Egg White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Name: Egg White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup (113g) salted butter (browned to 93g); 3/4 cup (150g) light brown sugar (lightly packed); 2 large egg whites (room temperature or cold is fine); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 1/2 (180g) all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled); 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/4 tsp fine sea salt; 1 cup (6oz) chocolate chips (I do half mini, half dark); pinch sea salt flakes (for topping)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Use leftover egg whites to make chocolate chip cookies! With the brown butter, brown sugar and all the chocolate chips, no one will know they’re made with just egg whites!

chocolate chip cookie sitting on a cup of milk

Why You’ll Love These Egg White Chocolate Chip Cookies

It uses all of our leftover egg whites from other recipes we baked.
The browned butter and brown sugar give the cookies extra flavor and color that’s otherwise missing from the lack of egg yolk.
Quick and easy, you want your cookie now? You don’t have to wait until tomorrow to have it 🙂

This recipe is adapted from my small-batch chocolate chip cookies. To replace the egg with just egg whites I tweaked it slightly so we’re not losing any flavor, texture or color. It’s basically like the opposite of my egg yolk chocolate chip cookie recipe, so if you have left over egg yolks, check that one out!

For other cookie lovers we have tons to choose from like chocolate chip pecan cookies, white chocolate oatmeal raisin cookies, cookies and cream cookies, chocolate chip pistachio cookies. I don’t know why, but lately every time I read “cookie” I think of when I was a kid and we would see the cooooookie crisp commercials with the wolf, anyone with me? lol

several chocolate chip cookies lying next to a cup of milk

Ingredients:

Flour: I just used all-purpose flour for this recipe however, I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as over-measuring the flour is the most common baking mistake and may result in dry cookies.

Sugar: I’m going to spare you my whole rant on sugar lol… I used JUST light brown sugar for these cookies and I don’t recommend substituting it. Granulated sugar makes these cookies super pale and dark brown sugar is too dark and molasses-y. However, you could do half dark brown sugar and half granulated sugar as that would be the equivalent of light brown sugar.
- Reducing the amount will alter the texture of the cookies as well so I don’t recommend reducing it.
Butter: I LOVE using salted butter in cookies! For this recipe I brown the butter to add color and flavor that might be missing since we don’t have egg yolks.
Egg: I used 2 large egg whites in this recipe – they can be cold or room temperature.
Vanilla: Don’t underestimate the power of vanilla extract in a cookie recipe. I don’t put it in everything that I make but for cookies it’s essential.
Baking soda: just baking soda, no baking powder. I usually use baking powder, but baking soda will help the cookies spread wider and make them brown a little more in the oven.
Salt: I like sea salt but any salt works.
Sea Salt Flakes: I would say this is optional but I’m not sure we can be friends if you don’t add extra sea salt flakes on top of your cookie lol
Chocolate chips: I like to use a mix of minis, dark chocolate and milk chocolate chips (or even white chocolate). The recipe can also be made with chopped baking chocolate but the cookie will spread a tiny bit more and take a little longer to set/cool after baking.

a chocolate chip cookie torn in half showing the insides sitting next to other cookies

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Brown the butter: Place butter into a medium-size saucepan and heat it over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally.

If the butter is cold, cut it into cubes first

Step 2: As the butter begins to bubble and foam, stir continuously. You’ll need to scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan. The milk solids will start to settle and darken.

Step 3: Remove it from the heat and continue stirring and pour it over the light brown sugar. Then let it cool for a few minutes (you can pop it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes).

Step 4: Whisk the sugar and butter aggressively for 1-2 minutes then add in the egg whites and vanilla and continue whisking until smooth.

brown butter with sugar, egg whites, and vanilla whisked together

Step 5: Add the flour, salt and baking soda and fold the cookie dough just until there are a few streaks left of flour.

raw cookie dough just whisked after adding the flour, baking soda, and salt

Step 6: Fold in the chocolate, just until they’re evenly dispersed, then refrigerate the cookie dough, until it’s firm enough to scoop.

cookie dough with chocolate chips folded in

Step 7: Split cookie dough into 9 small cookies and bake for 10 minutes.

raw cookie dough scooped on a baking sheet

Step 8: Remove from the oven, tap the counter with the cookie sheet. Use a biscuit cutter to round your cookies and return to the oven for 2-4 minutes. Repeat if needed.

Step 9: Sprinkle with sea salt flakes on top and allow them to rest for at least 10 minutes on the pan before transferring off the cookie sheet

freshly baked chocolate chip cookies still on the baking sheet

How To Get Perfectly Round Cookies

Most cookies bake a little bit uneven around the edges, especially if the dough is soft and not refrigerated before baking. To get your cookies perfectly round, as soon as you remove them from the oven, use anything round like a biscuit cutter/cup/mug, etc. to scoot the cookies around within the circle.

Be gentle so you don’t break the soft cookie but you have to be quick and do it as soon as the cookie comes out of the oven, before the edges set.

chocolate chip cookie with a bite missing showing the gooey inside next to milk

How To Bake These Cookies (Convection And Conventional)?

I always bake in a convection (fan) oven but when I took some polls on instagram, most of you said you either don’t have one or you don’t know how to use your convection oven. So since I developed ALL my recipes in a 350F convection oven, I decided to experiment with a conventional.

If you don’t know the difference, a convection oven has a fan that circulates the heat more evenly. This usually results in a quicker bake, so always do less time if you’re unsure and it also gives a more even browning. If you’re not used to it, the change can be frustrating.

Baking with a convection oven (fan)

Bake 2.5 oz cookies at 350F (177C) for 12-14 minutes

Baking with a conventional oven (no fan)

Bake 2.5 oz cookies at 325F (163C) for 14-16 minutes

How To Customize Egg White Cookies:

Swap 1/4 cup of the flour for cocoa powder to make them chocolate
Use white chocolate and/or freeze dried fruit like I did my strawberry white chocolate cookies
Swap half the chocolate chips for any kind of nuts
Swap half or all of the chocolate chips for oreos, reese’s, marshmallows, etc.

a bitten chocolate chip cookie sitting on top of a cup of milk

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the cookie dough be made ahead of time?

The cookie dough is pretty soft so you’ll want to refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes (or freeze 15 minutes), until it’s scoopable. Then scoop it out and refrigerate the cookie dough balls on a plate or tray until they’re firm.

Now place them in a ziplock bag and freeze. To bake, remove them from the freezer as the oven is preheating and bake 325 F convection (fan) OR 300 F conventional (no fan) for 14-17 minutes or remove them a few hours in advance, bring them back to room temperature and bake like you would fresh.

Can I make these dairy free or vegan?

I haven’t tested egg free cookies but you can make these cookies with dairy free butter and dairy free chocolate.

Can I make these gluten-free?

I have tested my base cookie dough recipes with 1:1 substitute for King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour Blends so I would assume it would work with these too. The cookies turnout perfectly, they just have a traditional gluten-free flour flavor which is a little earthy/nuttier.

What kind of chocolate can I use for these chocolate chip cookies?

As I mentioned before, I like to use a mix of dark chocolate and milk chocolate chips (or even white chocolate). I used half mini and half dark chocolate chips. But swap in your favorites!

Can I double the recipe to make a big batch of cookies?

You can! You would get about 18 cookies 2.5 oz each.

How To Store Egg White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Place the cookies in a ziplock bag and keep them at room temperature for a few days. They obviously will dry out a little more the longer you leave them but I just pop them in the microwave for like 5-10 seconds before eating.

You can also freeze them after they’re baked and just thaw or microwave before eating.

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below.

a close up of chocolate chip cookie inside that is cut in half

If you make these egg white chocolate chip cookies, I would love it if you left a star rating for it in the recipe card.

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B