I posted this recipe back in 2008 and people really seemed to like it. Here it is again -- Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oil aka Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter. I'm hoping the recipe comes in handy since butter is so expensive.
Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter
Did you know you can make chocolate chip cookies with oil instead of butter? I learned this many years ago after having a chocolate chip cookie craving and not being able to run to the store for butter. The cookies made with oil do have quite a different texture, but they are very good.
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oil Review
They came out of the oven looking quite pretty and they taste pretty good too! And while you may miss the butter flavor, there's still plenty of flavor from the chocolate, nuts and vanilla. I used a full teaspoon of vanilla, but you could even use a little more. Coconut might be a good addition as well. And if you want to make these somewhat more nutritious, you could use white whole wheat flour.
Update: Since making these for the first time in 2008, I've made them dozens of time since. They really are good. You can change up the oil if you want or use a blend of different oils. If you are looking for a good cookie with olive oil, I recommend the Olive Oil Chocolate Chunk cookies
Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookies Made With Oil
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour -- fluff up before scooping and sweep carefully or weigh out 6.7 oz. (185 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar (100 grams)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips more chocolate to compensate for the missing butter
- ⅓ cup toasted walnuts
- ¾ cup Rice Krispies optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Stir together flour, soda and salt. Set aside.
- Whisk together both types of sugar, oil, egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture to oil mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Add Rice Krispies if desired
- Using a tablespoon measure, scoop up dough and shape into tight rounds of about ¾ to 1 inch. Space them about 2 inches apart on two ungreased cookie sheets. The mounds should be bursting with chips(note: if the dough balls seem really dry, press them down a little bit). Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- Makes about 2 dozen
Anna says
Thank you for the review, P! Happy to hear you liked them and that your homemade brown sugar did the job. Since you like these, I hope you'll try the olive oil version. They are quite good too. They have a different flavor and are really good with chocolate chunks rather than chips.
Patricia P Mapley says
Excellent cookie. I doubled the recipe and discovered I was out of brown sugar, so I used all white plus a bit of molasses. I only added 1 cup of chocolate chips plus a few on top before they baked and a bit more of the toasted walnuts. Not too sweet ~ shear perfection.
Dee says
Very good recipe, made these today. Used cherries instead of nuts. Came out crisp, short and very good, baked for 20 mins until golden as i like a crisp not a chewy cookie.
vanessa says
whoa whoa whoa just made these i put 1/2 and 1/2 of coconut oil and vegetable oil didnt have enough of both lol but damnnnnnn girl these cookies are amazinggg so yummy..thank you for this recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Kay says
I've made these cookies twice this week. I like that after a few days they were still moist. I added a splash of milk after all the ingredients were mixed because the ingredients were too dry. I also put it in for 12 minutes instead of 10. They are moist and yummy!!!
Anna says
Hi Jill,
Yes! I've done it before and the cookies are still great. You might want to go ahead and shape the cookies into balls, then put all the preformed balls/mounds on a sheet of plastic and wrap them tightly before putting in a freezer bag. Forming them into balls ahead of time is helpful since the dough tends to get crumbly.
Jill says
Hi,
Can you freeze this dough the same as a butter based cookie recipe?
Thanks
Nancy says
I just discovered your chocolate chip cookie recipe and tried it all I have to say is yummy. They came out perfect just like you said crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle just the way we like them and I also added raisins because I didn't have any chopped walnuts but I have to confess the cookies are so full of chocolate I couldn't taste the raisins....LOL.
Thanks
Nancy
Anna says
Mariah, thanks for the tip and review!! Glad you like the cookies.
Mariah says
I love this recipe because I bake a lot and I run out of butter all the time. I tend to get heavier scoops of flour though so i would suggest that anyone who's like me and scoops like that reduce the flour to 1 1/4 cups it work really well. Thanks for the recipe my boyfriend and his friends loved the cookies and it saved me a trip to the store to get butter. Also I spread my dough out across the cookies sheet and make one giant cookie and it's best to cook it for 15-22 minutes for anyone else who likes to make them this way.
amy says
I added some flax meal and honey because I didn't have enough sugar. I have added flax meal before to chocolate chip cookies and they taste great! I will let you know how they turn out!
Jihun says
I made it yesterday and they turned out nice. Did you use dark chocolate chips though? I used just sweet regular chocolate chips and the cookies were too sweet for me and my family though they are still delicious. I guess I will use more nuts and less chocolate chips next time. The dough base is very useful for other no butter cookies I think. Thanks a lot. ^_^
Chewthefat says
I used this recipe to make chocolate chip pistachio cookies for my yoga studio--not only is the recipe great, but it is a great 'base' for lots of drop cookie add-ins with flavors that are complimented by oil.
brenda says
When baking cookies with oil instead of butter. I always add butter flavoring. This works great for persons that have problems with dairy
products.
Lizza says
Thank-you very much for this recipe. I love this recipe for the fact that is uses only oil, which is much more healthier than butter. The cookies turned out very well and didn't spread way out. The texture was very thick and rich. Very delicious!!
Anna says
Hello Rachael,
I think most calorie counts people give you on the Internet are just ballparks because all cookies are different sizes. If you really want a close calorie count, put the cookie on a scale and multiply however many oz it is by 130. For cookies with lots of fat and nuts, multiply x oz by 140. For cookies that are almost pure chocolate, multiply by 140. These cookies are about 3/4 of an oz each, so .75 x 130 a bout 97 calories.
Rachael says
Hey there, can you tell me how many calories is in one cookie?
Anna says
Hi! Thanks for the review! I really appreciate all the details you added, and I know what you mean about hoarding butter. It's always nice to find a healthier and less expensive alternative. Plus, you get to skip the creaming step.
Pixie says
I've made these countless times by now, and I figure it's about time to post my appreciation. I originally found it looking for a butter-free chocolate chip cookie recipe because I hoard butter (we don't always buy it, so I try to avoid using it when I don't have to). It's now my go-to cookie recipe. It's ridiculously easy, they never fail to come out, and I consistently get rave reviews. Simply put, these are *awesome* cookies, and the lack of butter doesn't seem to perturb anybody. I love the flavor of these myself.
I make it as written except I've only made it with nuts maybe once (I like them, but half my family doesn't, and I don't need more temptation to eat them all myself...), I don't ever use Rice Krispies in it, and I never use more than 1 cup of chocolate chips. With even 1 cup, I get chips falling out of the batter every which way; it just can't incorporate them all. They don't suffer, though - still veeeery chocolatey.
I did once make them with all-white sugar due to running out of brown, and that worked, as did switching the ratio of brown and white (by accident xD), though my mother and sister didn't like the flavor as much that way. In a recipe like this, I find that brown vs. white is largely a matter of taste; it doesn't affect the way the cookie turns out that much, but most are used to the flavor of brown sugar in a chocolate chip cookie.
Marilyn R Williams says
Made the cookies exactly to your recipe, and they are the best cookies ever! Best part is no beating the margarine until it's fluffy. Thanks for sharing...
Elsie says
Made them today and they were really good!
I found that 1 cup of chocolate chips was plenty, I only used white sugar and I used rice bran oil. So I think that this recipe is easily adjusted.
Thanks
Carla says
I made these yesterday and they were sooo good! My only issue was the crumbly-ness of the dough. I'm making another batch and lessening the sugar a bit since my husband thought they were too sweet. Great recipe though! Thank you for sharing.
Anna says
Hi Jared,
Thanks for adding your review. You just gave me an idea. I bought some mild walnut oil to use in a bread recipe and I might see how it works in these cookies.
Jared in tx says
Anna, thanks for the recipe. I didn't have enough butter and my 2 yr old loves helping me cook/bake, so needless to say he was anxious to make cookies. I found this and they turned out great. I had to bake them for 13 min and We used m&ms instead of walnuts.TASTY! Wife/Mommy also loved them as an anniversary treat!
Anna says
Well, I'm glad they came together! The batter is slightly crumbly, but they should spread a little. It might have had to do with the way you measured your flour. If you scooped a "heavier" scoop, you may have used more flour than I did. Also, I've noticed when I use bleached flour cookies don't spread as much. Glad you were able to be creative with the results!
Given your results, I'll add a note that says to pat the balls down slightly.
Lolo of Cambridge , MA says
I needed to make cookies for a gathering of ladies from my chorus. I also was out of butter and this seemed liek a great alternative! I was a little concerned about the texture being very crumbly int he bowl , and I found myself squeezing the mixture tightly to make the balls( which never did flatten ) but in light of the fact that we just got a foot of snow yesterday ... I decided to call them chocolate chip snowball cookies ! Thanks for posting recipe.. off to lalalala!
Lolo
Marilyn R Williams says
Thank you Anna - good to know I'm not the only one that runs out of staples and sticks to the "use what I have" plan. 🙂 Also, good to know I'm not the only one that needs cookies when stressed!
I made two slight changes - one, I reduced the oil by 2 tablespoons and added 2 T water. My thought was margarine and butter both have water in them and the water would help the dough stick together.
And, I added some Cinnamon for extra flavor.
Turns out I actually like the oil cookies better - mostly because they are easier to make. Plus, the oil is healthier than butter or margarine.
Thank you for this recipe and hope you are well,
Marilyn
Beverly says
Stumbled upon this recipe while searching recipes using oil instead of butter. I loved that the cookies didn't run all over the pan like mine usually do. In spite of arguably being the world's worst cookie baker, I faithfully make efforts during Christmas time for my young children. They gobbled these up gleefully! I added coconut instead of rice krispies. Thank you!
Anna says
Thanks for the review, Amy! I'm glad the recipe helped you make cookies when you were out of butter.
Amy says
Thanks for the recipe - I, too, was without butter and in desperate need of a cookie fix. This hit the spot - I didn't miss the butter flavor too much - the texture was a bit drier than my usual recipe, but still very good. I think I might try adding some applesauce next time. Thanks, again!
Jan says
I googled a chocolate cookie without using butter.. this came up I tried it I like it..
I added wheat flour, coconut.. and 1 T peanut butter.. and toffee chips, I will try again..
thanks.
Jan says
I googled choc. chip cookies with no butter came up with this one.. very good I did add whole wheat flour and about 1 T peanut butter and coconut.. I will do this again..
I like this website.. Blessings
JAN
jenny says
Just wondering, Anna, were these cookies soft or chewy or crispy? thanks! 🙂
Damaris says
I have made these twice since seeing your post, and they came out perfect both times, and everyone loves them! Super easy and yummy, thanks for giving me my now-favorite cookie recipe!!
http://chewywaffles.blogspot.com/2008/07/no-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
Judy (Judy's Gross Eats) says
Hi Anna,
While I was showing my daughter the photos of Lizzie, she saw these cookies and had to have them. So much so, that she ended up baking them herself -- A First! I posted the results on my blog. Thanks for sharing a delicious recipe!
Anna says
Kat, thank for the review and alterations. With enough alterations here and there, these cookies will be downright nutritious ;).
Do you remember how much brown sugar you subbed for the granulated sugar?
Kat says
I made these today, but substituted brown rice syrup for the white sugar (and took away some of the oil.) Really chocolatey and yummy!
Cathy - www.wheresmydamnanswer.com says
These look great - I am photoshop challenged as well and like you the frustration kicks in after the fun wears off usually about an hour after I start.
I never use butter for my Choc Chip cookies always crisco shortening - the butter flavor is good as well. Love the idea of coconut.
These look great
Cheers
Cathy
Cakespy says
I grew up eating this type of cookie, so when I tried the butter kind it was like an "Omigod" moment. But I still have a soft spot for oil-based cookies. Yours look yummy in the pics!
Clumbsy Cookie says
I love the way you compensated for the lack of butter! They're so packed with chocolate chips, and it would have prefered with the rice crispies, I love them!
Anna says
It would have been great if it were a recipe she created or even modified, but I think Cindy is more into car racing than cookie-recipe creating and I am 99% sure she had no intention of making people believe she had created that recipe. It's much ado about nothing.
HeartofGlass says
What an unusual recipe!
BTW, speaking of 'the unusual' (or not)--I keep wanting to ask what your thoughts are about the whole 'Cindy McCain v. Michelle Obama' cookie face-off, and also the controversy about Cindy McCain copying a cookie recipe for her entry:
http://www.seriouseats.com/required_eating/2008/06/cindy-mccain-stealing-oatmeal-butterscotch-cookie-recipe.html
Anna says
Hello Sumara!
I looked up Rice Bubbles and they appear to be almost identical to Rice Krispies. I am sure they will work.
Baking Blonde, I have another recipe that calls for both. I wonder if is the same as yours? I will have to send it to you.
Sumara says
Hi,
Love these. 🙂 I've been looking for dairy-free recipes too, so thank you.
I was just wondering if you could explain Rice Krispies - we have Rice Bubbles here (Australia) which is a cereal - are they the same thing do you think?
bakingblonde says
One of my all time favorites chocolate chip cookies uses both butter and oil. It's texture is different from any other chocolate chip cookie I have ever had. Now you have me craving cookies and my thighs do NOT need that craving answered, ha ha.
Anna says
Tracy, yes! I forgot you were looking for dairy free!
Carolyn, I'll check it out. The problem is not so much with Photoshop but with me. It just takes me a long time to figure stuff out.
About the cookies. I had one a few hours after they'd cooled. They are much better after they've settled. The edges get kind of crispy and even without the butter, they have lots of flavor. I made half with Rice Krispies and half without. I preferred the half WITH.
Carolyn T says
Anna - it sounds like you really like PhotoShop (I have it too) but recently I started using the great software at picnik.com. Kate, at Kate in the Kitchen told me about it a few months ago. Mostly I use it for imbedding text (recipe title and copyright line) onto all my photos I use. I've been having some problems with photo theft, so began putting text on every one of my food photos. If you're interested, check out some posts from the last week at my blog: http://tastingspoons.com
Picnik isn't a photo storage site, it's merely for manipulating photos. I lighten up photos sometimes, crop, resize, and add the overlay text.
Patty says
Hi Anna. I'm new to you but I took 12 dozen cookies, some of them yours, to a party yesterday. One of the recipes I used was a ginger cookie my kids love that is made with oil. Works great. The spice flavor covers up anything lacking in the flavor of the oil and it's perhaps a little bit less junky since I use canola oil. I'll try these soon. Thanks for the fun.
tracy says
A dairy-free cookie recipe!!! Just what I've been looking for.
Anna says
Sarah, I use butter flavored shortening sometimes, but only when shortening is necessary for texture. It works very well and the flavor is fine, but shortening gives me a stomachace and I just don't like using it anymore. I appreciate that they took out the trans-fats, but I don't fully trust it. I'd rather use pure lard, but most grocery stores only sell the hydrogenated kind.
Hendria, I may call upon you for some help. I'm putting my recipes together to make a family cookbook and I'm trying to design a nice cover. I like using on-line tutorials, but some of them make my head spin.
Kid-Kat, I love Dreena's chocolate chip cookie recipe, but today I wanted to try something a little different. Dreena's is great and the extra flavor from the maple syrup compensates for the missing butter flavor. I need to go eat a whole cookie so I can compare this recipe to Dreena's.
VeggieGirl says
Photoshop is DEFINITELY fun to play around with :0)
The cookies look great!! By the way, I highly recommend the cookie recipe that Kid-Kat linked to.
Kid-Kat says
Well, since you use oil for your cookies, I have a wonderful recipe for you: http://viveleveganrecipes.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_archive.html
These chocolate chip cookies are vegan and low in fat, but you can't tell.
I love your blog, I visit it everyday :p
Hendria says
Do you make graphics with photoshop??? If you are I have many graphics that can help you with it...
Let me know.
Great looking cookies... 🙂
Sarah says
Anna, on the subject of butter substitutes, have you ever used butter flavored shortening (or plain shortening) in a cookie and if so, what did you find to be different? Thanks 🙂 And thanks for always including a funny paragraph or two with your recipes, they always make me giggle
(the stories, not the recipes).