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.
I am a retired man who loves to cook. I just learning to bake and I found this recipe to be simple. They turned out great. I have now made them six times with the same results.This is one of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten although I could be biased!but effort. I’ve tried baking them for 8 minutes, 10 minutes and 12 minutes and I find, that Eight minutes is chewy 10 minutes a little chewy and 12 slightly crispy. I tried putting a little bit off coarse salt on them to give that sweet and salty taste and it work absolutely amazing. Do you think you could use oatmeal in this recipe also?
Awesome to hear, Ken! I think oatmeal would be great. 🙂
Just made my first ever discard anything. This is what my daughter chose and they did not disappoint! We will be making batches ahead of time so we can pop them in the oven anytime we want them. Thank you so much for helping us along this amazing sourdough journey!
So exciting!! Love that you and your daughter are on a sourdough journey!
These turned out amazing. Super soft and chewy, which I love! This is my new go-to recipe for sourdough cookies, thanks!!
Can you freeze any unused dough?
So so good. Such a great, soft texture; almost cakelike. I made these vegan with Earth Balance and Just Egg for the egg. Worked great! Thanks so much for sharing!
Can I make the dough into balls and freeze to make at a later date?
I think if I were a more experienced cookie maker, these might have turned out better. After 10 min in the oven they were still really raw. I know that cookies should still look a bit underdone when you take them out of the oven, so I took them out and let them cool. Nope, way underdone – they would not hold their form – so preheated the oven again and put them in for another 5…took them out and let them cool…still very underdone. I do prefer chewy cookies, but they were unhandlable. So back in the oven they went for another 10. After the 3rd time in the oven they’re at least done enough to eat. I’m guessing my discard still just had a lot of moisture? I don’t know that I’ll make this recipe again since the moisture content is so variable, but the flavor was good after the 3rd time in the oven.
I am new to sourdough baking. I came across the chocolate chip cookies to bake with dough dough discard, well I’m so excited to tell you I love chocolate chip cookies and these came out awesome. I’m making more now and will probably freeze the dough into balls so I can just pop them in oven and bake when I want. I will be making this recipe again
Lynne D
The texture of these are almost cake-like; however, they are lacking in flavor. My kids liked them but they like anything with chocolate. My Husband said they were just “okay”. Not his favorite.
I have yet to have success with this recipe but I am not giving up yet, I was trying a double batch and so used the printer function to increase the servings, I realized when doing so that the gram measurements do not change, so if you are using this recipe and prefer grams to cups you will need to make your own conversions. I am off to do that now. Wish me luck!
Super easy! Works doubled as well!