If you're looking for an easy and delicious way to use up some extra sourdough starter, you have to try these decadent sourdough chocolate chip cookies! Made with butter, brown sugar, and sourdough discard, they are the ultimate sourdough cookie recipe!
One of my favorite things about maintaining an active sourdough starter (other than the freshly baked sourdough loaves several times a week) is the discard! That's right, I totally love the thing that most people dislike about the sourdough process.
That's not because I love flushing it down the toilet or adding it to my compost. I actually store my sourdough discard in the fridge and use it in all kinds of recipes. Everything from sourdough pizza, to sourdough desserts, I make sure to use up all of the discard that comes from my active starter.
These sourdough chocolate chip cookies were born out of a desire to sneak more of my sourdough discard into baked goodies, and I just had to share it with you here! I adapted my tried and true favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe to include sourdough discard, and I couldn't be any happier.
I stashed the extras in the freezer, but it didn't take long for my husband and son to sneak into the freezer and sneak a few. They didn't last long around here, that's for sure!
And if you love the idea of sourdough cookies, you HAVE to try my sourdough oatmeal raisin cookies. They became a fast favorite around here!
Ingredients
- Chocolate chips: You can use your favorite kind of chocolate chip here! I recommend a semi-sweet type, but you could use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or whatever you like!
- Sourdough discard: You'll need about ½ cup of sourdough discard. It can be newly discarded from an active starter, or it can be directly from the fridge.
- Butter: Every good cookie starts with some softened butter! Just remember to let it rest on the counter for several hours before baking. This should get it nice and soft.
- Sugars: Both brown sugar and white cane sugar are used to get a good balance of sweetness.
- Eggs: You will use 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk. Add your extra egg white to scrambled eggs or an omelet.
- Pantry staples: Just flour, baking soda, and salt!
- Walnuts: These are optional, but recommended. They add a lovely crunch.
How to Make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
To get started, add your flour, baking soda, and salt to a medium sized bowl. Give it a good stir to combine.
Add the softened butter, brown sugar, and cane sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Cream the sugars and butter together until everything is creamy and light; stop the mixer and scrape down the edges of the bowl when necessary.
Add in the full egg and egg yolk, and mix once again just until combined.
Once the egg is incorporated, add in the sourdough discard and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Mix on medium speed until the mixture is uniform.
Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing after each addition. Stop the mixer as soon as all of the flour has been incorporated.
Add the chocolate chips and walnuts (if using) and mix them in either using a stand mixer for just a few seconds, or folding them in with a silicone spatula until evenly combined.
Chilling the Dough
Once your cookie dough has come together, it's time to chill the dough. This helps firm up the dough and prevents it from spreading too thin in the oven. I tested cookies both with un-chilled dough and with chilled dough, and the cookies that had the best texture were those that used chilled dough.
All you have to do is cover your bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then, when you're ready to bake, preheat the oven and line two sheet pans with parchment.
Baking the Cookies
Scoop the chilled dough using a medium sized cookie scoop and place on one of the lined baking sheets. Space your cookies 1 ½ - 2" apart. You should be able to fit 9-12 cookies per sheet.
Then, bake in the preheated oven just until the edges are brown, or 10-12 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool further.
Scoop your cookie dough onto the other prepared baking sheet and rotate between the two pans until all of the cookies are baked.
Storing Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Allow your cookies to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Once the cookies are room temperature, add them to an airtight container or a plastic storage bag with a seal.
- Store on the counter for 2-3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, and in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To freeze, add the cooled cookies to plastic freezer bags and seal. Label and freeze for up to 2 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you let your cookie dough chill longer than 30 minutes to 1 hour, your dough might be too hard to scoop. If this is the case, you will need to warm up your dough a bit by letting it rest on the counter just until scoopable. This should take no longer than 2 hours, but it may take longer depending on how warm or cool you keep your home.
If you love baking with your sourdough discard, you probably store some in the fridge for using later on. Depending on how recently fed your discard was, it may last anywhere from 1-4 weeks in the fridge. Some signs of discard that has become too sour is hooch rising to the top, or a very acidic and sour smell. You can either dispose of this starter, or pour off the hooch and revive it with several feedings.
More Sourdough Desserts
- Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Sourdough Texas Sheet Cake
- Double Chocolate Sourdough Muffins - Little Spoon Farm
- Sourdough Bread Pudding
- Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- One Bowl Sourdough Chocolate Cake - Heart's Content Farmhouse
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
This classic sourdough chocolate chip cookie recipe is simple to make, and uses up some of that extra sourdough starter we all have lying around!
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup cane sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- 1 ⅔ cup all purpose unbleached flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (approximately 1 ½ cups)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Add the butter, brown sugar, and cane sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the egg and egg yolk to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Beat until fully combined.
- Add the sourdough discard, and beat again until everything is smooth and uniform.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well to combine.
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the stand mixer and mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add another ⅓ of the flour mixture, and mix again. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until all of the flour is absorbed.
- Add in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts (if using). Fold them in using a silicone spatula until evenly distributed.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the bowl from the fridge and use a medium cookie scoop to portion the dough.
- Scoop out portions of the dough and drop on one the prepared baking sheets, approximately 2" apart between each cookie dough mound. You should be able to fit 9-12 cookies on a standard sheet pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the very edges are just starting to brown.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool on their baking sheet for 4-5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
- Repeat with the other prepared baking sheet, and rotate between the two sheets until all of the cookies are baked.
- Allow the cookies to cool before adding to covered containers or freezer bags for storage.
Notes
Without a stand mixer: Use an electric hand mixer and a large bowl instead, OR a large bowl with a whisk and some elbow grease.
Freezing: Once the cookies are completely cool, add them to plastic freezer bags and remove any excess air. Label and freeze for up to 2 months.
Chilling the dough: I highly recommend chilling the dough for the 30 minutes. This gives your dough the chance to firm up a bit, and the cookies are not as delicate as those that are baked without the added step of chilling. Cookies baked with un-chilled dough tend to be thinner, and easier to break.
Storage: Allow your cookies to cool completely to room temperature before transferring to storage. You can store them in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 48 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 82Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 84mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g
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Gina says
I made these cookies this morning and they came out beautiful. These are going in my repeat file!
Dolly says
So glad you enjoyed them!