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 just made it for the first time I love them I believe it going to be a new favorite.
So glad you enjoyed them, Tina!
I was wondering this too. In a cookbook I have they put one cup of starter at 280grams.
Excellent cookies! Thank you.
Is there a way to leave out the baking soda since we are using sourdough discard? Can we just let it sit on the counter for an hour or two to get the same leavening?
Can pre-baked dough portions/balls be frozen and baked later instead of freezing already baked cookies?
I haven’t tried freezing the dough for any significant period of time so can’t speak to its effectiveness.
These cookies are delicious! A real winner. Can you convert your ingredient measurements to grams? (I’m not sure any other country, besides USA, measures their butter by sticks??) I guess it helps make the recipes more universal, I’m an Aussie living in Germany, enjoying our lockdown and cooking your delicious cookies.
Omg i forgot the 1/2 brown sugar!
Hope it will not affect the taste eh!
When I print the recipe I get an option to convert the servings. The conversion doesn’t convert what is in the parentheses. Oops. I noticed the butter was off, but I added 250g of flour to my half recipe, but they’re still yummy, and I can’t wait to make ice cream sandwiches out of them!
I agree with Diana. They were raw after six minutes at 350° and no brown on top after eight minutes.
Everyone’s oven is different. I tested this recipe dozens of times and calculated it down to the minute. If you are noticing different results then a logical next step would be to simply adjust the times to fit YOUR circumstances. For you, it would need to bake longer. When you see the cookies start to brown and not appear wet in the center you can remove them OR you can bake them longer for a less chewy consistency.
Did not like these. Way too cakey in texture. Not much taste either. Freezing them so maybe I will like them better.
Thanks for your feedback G Skeele. The cakiness is heavily addressed in the post and I would recommend removing the cookies a bit earlier to avoid dryness.
I made this recipe as listed (with the addition of a little extra salt, which I add to most baked goods) and am enjoying the results. My oven did not brown the cookies on top very much, but they have excellent flavor and I like the texture. The cookies are a little cakey, and are tender with a defined “crumb.” They would be beautiful with the addition of orange zest or walnuts too.