Learn how to make sourdough chocolate chip cookies at home with your sourdough discard!
These bakery style cookies are soft, thick and chewy. Loaded with chocolate chips in every bite!
Make the dough in advance and keep in the fridge or freezer. You'll never be more than minutes away from satisfying your sweet tooth!
Sourdough chocolate chip cookies are a thing. A very delicious thing indeed!
Sourdough discard makes a naturally fermented cookie that your family will rave about.
Just like our sourdough chocolate chip scones, they are perfectly sweetened and stay soft and fresh tasting for days.
They are everything you're looking for when it comes to homemade chocolate chip cookies, but better!
Jump to:
Instructions
In order to create a soft and chewy sourdough chocolate chip cookie, the batter must NOT be over-mixed.
After several test batches, we found that the following method worked the best for incorporating the ingredients without over mixing the dough.
To achieve this, use the paddle attachment with a stand mixer to beat cold, cubed butter with the sugars until it starts to come together, 45-60 seconds. The mixture will be thick and uneven looking.
Add the chocolate chips and continue to beat on low-speed for 30 seconds. The texture of the chocolate chips will help blend the butter and sugar together evenly. (We are not looking for light and fluffy.)
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a small bowl and add them to the butter mixture and mix on low-speed until it has a "crumbly" texture, 20-30 seconds.
Use a fork to beat the egg, sourdough discard and vanilla in a small bowl. Add it to the batter and mix on low-speed until "just incorporated", 20-30 seconds.
Use a spatula to make sure the ingredients are fully combined.
The goal is to avoid over-mixing the batter so that you get a thick, chewy, perfect cookie!
Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough into 12 large balls. Place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. 24 hours is best!
When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Bake the cookies for 15-17 minutes, or until the outside of the cookies are golden brown and the middle still looks slightly under-baked.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Tips and Tricks
After each addition of ingredients to the stand mixer, mix until "just incorporated". You do not want to add any air to the batter. Adding too much air creates a more "cake-like" cookie.
Bread flour is higher in gluten, which produces a more chewy cookie. If you don't have bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour in it's place.
Enhance the flavor of the cookie with flaked sea salt. Add a pinch on on top of the dough balls before you place them in the oven. (This is totally optional, but highly recommended!)
How to store and freeze
Baked cookies
Store baked sourdough chocolate chip cookies at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 7 days. (To keep them extra fresh and chewy, place a small piece of white bread in the container.)
Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. After the cookies have cooled completely, individually wrap them in plastic wrap and insert them into a freezer-safe bag.
Unbaked cookie dough
Store unbaked cookie dough in the fridge, covered tightly for up to 7 days. (According to the FDA, unbaked cookie dough is not safe for consumption.)
To Freeze unbaked cookie dough, portion the dough out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and place it in the freezer. Transfer the frozen dough balls into a freezer-safe container and keep frozen for up to 3 months.
Bake in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 17-20 minutes, straight from the freezer.
Alternatively, allow the dough to thaw in the fridge overnight and bake according to the original directions.
Other sourdough discard recipes you may like:
- sourdough brownies
- cut out sourdough sugar cookies
- sourdough thumbprint cookies
- sourdough blueberry muffins
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Rate this recipe!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- ¾ cup (95 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (125 g) bread flour (all-purpose can be substituted, see notes)
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Wet Ingredients 1
- 1 large (1 ) egg
- ½ cup (125 g) sourdough starter discard (unfed)
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
Wet Ingredients 2
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter (cold, cubed)
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) white granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate)
Instructions
Mix dry ingredients
- Use a whisk or a fork to mix the bread flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients 1
- In a separate small bowl, use a whisk or a fork to beat the egg, vanilla extract and sourdough starter until smooth. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients 2
- Place the cold, cubed butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat on low-speed until the mixture forms small crumbles, 45-60 seconds. Add the chocolate chips and mix on low-speed 30-45 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low-speed until the batter starts to become a crumbly mixture, 20-30 seconds. Pour in the egg mixture and mix on low-speed until the dough comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 20-30 seconds. Use a spatula to stir the batter, ensuring all of the ingredients have been fully incorporated.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough into 12 balls, (2 scoops per cookie) and place them on a parchment lined baking tray. Chill the dough in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. (24 hours is best!)
- Bake in a preheated, 375°F (190°C) oven for 15-17 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center still appears slightly under-baked. Remove and allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Store baked cookies at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 7 days. Place a small slice of white bread inside the container to help keep cookies fresh.
- Freeze unbaked dough for up to 3 months.
- Bread flour can be replaced with equal parts all-purpose flour. Using 100% all-purpose flour will produce a less chewy cookie.
Sarah says
Thank you! The BEST cookie recipe I have ever tried. I added orange zest, cranberries and dry roasted hazelnuts and substituted some of the chocolate for dark chocolate chunks. I'd love to make these as oatmeal raisin, I'm going to experiment with this myself but wonder if there's any 'science' to adding oats to a recipe - how much flour would I likely need to cut? 🙂
Amy Duska says
HI Sarah! I am working on this recipe to post hopefully soon! I'd hate to give you the ratios without testing first, so check back soon. Now that the weather is getting cooler I can fire up my oven full time!
Sarah says
Awesome, will keep my eyes peeled 🙂 I subbed out a third of the flour for oats and it worked out great 🙂
Heather says
Hi Amy, I was wondering if you changed the ratios recently I used to follow your receipt they are in grams....?especially when I measure the butter?how much is 8 tablespoons? Thank you. Hope to hear from you soon.
Amy Duska says
Hi Heather, please check, they should be there. We updated our recipe card and it seems to have had a glitch! So sorry for any inconvenience!!
Nathanael says
Family loved them!
Marcy says
I made these and they are very delicious. My cookie spread a little more than the ones in your picture. Any suggestions?
Amy Duska says
Hi Marcy! How long did they stay in the fridge before baking? Also, I recommend that you always make sure your leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda have not expired! They need to be changed out about every six months after they are opened to make sure they will give you the best results when baking! 🙂
Kylie says
Could I use active sourdough so it ferments overnight?
Amy Duska says
Yes you can 🙂
Kelly says
Just made these. I substituted the light brown sugar with coconut sugar and the white granulated with raw cane sugar since they’re what I had on hand. I’m not a fan of chocolate chip cookies but l loved these.
I made one from frozen today. Perfect for a sweet treat on demand. So yummy.
Chanel says
Just made this dough and have it in the fridge. I didn’t portion out the cookies...do you think they will still turn out okay?
Amy Duska says
Hi Chanel! Yes, they will be just fine 🙂 The dough firms up in the fridge, which makes it a little harder to portion out. That's why I do it beforehand, but they will still be delicious, I promise!
Sarah says
I store my dough in cling wrap shaped like a log in the fridge then when I want to bake them, I slice it up in perfect portions and roll into a ball. Works perfectly!!
Nikki says
Is the baking different from frozen? I’m making it for the first time tomorrow and would like to freeze some of the dough?
Amy Duska says
I would portion out the cookie dough before freezing and place in a freezer bag. You can bake them straight from the freezer, you will just need to add a few more minutes to the baking time.
Maria says
Is the salt measurement accurate? I thought 1 teaspoon of salt = 5grams but this says 2.5g, Which is correct?
Amy Duska says
You are correct! 1 teaspoon is 5 grams. Thank you for catching that!!
Mary Ellen says
OMG, Amy. . These cookies are everything you say they are. . And more. . . I have started into the "Covid induced" sourdough world. . And thanks to you, I have a robust and healthy starter.. . I have to say that the cookies are way more successful than the bread. . But I will not be deterred. . .thank you for sharing what you know. . ❤️
Amy Duska says
Hi Mary Ellen, so glad you enjoyed these! 🙂
Kelly says
I made these cookies. The are wonderful. Though I don't find them chewy and I followed the recipe exactly. They were a hit at my house. Thank you!
John says
I added 2 tablespoons of corn syrup (you can use most any liquid sweetener you have, though) to keep it chewy.
Sally says
OMG. These are amazing. I just made these for the kids and success 🙌🏼
Thank you Amy your my hero