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.
These are in the oven now. They’ve been in for 10 mins and still not looking browned or cooked. I’m not too hopeful. 😩
If your oven is working they will definitely get browned and cooked. 🙂
I am great at baking cookies so I was excited to try these. I followed the recipe to a T, weighing everything out and tried both baking times- once it was absolutely sopping wet and raw in the middle after baking about 7 mins and letting rest in the pan for ~10 mins (so raw it fell through the holes in the cooling rack but the edges of the cookies were golden brown). For the 10 min bake time they were basically chocolate chip bread in cookie form. I’m very disappointed. Had to toss half of the cookies🙁
Hi Ivy! That sounds like a timing and oven issue. With any recipe, it’s great to see what the recipe times are and then adapt to what your oven will produce. Maybe the 8-9 minute mark would be perfect for you. 🙂
Hmmm, I have to agree with Amanda in the previous post. 😬 I am pretty familiar with baking, have a Wolf oven that has always been accurate and never been off temp wise, after 7-8 minutes they were like dough, after 10 mins., they still looked too uncooked and doughy but I took them out when they were slightly uncooked in the middle as you said because I feared going too much longer they would end up being like muffin tops. They were still too uncooked in the middle even after cooling.
I wonder if it is best to refrigerate overnight before baking rather than for just 15 min?
Being an experienced baker, you will understand that baking times will vary from oven to oven. My oven is not a Wolf and probably not as accurate as yours. There is no way I, or ANY food blogger, can predict the circumstances or replicate the conditions in your home. My best advice is to test the cookies for doneness, then use that as your guide moving forward.
I’ve made these twice now! Love this recipe! The second time around I took out 1/2 c flour and added 1/2 c oats instead. So yummy! Thanks for sharing! I needed a go to recipe for when I have extra discard!
Love that idea, Jess!!
These are my FAVORITE chocolate chip cookies! I’ve made this recipe at least 7 times. Even my strict Norwegian grandma loves them. Thank you very much for this fantastic recipe!
Big hit!
Brought these to a party and they totally elevated my reputation as a baker. I’m an amateur and people were shocked because these came out so good!
Can this recipe be made without the sourdough starter? I do not have a sourdough starter or know a recipe for one. The cookies really look delicious. Anxious to try this recipe. Thanks!
No, you would want to stick to a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Can I substitute butter for coconut oil?
I made these and baked them for 12 minutes. I’m in the mountains in Montana so that may be the difference. These are absolutely wonderful! Thank you!
I was so happy to find this recipe so I could use up some of my discard! I fed my starter recently and maybe too much, cause it grew out of control!! So being someone who bakes not professionally but as a huge hobby, I do know you can follow recipes “to a T” etc. And you may get the exact results you’re supposed to, but when trying new recipes, if I feel something is off for me, I need to adjust a bit before proceeding.. I noticed a few people have issues with this recipe not cooking thoroughly etc. I did notice when I was done mixing my dough, it was VERY sticky still. I added about 2/3rds of a cup of flour to it. This may have had to do with how much I mixed it, but even when I make the nestle toll house recipe I find adding a little more flour makes a huge difference. Another suggestion if you don’t already do this, start your tray on the bottom rack and when you put the next tray in, move the first tray to the top rack. They came out perfect, like biting into a cloud with chocolate chips!! Love this recipe and will be using it from now on in the future!! Thank you!