Sourdough chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, and made with sourdough discard, brown butter, and loads of melty chocolate chips!
Table of Contents
Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
Finding ways to use sourdough starter for more than just sourdough bread has been a fun and creative way to challenge myself! First, it was sourdough discard pancakes and today it’s these sourdough chocolate chip cookies!
They’re soft, chewy, and loaded with a combination of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips. You’re going to love how much brown butter and sourdough discard elevates even the best chocolate chip cookies.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients with big flavor. I have tips on how to make brown butter even easier, because getting it just right is key!
- Can be made ahead. Prep the dough and keep it refrigerated overnight or frozen for months. Always have cookies at your fingertips!
Sourdough Cookies Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Sugars: Packed light brown sugar and white granulated sugar.
- Sourdough discard: A great way to reduce waste! Instead of throwing it out just before feeding your starter, use it to make cookies!
- Egg yolks: Adding just the yolks adds so much extra moisture and chewiness.
- All-purpose flour: Measure your flour accurately so that you don’t end up with dense cookies.
- Chocolate chips: I use a combination of milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- You’ll need: Unsalted butter (at room temperature), vanilla extract, fine sea salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Optional: A sprinkle of Maldon flake sea salt gives the cookies a sweet and salty flavor combination.
How to Make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
The first thing you’re going to do is brown your butter over medium heat. Once you’ve got an amber color and nutty aroma, remove it from the heat, pour it into a microwave-safe bowl, and let it cool.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add the brown butter and stir to combine. Mix in the discard, egg yolks, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and stir in chocolate chips. Chill dough for 30 minutes.
Scoop the cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 7-9 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven until the edges are golden and the center is still soft. I always like to add a few extra chocolate chips on top and sprinkle with a bit of flaked salt.
Tips and Variations
- Use a lighter-colored pan to brown the butter so that you can easily see the color change.
- Keep cookies about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet to leave room for a bit of spreading.
- The centers will still be soft, but they will set once they cool. This is how they remain chewy cookies. If you like more crisp cookies, make this Toll House cookie recipe.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough so you know all of your cookies will be the same size.
- You can use dark chocolate chips or chocolate chunks rather than chips if you prefer.
More chocolate chip cookie recipes to try include cake mix chocolate chip cookies, caramel chocolate chip cookies and mini chocolate chip cookies.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
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Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks at room temp)
- ¾ cup (130 g) light brown sugar , packed
- ½ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (130 g) sourdough discard
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups (335 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (or kosher)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1-2 cups chocolate chips (I do a mix of semi-sweet and milk)
Optional: maldon flake sea salt
Instructions
- Brown butter: Melt 1 stick of butter (save the other stick) in a pan over medium-heat. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, swirling the pan every so often. Allow the butter to brown (when it turns an amber golden color and has a nutty aroma, it’s done). Remove from the heat and then pour into a microwave-safe bowl and allow to cool.
- Combine: In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup softened butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup sugar. Mix for 1 minute, until smooth and creamy. Then add in the melted brown butter and stir until combined. Mix in 2/3 cup discard, 2 egg yolks and 2 teaspoons vanilla.
- Mix dough: Add the 2 3/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Mix until combined. Stir in 1-2 cups chocolate chips. Chill dough atleast 30 minutes (or longer if desired).
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with a baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
- Bake: Scoop cookie dough onto the prepared pan, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 7-9 minutes, or just until the edges are golden brown, while the center is still soft.
- Cool: Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the pan. Add a few extra chocolate chips on top of the cookies and sprinkle with flaked salt if desired. Then move to a cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
These cookies don’t need to be kept in the fridge. They’ll stay fresh at room temperature, covered in an airtight container.
Yes! Which means you can double the batch and freeze half if you want! To freeze the dough, form them into cookie dough balls and flash freeze them on a cookie sheet until they are solid. Then, place them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Check out how to freeze cookie dough for more tips.
You can make the dough ahead and instead of chilling it for just 30 minutes, chill it overnight or up to 24 hours. You might even find the longer it chills the better your cookies taste.
Absolutely. Either one works. Cookies are a great way to use up the starter discard you don’t need for other things, but if you have active starter to spare, go ahead and use it.
Categorized as: American, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Christmas, Cookies, Desserts, Freezer-Friendly, Reader Favorites
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
These are so delicious! Fantastic recipe, they were a crowd pleaser
Thanks for the review, glad you loved them as much as we do!
These were so good! I’m always looking for great recipes to use up sourdough discard and this one did not disappoint! They were soft and chewy…and I loved the addition of browned butter as well! – Recipe Tester
So glad you enjoyed them!
Turned out great! They freeze well, too. It has been great to have a stash of the dough balls frozen and just to bake as needed when the teens are looking for a cookie fix.
Sourdough cookie fix for the win!