Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

5 from 2 votes

These sourdough chocolate chip cookies are chewy, rich, and use discard for added flavor! Try this sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies recipe today.

Prep Time10

Cook Time13

refrigerated rising time2

Total Time2 23

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 298kcal

Author: Renae Gerhardstein

Equipment

large mixing bowl
stand mixer or hand mixer
silicone spatula
whisk
3-tablespoon Scoop
cookie sheet

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened, but still cool; if salted butter is all you have, reduce the added salt in the recipe by half
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup sourdough starter discard or fed 12-24 hours prior *see notes below
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt if substituting table salt, use about 1 ½ teaspoons
12 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips about 2 cups

Instructions

Add the softened butter, sugars, and starter discard to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer and a large mixing bowl.
Mix at medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with spatula.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix at medium speed for 30 seconds, or until well combined. Then, scrape down the sides of the bowl with spatula.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients, a cup at a time, to the wet ingredients while mixing at a low-medium speed for 30 seconds or until just mixed.
Do not overmix, or your cookies will be crumbly and dry.
Stir in the chocolate chips and mix for 15 seconds to incorporate. Alternatively, you can stir the chips by hand using a wooden spoon.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Prepare the cookie sheet(s) by greasing or lining it with parchment paper (or silicone baking mats).
Using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) leveled off, portion dough onto prepared cookie sheets - 12 per sheet - leaving 2 inches of space between each scoop of dough.
Bake in the preheated oven for 11-13 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies look slightly dry and the tops are very light golden.
Remove from oven and let cookies rest on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack with a spatula.
Store cool cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Video

Notes

Recipe Variations:

Double chocolate sourdough cookies – Swap ½ cup of the all-purpose flour with cocoa powder for a rich, chocolatey dough. Use a mix of semi-sweet and white chocolate chips for a flavor contrast. Try white chocolate chip cookies or white chocolate raspberry cookies for a non-sourdough versions.
Espresso chocolate chip cookies – Mix 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder into the dough for a subtle coffee flavor that complements the chocolate.
Spiced sourdough cookies – Add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg to the dry ingredients for a warm, spiced flavor. Perfect for fall or holiday baking!
Nutty sourdough chocolate chip cookies – Add 1 cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds to the dough for a crunchy texture. Toast the nuts beforehand for extra flavor.
Peanut butter sourdough cookies – Replace ¼ cup of butter with ¼ cup of creamy peanut butter for a nutty twist. Use peanut butter chips or chopped peanut butter cups instead of chocolate chips.
Salted caramel sourdough cookies – Press a caramel candy or a dollop of caramel sauce into the center of each cookie before baking. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt immediately after baking for a sweet-and-salty combination.

This recipe uses a discard or unfed sourdough starter, which means one that was fed 12-24 hours before starting the recipe. Our recipe does not use a starter that's at its peak when mixing the dough. A 100% hydration sourdough starter works best for this recipe.

*there is no baking powder in this recipe.

TFN Pro Tips:

For perfectly sized cookies, use a cookie scoop! I recommend using a large 3 tablespoon sized scoop. That's what I use for all my cookie recipes.

For the best chewy cookies, use room temperature butter (softened, but still cool) and eggs. If you forget to pull your eggs from the fridge 30 minutes ahead of time, place them in a glass of warm water for 5-10 minutes.

How to freeze cookie dough

Before baking, place baking sheets in the freezer for 1 hour to flash-freeze the scoops of dough. Once frozen, store frozen cookie dough in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

To bake cookies from frozen

Place frozen cookie dough on prepared pans. Let it thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes or until thawed but still cold. Bake according to the recipe instructions shown above.

To store chocolate chip cookies

Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Nutrition