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.
Loved these, but some of cookies had hard crusty particles inside. Weird. ?
Third time I’ve tried to leave a comment. Don’t understand why my comments don’t show up but very frustrating.
Why does this recipe call for an unfed starter versus a fed starter. I inadvertently used fed starter last time I made them. We all thought they were incredible. All my neighbors that I took them to just loved them but I’d love an explanation of what fed starter does to this recipe versus unfed starter. Please respond!
These are too much like cake rather than a cookie. The taste is fine, but not my idea of a really great cookie.
Hi! I talk about this specifically in the post, and how you can avoid it. 🙂
Delicious!!! About to make them once again this week, can’t wait!!! Thank you for the recipe 💜
Can I use unfed, white whole wheat starter or will that change the cookie texture too much?
Too much like a cake cookie
Hi Linda! I specifically talk about how to avoid cake-like texture in the post. 🙂
The cookie itself has no taste. The baking times are off. First I used a 3 tablespoon scoop and second a 2 tablespoon scoop. Tried several different cooking times but still had a pale bland cookie. These cookies were not worth the time, effort and ingredients that I put into them.
Hi Pam! The baking times are not off. 🙂 This recipe was tested extensively and I accounted for every factor of baking time, which you can read all about in the post. If your cookie was bland, then maybe your ingredients were not fresh? Just by way of the ingredients, there is no way to make it bland. Sorry, you felt it was a waste of time! Have a nice day.
Too cake like, like others stated. I did exactly what said to have chewier and still was like cake. Had a good taste and was not bad, just didn’t like the texture for a chewy chocolate chip cookie – maybe sourdough cookies are just not for us.
I like them. Used bourbon instead of vanilla. Added a touch more sugar and salt. Used a fed starter. I think they are great and wanted a little more cake like texture and this was right in between cake and cookie for me. Maybe it helped that I spooned them out a little on the huge side and had to add a little time.
Great cookie though and everyone loves them.
I substituted the chocolate for cherry preserves and it was perfection!