25

Cookies it said it would yield: About 30

Hot tip: Definitely make sure your butter is very room temperature, otherwise prepare for an arm workout. I mushed together the scraps of the pinwheel ends that weren’t going to be pretty, baked one large cookie, and crumbled it for a future ice cream topping. 

#4 

Black & White Cookies by Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)

You may wonder, “why make these when every deli in New York City probably has these?” You’re not wrong, but they are still worth making and not as hard as you may think they are to make! These are worth making, better than you’d think, and special, but I also am not sure for when or for who I would make them again. I suppose they’re like a lot of New York City classics, you remember just how good it is when you have it, but forget you actually like it in between the one time a year you encounter it. Even if you only make them once a year, when you do, Ina’s recipe is the way to go. You may be tempted, but don’t opt out of adding that bit of coffee to the chocolate frosting, it’s Ina’s classic trick to amp up the chocolate flavor and you’ll need it to counter the strong sweetness of the white frosting. These are a classic alternative to chocolate chip, but they do have chocolate, so if you’re firm on avoiding it, a coffee mascarpone frosting would be amazing instead. 

Number of ingredients: 17 (9 for the cookies, 7 for the two glazes)

Cookies it yielded: 10

Cookies it said would yield: 10

Hot tip: I didn’t want to buy a full bottle of corn syrup, only to use two tablespoons. I used honey instead, which you can definitely taste, and maybe I should change the name to “Black & Ecru” cookies, but it went well and I don’t feel it was any sort of betrayal to the original. I also applied both glazes in one go because they weren’t droopy and the division was perfectly clean, just do the chocolate first. 

#5 

Anytime Chocolate Chip and Oat Cookies by Claire Saffitz (Epicurious)

The only reason these are last is because I acknowledge I sort of cheated with these having chocolate chips in them. If it weren’t for that though, they would honestly be number one, so give me a chance to convince you. These are basically the everything bagel of cookies, and they satisfy virtually any cookie preference. They really are everything and anytime, because they are made to be frozen and baked whenever you want. The ingredients are largely flexible (ie: it’s up to you which nut, flour and seed you use) and they bake in less than ten minutes. If you really are opposed to chocolate, you could swap it for dried fruit or omit it entirely; you can also omit the nuts, but if you’re leaving the chocolate, don’t swap them with fruit. I wouldn’t recommend opting out of any of the other add-ins though, as the variety really makes the cookie. I first made these on Election Night, and if they could get me through that week, I promise they’ll get you through your first “shoot I need to bring something nice to my first dinner party” moment with success. 

Number of ingredients: 13

Cookies it yielded: Up to 20

Cookies it said would yield: About 22

Hot tip: If you live in a small apartment like me, you don’t have space to fit a tray of cookies in your freezer. Chill the dough for at least thirty to forty minutes (this hydration time makes a more chewy cookie) and then scoop and bake. I arranged the remaining dough in a log I could later easily cut even when frozen, but the sliced, coin-like shape did result in a thinner cookie that baked much quicker. 

Regardless of your cookie and chocolate preferences, I never thought I could come at least somewhat close to being able to give up chocolate chip cookies for anything, but I–maybe, sort or, kind of–would for these. The only thing missing aside from the chocolate is the crisp but chewy texture a lot of chocolate chip cookies have, these come closer to soft-baked style. Still, hard as it may be to admit, they lend themselves to far more complex flavors that you don’t always get from chocolate. Chocolate haters, I guess you’re not missing out after all!