Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
These sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies are delicious, with a perfect combination of chewy and soft texture. They use sourdough starter discard, browned butter, and plenty of chocolate chunks.
About these cookies
Sourdough discard is the portion of sourdough starter removed and discarded during feeding. It’s often quite acidic, which makes it less ideal for bread, but perfect for cookies.
It has a tangy flavor that adds a bit of complexity, and the acidity in the starter helps create a beautifully tender cookie. I make the dough, then chill it overnight to allow gentle fermentation. This slow rest develops the flavor even more while naturally acidifying the dough and softening the gluten structure.
Note: I recently tested a new variation of this recipe and then decided to revert to the original. This is the version many of you loved, so I want to keep it that way.
Some of the key ingredients
Method
- Melt and brown the butter. See more details on how to brown butter.
- Let it cool in a heatproof bowl for around 15 minutes.
- Add in the sugars, egg, vanilla and starter.
- Stir through the dry ingredients and chocolate.
- Chill the dough for a minimum of 2 hours but up to 36 hours.
- Shape into 1 1/2 tablespoon balls and space on a cookie sheet.
- Once baked you can use a cookie cutter to gently shape the cookies into perfect circles.
Storing
Once cooled, keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze them in a single layer, then transfer to a sealed container or bag for up to 3 months. You can also freeze unbaked dough balls. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 extra minutes to the baking time.
More sourdough baking
Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 130 g butter
- 100 g soft brown sugar
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g discard sourdough starter
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 190 g all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 170 g chocolate chips I use a mix of dark chocolate chunks and milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Let the butter melt in a saucepan. Once melted, let it cook further for around 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the milk solids have caramelized and the butter smells nutty. 130 g butter
- Pour the browned butter and all the browned bits into a large heat-proof bowl. Allow it to cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
- Add the sugar, sourdough starter, vanilla, and egg to the cooled butter, and beat it until well combined. 100 g soft brown sugar, 100 g granulated sugar, 100 g discard sourdough starter, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. 190 g all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Stir the flour mixture into the cookie dough mixture until a dough forms, then add the chocolate chips. Continue stirring until it's all combined. 170 g chocolate chips
- Cover the bowl and place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls using a medium cookie scoop or around 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough. Space them at least 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Press a few extra pieces of chocolate into the tops of each ball.
- Bake the cookies for 10–12 minutes, until they have puffed and the edges are golden brown.
- Tip: To make your cookies perfectly round, use a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie and gently swirl it around each one right after baking. This neatens the edges while the cookies are still soft and warm.
- Let them cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
the recipe doesn’t call for baking powder in the ingredients list but it is called for in the instructions…
Sorry it should just be baking soda! 🙂
Best cookies I’ve ever made!! My kids devoured them. Thank you!
That’s so lovely to read! So happy you loved them 😀
I am going to make these! Can you link to your flaky salt, please?
I just wanted to update and say I doubled the recipe for our new years party and barely had any left! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Oh that’s great to hear! Thank you!
This is definitely the best Sourdough discard Choc Cookies I hv ever made. OMG i’m soo happy.
Thank you Elieeen…❤
So happy you loved them!!
Alright! I’m just going to consider your website my new favorite cookbook! These were INSANELY addicting. I’ve made two of your bagel recipes now and this as well, and all three have turned out professional level yummy- I’d be wildly pleased to have these at any bakery! I’m an amateur baker but I feel so legit with your recipes! (Trying out the sourdough pizza dough tonight, in the midst of cold proofing now!)
Yay so happy to read this!! 😀 thank you!
I thought I had printed this recipe but couldn’t find it. Now I see it has changed slightly. Is there a way to get a copy of the previous version? I’m sure this one is just as good but I liked the ease of making it all in 1 bowl without having to use my mixer. This is my family’s favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Thank you
Hey Dee, thank you so much for your kind comment. I’ve since changed the recipe back to the original version that you loved. I really appreciate you letting me know!