Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
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 it 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 peanut butter cookies, sourdough ginger molasses cookies, and sourdough oatmeal cookies, 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!
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 best for incorporating the ingredients without overmixing 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 its place.
Enhance the flavor of the cookie with flaked sea salt. Add a pinch 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 any leftover 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 them 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 vanilla cake
- sourdough brownies
- cut out sourdough sugar cookies
- sourdough thumbprint cookies
- sourdough sugar cookie bars
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Dry Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 1 teaspoon (95 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup + 1 teaspoon (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
- 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. Cover the dough with a sheet of plastic wrap so they do not dry out. 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.
These are so good! It’s a great recipe for using up discard. Could these cookies be made smaller? Like, half the size? If so, how would this change the baking instructions?
Thank you Abby! Yes you can make them smaller just cut the the time in half and score time if needed.
My 7 year old told me these were the best cookies she has ever had. I brought some to work and my picky co workers agreed! Super easy to make, with great easy to follow directions!
SO GOOD!! I didn't have 1/2 cup of discard (maybe a couple tbsp shy) and it still turned out perfect!! Thank you for the recipe, definitely making these again!
The best cookie ever! First time trying sourdough cookies and now I can say im a fan! Loved these! I didn’t use bread flour but still these were amazing!
These cookies are incredible. You definitely want to refrigerate your dough between batches. Even my keto king couldn’t resist.
So if I wanted to make one batch and just cut the cookies sizes in half to make 24 does that affect bake time at all? 12 went by really fast.
I would check them at 9-10 minutes.
To all who like the flavor of these but don’t like them poofy: First time I made them as written and they were poofy and soft, but since have made them with ½ all purpose flour and ½ whole wheat flour and they don’t get poofy and have crisp edges and a chewy center.
Is this supposed to be made with active or inactive discard? Can’t wait to make these! Thank you!
Hi Kaity, you can use either, but you will still need to use leavening agents if you decide to use active starter.
New to sourdough and this recipe was easy and so delicious. My boyfriend who thinks its "weird to have sourdough in stuff" ate three right away! I cannot even bake Betty Crocker cookies and these came out awesome. I cut the sugar a little and may add nuts the next time. They were awesome! K
These cookies are amazing! Easy to make and I think taste even better the next day.
Loved these cookies! I was a bit nervous based on some of the reviews, but mine came out perfect and I didn't even refrigerate. The chips are a bit heavy but I like a chocolatey cookie so I didn't mind. I typically use a darker chip to avoid excessive sweetness (72% Ghirardelli are a personal fave).