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Can You Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Vanilla Extract?

Chocolate cookies have an eye-catching appearance, moderate sweetness, buttery aroma, and crispy pieces. The cookies are pretty suitable for weekend get-togethers with family and friends.

The original recipe often mentions one ingredient – pure vanilla extract. However, is it possible to make chocolate chip cookies with no vanilla?

Vanilla only works to enhance the flavor of the recipes. It’s not a factor deciding the outcome of recipes like flour or baking soda. Thus, it is no problem to bake cookies without vanilla.

Let’s find out new recipes with Battersby!

cookies without vanilla extract

Chocolate chip cookies 

Is It a Problem to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Vanilla Extract?

As mentioned above, vanilla is only a flavoring that enhances the flavor of the recipe. It does not play a significant role in determining the success or failure of the formula.

Therefore, you can move vanilla out of your chocolate cookie recipe if it suddenly runs out.

However, the taste of the finished cookies will have a slightly different flavor. Many people don’t even realize this difference.

The reason is that there are so many exciting things in this cake that you don’t consider vanilla as remarkable anymore. The peanut butter and sugar cookie recipe are not rancid.

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It is no problem to make cookies with no vanilla

What Are Substitutes for Vanilla Extract?

If you want to ditch the vanilla and replace it with something fragrant, there are dozens of flavorings to choose from. It not only applies to chocolate cookie recipes. You can use these substitutes in other cake recipes.

View more: Banana Bread Without Baking Soda

Honey

You can use honey instead of vanilla. It tastes excellent, like vanilla. However, it will have a slightly different taste. It also makes your cookies sweeter. However, if you like sweets, that’s great.

Maple Syrup

Maple syrup has a similar flavor to honey. It is an excellent substitute for vanilla. Just adding a small amount of maple syrup is enough to bring out the smell of chocolate chip cookies.

Agave Syrup

Agave syrup is a substitute for vanilla flavor. Its taste is similar to honey.

Almond Extract

Almond extract is “used” to make cakes and enhance the flavor of the cakes you make. However, the almond extract has a stronger flavor, so be careful when making cookies.

Bourbon or Brandy

You can also use bourbon or brandy as a substitute for vanilla in the chocolate chip cookie recipe. It enhances the flavor of your cookies.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

You can make homemade vanilla extract instead of buying vanilla tubes from the store. The way to do it is not too difficult.

First, you need to prepare fresh vanilla beans and a kind of spirits (vodka recommended), and a big airtight jar.

Then split the vanilla beans into two halves. After that, put the split vanilla beans in the jar and pour the vodka over.

Cover the jar and shake gently to mix the two. It will help if you store this jar in a cool place, away from sunlight.

We need to wait patiently for at least 30 days. During this time, shake the pot occasionally to distribute the vanilla bean and wine evenly.

After 1 to 2 months, you can filter the juice and put it in a bottle. So you have handmade vanilla extract already.

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You can make vanilla extract at home 

Other Substitutes

In addition to the above flavorings, use them in your recipe if you have cinnamon, allspice, or nutmeg at home.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes Without Vanilla Extract

Ingredients

Below are some simple ingredients that the recipe calls:

  • Unsalted butter: 165 grams = 3/4 cup (approx. 3/4 cup )
  • Caster sugar: 80 grams
  • Brown sugar / granulated sugar/cinnamon sugar: 80 grams
  • Two cold egg yolks: 18-20 grams/yolk
  • All-purpose flour: 300 grams
  • Baking soda: 1/2 teaspoon
  • Table salt: 1/4 teaspoon
  • Chocolate chips: 130-150 grams (semi-sweet chocolate chips are also ok)

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Chocolate chip cookie ingredients 

Tool

Baking sheets, air fryer/oven, stirrer, medium /large bowl, spoon, etc.

Summary of baking steps

Feel free to check out the step-by-step instructions for chocolate chip cookies with no vanilla. We make it in American baking cuisine.

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.

Step 2

Melt the butter and let it cool until it solidifies and becomes a paste and slightly mushy. Now we have softened butter in a medium bowl.

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Melt the butter 

Step 3

Add the white and yellow sugar and mix well with the butter. You can use an electric mixer to save time.

Add two egg yolks and mix well when the melted butter and brown sugar have just turned into a smooth cream.

Step 4

Place dry ingredients such as flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl and mix well.

Step 5

  • Sift the mixed dry ingredients into the prepared wet ingredients.
  • Mix until dough forms in a large bowl.
  • Add about 4/5 of the chocolate chips to the dough forms, mix well.

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Chocolate chips mixture 

Step 6

Divide the cookie dough into about 30 grams. Place cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Each dough ball should be “spaced” about 3-5 cm apart on the baking sheet.

If the cookie dough is too pasty and sticky, it isn’t easy to shape. To harden the cookie dough, you can put the dough in the refrigerator for about 20 to 30 minutes. It will make it easier to shape the cake.

Step 7

Gently press the dough down slightly. When baking, the butter melts, the dough will spread out on its own to form a circle.

Step 8

Use the remaining 1/5 of the chocolate chips to stick around the cookies. After baking is “completed,” the chocolate will remain on the cookie surface, making the cake more beautiful.

Step 9

Bake cookies

  • Crunchy cookie

If you want the cookies to be crunchy, bake them at 190°C for about 12 minutes of bake time. After 8-9 minutes of baking, turn the tray upside down when the cake turns slightly golden.

Continue baking for three more minutes until the edges are slightly golden brown. Take the cookies out, leave them on the tray for 5 minutes, and move baked cookies to the wire rack to cool completely.

  • Soft and chewy cookies

If you want the soft and chewy cookies, bake at 170 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes of bake time. After 10 – 12 minutes, when the cookies are slightly golden, turn the tray upside down.

Continue to bake until the edges are slightly golden brown. Take the cookies out, leave them on the tray for 5 minutes, and move baked cookies to the wire rack to cool completely.

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Bake cookies 

Step 10

Store sugar cookies in an airtight container, possibly adding a desiccant bag. This way, you can store cookies for 1-2 weeks.

If the sugar cookies are not crispy enough, turn on the oven at 110 degrees Celsius. Let’s put the cookies in the oven again for 5-8 minutes (don’t leave them too long, the sugar cookies will be stiff).

You can watch the video on how to make soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies.

Tips for the Recipe of Cookies With No Vanilla Extract

  • You should slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture to adjust the dryness of the dough. Don’t add too much flour the first time. It prevents the dough from being too dry or too mushy.
  • You can add cocoa powder to make the cake more fragrant.
  • You can adjust the sweetness of the chocolate chip cookies by increasing or decreasing the sugar amount in the recipe.
  • After baking, the cookies will still be soft. It will help if you let the cookies cool. They will be more crispy and spongy.
  • Please do not move the cookies until it is completely cooled to avoid breaking the cookies.
  • Store the cookies in an airtight container to keep them crispy for a long time.
  • You can increase or decrease chocolate depending on your preference and taste when making the cookies.

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Tips for the recipe

Distinguish Among Vanilla Forms

We need to have some knowledge of vanilla forms.

Related: Meatloaf Without Breadcrumbs

Vanilla Bean Pods

Of all the vanilla varieties, vanilla bean pods are the purest. The plump and glossy vanilla pods will be a perfect choice.

Vanilla Extract

Vanilla extract the same way we guide you to do above. It is a combination of vanillin molecules inside the vanilla beans and alcohol in spirit.

Vanilla Powder

The vanilla powder has a stronger flavor than vanilla extract. It is the finely ground vanilla beans.

Vanilla powder is not cheap. But its quality is superior to other vanillas. If you are using it as a substitute for vanilla extract, reduce the dosage by half.

Vanilla Bean Paste

Vanilla bean paste is vanilla extract plus powder. People often use it for cold dishes.

Vanilla Essence

Vanilla essence is not vanilla. It is synthetic vanilla.

It just mimics the vanilla flavor. This essential oil is usually much cheaper and thinner than vanilla extract. Use a ratio of 2 vanilla essence: 1 vanilla extract instead.

Final Thoughts

Above are the simple steps of a great recipe for a chocolate chip cookie without vanilla extract. It is to produce a batch of delicious chocolate chip cookies that are hard to resist.

Let’s go to the kitchen to make nutrition calories healthy eating now for the family to enjoy. Good luck!

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