The best thing about creating a sourdough version of this classic chocolate chip recipe is that you get to make use of any sourdough discard that resides in your refrigerator. And we like minimizing waste! These sourdough cookies have a perfectly crisp exterior, with a wonderfully soft and chewy interior, that pairs wonderfully with a glass of milk.
Table of Contents
- Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
- What to Serve With Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies?
- Why Sourdough?
- Butter vs Browned Butter
- Cakey Cookies vs Chewy Cookies
- More Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
- FAQs
Soft and Chewy Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
For this recipe, you can use milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or semi-sweet chocolate chips. However, if you’re feeling adventurous, then use a combination of the flavors, for an interesting treat!
- Total Time: 14 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 cup white cane sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 200g flat and runny sourdough discard
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 12 oz chocolate chips for cookie dough
- 4 oz chocolate chips for pressing into the tops of the cookies
- Flaked sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat, and let this melt. Once the butter begins to foam with flecks of brown, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Allow the butter to cool, for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare one cup of sourdough and discard.
- Combine the browned butter, and both sugars, beating with an electric stand mixer or hand mixer. The mixture should feel dry and crumbly.
- Add the egg yolk to the mixture and beat with an electric mixer for a few minutes, or until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- Then add the sourdough discard to the mix and beat, until almost combined. If the dough looks more like cake batter than cookie dough, then don’t panic, and trust the process.
- Add salt, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla; mix to combine. Then add the chocolate chips.
- This step is completely optional, but a great way to determine the overall result of your cookies. Simply bake ¼ ball-sized cookie dough balls for 12-13 minutes. If the cookie dough emerges flat, then your cookie dough will need an extra ¼ cup of flour. Otherwise, proceed with the next step.
- Cover the dough with a plastic lid and refrigerate, or roll the dough into individual dough balls; transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. Allow the dough to remain refrigerated to ferment for 1-72 hours. This process is entirely in your hands and will ensure the dough produces more sour-flavored cookies depending on how long they remain refrigerated.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, shape them into ¼ cup balls, and place them onto the prepped baking sheet. Top the dough balls with some more chocolate chips.
- Bake the cookie dough balls for 13-14 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.
- Remove them from the oven, and top each cookie with some more chocolate chips, along with a pinch of flaked sea salt.
- Transfer the delicious cookies to a cooling rack. Serve with some hot chocolate, and freeze any leftovers.
- Cook Time: 14 mins
- Category: dessert
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
For this recipe, you can use milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or semi-sweet chocolate chips. However, if you’re feeling adventurous, then use a combination of the flavors, for an interesting treat!
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 cup white cane sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 200g flat and runny sourdough discard
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 12 oz chocolate chips for cookie dough
- 4 oz chocolate chips for pressing into the tops of the cookies
- Flaked sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat, and let this melt. Once the butter begins to foam with flecks of brown, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Allow the butter to cool, for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare one cup of sourdough and discard.
- Combine the browned butter, and both sugars, beating with an electric stand mixer or hand mixer. The mixture should feel dry and crumbly.
- Add the egg yolk to the mixture and beat with an electric mixer for a few minutes, or until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- Then add the sourdough discard to the mix and beat, until almost combined. If the dough looks more like cake batter than cookie dough, then don’t panic, and trust the process.
- Add salt, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla; mix to combine. Then add the chocolate chips.
- This step is completely optional, but a great way to determine the overall result of your cookies. Simply bake ¼ ball-sized cookie dough balls for 12-13 minutes. If the cookie dough emerges flat, then your cookie dough will need an extra ¼ cup of flour. Otherwise, proceed with the next step.
- Cover the dough with a plastic lid and refrigerate, or roll the dough into individual dough balls; transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. Allow the dough to remain refrigerated to ferment for 1-72 hours. This process is entirely in your hands and will ensure the dough produces more sour-flavored cookies depending on how long they remain refrigerated.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, shape them into ¼ cup balls, and place them onto the prepped baking sheet. Top the dough balls with some more chocolate chips.
- Bake the cookie dough balls for 13-14 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.
- Remove them from the oven, and top each cookie with some more chocolate chips, along with a pinch of flaked sea salt.
- Transfer the delicious cookies to a cooling rack. Serve with some hot chocolate, and freeze any leftovers.
What to Serve With Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies?
You might like savory or spicy dips, but have you ever tried a sweet dip? While sourdough chocolate chip cookies are certainly delicious enough on their own, their addicting flavors can only be enhanced with the sweeter company. Try some of these dips below:
- Cookie dough dip
- Peanut butter brownie dip
- Cheesecake batter dip
- Caramel apple dip
Cookie Dough Dip
It’s almost impossible to bake cookies without sneaking a spoonful of delightful cookie dough. This is why a cookie dough dip is a perfect accompaniment to have with your cookies. You can eat as much as you want, without fearing the ultimate doom of baking less than intended!
This scrumptious dip is in no way limited to sourdough chocolate chip cookies. You can dip whatever you like!
Ingredients and Instructions
- 1 pack of cream cheese
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup toffee bits
- Mix cream cheese and butter in a bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
- Serve this with sourdough chocolate chip cookies or apple wedges.
Peanut Butter Brownie Dip
When you combine peanut butter with chocolate, you’re in paradise. This is why peanut butter and brownie dip are must-haves. You cannot enjoy tangy, chewy sourdough chocolate chip cookies without them!
Ingredients and Instructions
- 8 oz. of cream cheese
- 4 tbsp sugar
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup homemade brownie mix
- Mini chocolate chips or peanuts
- Place 4 ounces of cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until you achieve a smooth consistency. Add sugar, peanut butter, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Stir in ½ cup of yogurt. Place this mixture into a serving bowl.
- Next, place the remaining 4 ounces of cream cheese in the same mixing bowl, and use an electric mixer to mix until smooth. Mix in the brownie mix followed by 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Stir in the remaining ½ cup of yogurt.
- Place this into a separate serving bowl. Sprinkle this with chocolate chips and peanuts. Dunk your sourdough chocolate chip cookies into this dip and indulge in an ultimate sugar rush!
Cheesecake Batter Dip
If you’re a fan of cheesecake, you’re going to adore this creamy cheesecake batter dip. Enjoy this with plain breadsticks, crackers, or sourdough discard cookies.
Ingredients and Instructions
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup white cake mix
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sprinkles
- Place cream cheese in an electric mixer bowl and whisk for 3 minutes.
- Add sour cream and vanilla mixing until well incorporated.
- Scoop the mixture up and into a serving bowl.
- Garnish with colorful sprinkles, and enjoy!
Caramel Apple Dip
A caramel dip makes the perfect accompaniment to any kind of cookie, let alone chewy sourdough chocolate chip cookies!
Ingredients and Instructions
- 16 wrapped caramels – unwrapped
- ¼ cup water
- 8 oz. softened cream cheese
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- In a medium saucepan, over medium-low heat melt the caramels with water, stirring continuously.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and set this aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.
- Finally, fold the caramel mixture with the cream cheese mixture. Serve with warm cookies!
Why Sourdough?
Baking with sourdough improves the texture of the cookies making them more deliciously chewy than if you were to bake a batch of regular non-sourdough cookies. The fermented ingredients ensure that the cookies are easier to digest, therefore promising a happy and satiated gut.
What Kind of Sourdough Starter Should I Use?
For this sourdough cookie recipe, you’re going to use a sourdough discard. A discard is an unfed portion of sourdough starter. It has a flat and watery consistency, without bubbles, and a texture that is almost identical to whipped cream. If you were to use an active sourdough starter in this recipe, you’ll end up with thick cookie dough.
Where Do I Get Sourdough Discard From?
If you have an active sourdough starter, simply use this in its unfed state. A starter can either be active or inactive. If your starter is active, it means that it has been fed. To create a discard, you’ll need to leave the starter at room temperature and wait for it to lose its volume, and bubbles before using it in this recipe.
What To Do If I Don’t Have Any Sourdough Starter?
Without a starter or discard, you won’t be able to bake sourdough chocolate chip cookies! If you’re desperate for a starter, then you may need to ask a friend, buy it online, or make your own. Try sourdough bread for beginners, and follow the step-by-step guide.
Butter vs Browned Butter
Brown butter is essentially butter that has been browned on a stovetop until the fats have toasted imparting a wonderful caramel flavor. The process of cooking or browning the butter helps evaporate the water from the butter. Browning butter is brilliant because sourdough discard has a considerable amount of water, we wouldn’t want to introduce excess liquid in this recipe, and risk having baked limp cookies!
How to Make Browned Butter
- Add a block of butter to a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Let the butter melt.
- Once the butter has melted, it will start to foam but don’t remove it just yet!
- Stir the butter and watch it transform from gold to brown.
- Once the melted butter has turned to brown liquid, remove it from the heat and let it cool completely.
- After 30 minutes, it’s ready to use!
- If necessary, you can store the browned butter in an airtight container, and pop this into the refrigerator for up to three days.
Unsalted Butter vs Salted Butter
Both salted and unsalted butter produce robust and incredibly tasty baked treats. I like to use salted butter for sourdough chocolate chip cookies, simply due to their subtle salty flavor, merging with the incredibly sweet, and gooey texture. However, if you’re using unsalted butter you may need to increase the salt in this recipe.
Cakey Cookies vs Chewy Cookies
The difference between cakey and chewy chocolate chip cookies relies on the amount of flour used in the recipe. I adore a chewy textured cookie.
To achieve this you need to ensure that you’re not using lots of flour. Too much flour will result in puffy, cakey cookies, while less flour will produce flat cookies.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
If warm, gooey, and chewy sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies tickle your taste buds, then try some of these scrumptious discard recipes below:
- Cranberry walnut sourdough bread
- Chocolate sourdough bread
- Sourdough discard English muffins
- Sourdough discard rolls
- Sourdough discard cinnamon rolls
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Say goodbye to good old regular chocolate chip cookies, and get used to the gnawing craving of sourdough discard cookies. Once you’ve taken a bite of these chewy, tangy cookies there’s no turning back!
If you’re in the mood for simpler and bite-sized cookies, check out this recipe for fairy cookies!
For more sweet and chocolatey sourdough:
FAQs
Can You Use Sourdough Bread to Keep Cookies Soft?
When you store your cookies in a container or storage bag, add half a slice of sourdough bread to the container, before sealing it. The cookies will absorb the moisture from the bread which will help keep them nice and soft.
What Makes Cookies Crispy vs Chewy?
Certain kinds of sugars affect the overall texture of the cookies, as they absorb different amounts of water. Where white sugar creates crispier cookies, brown sugar produces chewier cookies.
What to do With the Discard from Sourdough Starter?
You can either opt to dispose of your sourdough discard entirely or make use of this natural fermented goodness in some of your bakes. Take a look at some of these delicious sourdough discard recipes!
Why Are My Chocolate Chip Cookies So Crispy?
If you’re dealing with super dark and crisp cookies, they may have overcooked slightly. Try to remove your cookies from the oven sooner or use an oven temperature to measure the temperature of the oven.
