Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies are loaded with chocolate chips and so easy to make when you use your sourdough starter discard. No electric mixer is needed for this recipe (just your muscles), and you can have a soft, cakelike cookie or bake a little less time for a chewier cookie. Try my original Chocolate Chip Cookies recipes for another delicious recipe on this favorite classic cookie.
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Once you have a sourdough starter, you might as well use it as often as you can! For these Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies, you will use your sourdough starter that has not been fed for a couple of days or sourdough starter discard. There’s no reason to waste any of your starter when you have recipes like this or my Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes! With all the ingredients mixed in one bowl, it’s so simple to get the dough ready to be baked into a delicious cookie.
Baking Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Once you have the dough prepared, it’s time to bake the cookies!
But, baker beware…a mere two minutes can be the difference between a softer, fluffier, more cake-like cookie and a chewier, flatter cookie. I made them both ways, as you can see in the next couple of pictures. For all of the cookies, I used a 3-tablespoon scoop of dough.
If you want the more cake-like cookie, bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. For a chewier cookie, bake for only 6-8 minutes. The baking temperature for both is 350°F.
Be sure to bake the cookies to the doneness you prefer, which can VARY depending on the water content in your starter, the size of your eggs, the humidity, and your oven. You will want to bake the cookies and start checking at 6 minutes. Keep adding an additional 2 minutes until you reach the desired doneness.
The Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies you see on the top picture above were baked in that 6-8 minute range. They have a chewier texture and did not ‘puff up’ like the more cake-like cookie below it. The cake-like cookie was baked in the 8-10 minute range. You can see the difference in the picture below as well. The cookies on the left were baked in less time than the cookies on the right.
This may vary in your oven.
How to Freeze Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cookies can be easily stored in the freezer. To freeze the cookies, let them cool completely. Then, lay the cookies flat on a piece of parchment paper, put them in the freezer for a few hours, and then store them in a zipped plastic freezer-safe bag. Remember to label the bag with the date. Cookies will stay fresh for up to 3 months. Let them sit out at room temperature overnight to thaw.
Can I Freeze the Dough Before Baking?
Yes! First, form the dough into the balls as if you were going to bake them. Instead, place the balls of dough in the freezer until solid (about an hour). Then, store the dough balls in freezer-safe containers. When ready to bake, just add a couple of minutes to the baking time.
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing bowl I like using these glass mixing bowls
- Baking sheet This pan from Nordic Ware works great!
- Parchment paper I use this brand
- Kitchen scale (optional)
Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons (1 stick + 3/4 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 cup sourdough starter, unfed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups (16 ounces) large chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the softened butter and sugars. (Make sure the butter is soft enough to mix with the sugar by hand.)
- Add the egg to the mixture, stirring until incorporated.
- Stir in the sourdough starter and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour, salt, and baking soda, careful to not overmix.
- Finally, incorporate the chocolate chips and let the dough refrigerate for 15 minutes or refrigerate up to overnight. (I have made them without refrigeration and they get more cake-like in texture.)
- When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. (Let the refrigerated cookies come to room temperature.)
- Drop spoonfuls (2-3 tablespoons) of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. (I use a 3 tablespoon ice cream scoop.) Bake 8-10 minutes for a cake-like cookie. Bake 6-8 minutes for a chewier cookie. (My recommendation!) The cookie MAY appear a little wet in the center and that is ok. It will continue to bake and be cooked throughout after being out of the oven for a few minutes.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Can I use active starter?
Yes
Hell! How many cookies does this make with the ice cream scoop? Thank you!
I spent a bit of time looking for a good sourdough discard cookie that fit my household’s standard and style of cookie. I gave this a try, and have made a few batches. Very cakey, yummy, amazing, and great cookies from a good recipe. Thanks!
Absolutely love this recipe! My family always asks for sourdough chocolate chip cookies now:) these are the best we’ve ever had!
I need to do a cookie cake for my son’s birthday, how long do you think I need to adjust the time to bake to?
You can use these directions:
https://iambaker.net/cookie-cake/
I absolutely love these cookies and so do my customers! Have you had luck making them in advance and freezing them? Thanks!
How much butter in grams? (for everyone that doesn’t have sticks and don’t want to measure out 14 tablespoons, wut)
Sorry that measuring ingredients for a recipe is hard for you!
The recipe calls for:
14 tablespoons (1 stick + ¾ stick) unsalted butter
That equals 198 grams of butter.
Thank you for providing the amount of butter in grams. I often make my own butter (I have a milk cow) so it isn’t formed into nice little consistent sticks. Measuring out 14 tablespoons with an actual tablespoon would make it take much longer than just having a gram measurement.
And secondary thanks!
The world is much bigger than just the part that sells butter in sticks. And I certainly respect my time more than trying to take a tablespoon to a sticky solid 14 times when there are much more suitable units to measure in!
The cookies tasted great though! I had to cook mine longer as they weren’t getting any colour quickly enough (maybe the temp needs to be higher?). But with the cake like consistency, it seems like the mix would serve better as muffins rather than cookies. So that’s what I’m giving a go next.
Glad they tasted great! Totally hear you—regional differences in how butter is packaged can definitely make things trickier! I include measurements in tablespoons because that’s what most of my audience is used to.
Thank you for your feedback and your passion for butter math.
The temperature for the cookies is great as listed – maybe your oven isn’t reaching the desired temperatures? I explain in detail in the post how to get a cake like consistency vs. chewy. In great detail with many images. These cookies don’t traditionally “brown”, as you can also see by the images. Should you want to revisit all my images and extra information in the post you will see the way to get a chewy cookie. Hope that helps!