Name: Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 8 h 30 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 cup browned, unsalted butter (225 grams); 3 egg yolks; 3/4 cup sugar (150 grams); 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (150 grams); 3/4 cup sourdough discard (active starter is ok too) (180 grams); 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 grams); 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional) (60 grams); 12 oz. chocolate chips or chocolate chunks, roughly chopped. You can use dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips. (340 grams)

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FINALLY – A sourdough chocolate chip cookies recipe that isn’t cakey and sour-tasting! These gooey, chewy cookies will be your new go-to. It’s my absolute favorite out of all the chocolate chip cookie recipes I’ve tried.

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After much trial and error, I’ve finally cracked the code to the PERFECT sourdough chocolate chip cookies recipe. Most recipes result in a very sour, cake-like cookie that, frankly leaves something to be desired and just doesn’t hit the spot like a good old-fashioned non-sourdough chocolate chip cookie.

These sourdough cookies are now a staple in my homestead kitchen. They’re perfectly gooey & have just the right touch of tangy sourdough flavor. I’ve made them more times than I can count by now and played with a few variations. They turned out delicious every time.

Sourdough starter is half flour and half water. Water, or any liquid for that matter, is generally not an ingredient found in cookie dough. The water content of the sourdough discard changes the texture of cookies, and not in a good way. But there is a solution! The key, my friends, is in browning the butter and omitting the egg whites. Doing this compensates for the water content and allows you to still use a large amount of sourdough discard without making the cookies cakey.

the best sourdough chocolate chip cookies

Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve made this sourdough chocolate chip cookies recipe using both sourdough starter discard and active sourdough starter. Since these cookies don’t long-ferment at room temperature, the result is the same and both ways are delicious. So just use what you have – but this is technically one of my sourdough discard recipes, meaning there is no fermentation process of the actual dough. You don’t want it to rise like when using active starter to make sourdough bread.

I’ve mentioned this but it’s so worth repeating – do NOT skip browning the butter or modify this recipe to use whole eggs. Doing either one of these things will result in a cakey cookie.

I make a batch of these delicious sourdough chocolate chip cookies in this video!

What You’ll Need

Ingredients

1 cup browned, unsalted butter (225 grams)

3 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar (150 grams)

3/4 cup dark brown sugar (150 grams)

3/4 cup sourdough discard (active starter is ok too) (180 grams)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups all-purpose flour (240 grams)

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional) (60 grams)

12 oz. chocolate chips or chocolate chunks, roughly chopped. You can use dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips. (340 grams)

Tools

Large mixing bowl and wooden spoon or stand mixer with the paddle attachment

Small skillet or saucepan to brown the butter

Cookie sheets and parchment paper

Wire rack for cooling

How to Make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown the butter

Use a small saucepan. Do NOT skip this step, or you will end up with cakey cookies. Trust me, it’s worth the extra step. Once the butter is golden brown, remove it from heat and allow it to cool a little bit, then pour it into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add the sugars to the large bowl with the brown butter and mix. Adding the sugars to the butter before adding the egg yolks prevents them from scrambling when coming into contact with the hot/warm butter. Once the butter and sugar are combined, add the egg yolks, sourdough starter, and vanilla and mix until combined.

Add the dry ingredients

Whisk the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a separate bowl, and then add the dry ingredients to the large bowl of wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.

Add the pecans and rough-chopped chocolate chips and stir.

Bake the Cookies

Use a cookie scoop or spoon the cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350F until you have crispy edges but the middles are still soft, 10-12 minutes.

Storage

If you won’t be baking right away, cover the bowl of cookie dough with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store this sourdough chocolate chip cookie dough in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Q & A

What is Sourdough Discard?

Sourdough discard is an immature or inactive sourdough starter. When first establishing a new starter, discard is what you remove before each feed. With an established, mature starter – discard is simply inactive starter removed or used before a feed or after the peak.

How do I make a sourdough starter?

To make a sourdough starter, mix equal parts water and flour in a jar, cover with a loose fitting lid, and allow to ferment at room temp for 24 hours. Discard half of the mixture after the 24 hours is up, “feed” the starter equal parts water and flour, cover with a loose fitting lid, and allow to ferment at room temp for 24 hours. Repeat this process of discarding, feeding, and fermenting for 1-2 weeks and you will have a mature sourdough starter ready to bake with. See my detailed blog posts on how to make and maintain a sourdough starter.

How does sourdough affect the taste of chocolate chip cookies?

Using sourdough should add some tanginess and depth to the flavor of your cookies, but they should not be sour. Sourdough discard cookies should be sweet. This recipe makes sweet, chewy sourdough chocolate chip cookies.

Do I have to brown the butter to make sourdough cookies?

Yes. If you want the cookies to be chewy and soft. If you don’t mind a cake-like consistency, you can skip browning the butter. Browned butter will not only result in a better texture but also better flavor. The best cookies are made with brown butter!

Can I use bread flour to make sourdough chocolate chip cookies?

Yes. You can use bread flour to make sourdough chocolate chip cookies. But it will change the texture since bread flour is higher in protein. The final product will be dense rather than soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies. If you don’t mind the difference in texture, go for it!

Tips for the best sourdough chocolate chip cookies

For the best results, brown the butter until it is just golden brown with flecks of milk solids appearing at the bottom of the saucepan. Watch the butter closely to avoid burning it. This one step goes a long way to achieve that chewy texture that is an essential part of making the perfect cookie.
Do not overmix. Overmixing cookie dough can make the cookies hard and dry rather than soft and chewy.
Cold-proof the cookie dough in the fridge in an airtight container for some added sourdough flavor.