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.
Fantastic cookies. Kids enjoyed the cakey center (10mins) with just a hint of tang. Warning! other snacks becomes tasteless.
I forgot to add that I replaced the egg with Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer. My daughter is allergic to eggs.
I like cookies that are a bit puffy / cake-like so to me these cookies are heavenly! I reduced the sugar to 75g each and I reduced the chocolate in half and for my palate they are brilliant! I highly recommend them (although they are slightly dangerous if on a diet!)
Thank-you for the great recipe!
PS if you cook by weight – the butter worked perfectly at 200g. If you don’t cook by weight – try it. I was doubtful but now that I have given it a shot I really like it. For example 14 tbps of butter vs just weighing… ya soooo much easier!
These aren’t bad, but not great either. Just a way to use sourdough discard I guess. I agree with another commenter, mine had a bit of a chewy scone consistency. I’m a very experienced baker (I have a small baking business), and I don’t live in a high altitude zone that would ruin the baking. They just ended up less sweet and a bit bread like despite me only baking them til they are gooey. They didn’t spread well on the pan either, so I just pushed them down flat halfway through baking. Also other commenters are correct on needing longer baking time. Mine were raw balls of dough still after 8 mins, they ended up needing about 15 mins and they were still gooey.
I’m wondering if it’s due to the lower than usual amount of sugar, which I appreciate but also can change the texture. Perhaps another 1/2 cup of sugar would make these more cookie-like.
If you’re kids aren’t too picky, this may still be a good way to sneak in soured grains into their diet though when they want a dessert.
These are my new favorite cookies and the favorite cookies of everyone I bake them for! I’ve taken up baking during quarantine and found this recipe when I was trying to find use for my starter discard. Trying to keep all my waste to a minimum right now.
What works when I make them is I keep the dough in the fridge until the very last minute and put back in the fridge in between batches. I bake them for 16 minutes at 350 and they are perfect and cakey and melt in your mouth, but just hold their shape a little better than if the center was a little more underdone.
Has anyone tried freezing the dough? Would love to prepare dough and then give to someone to make homemade cookies.
Made these this morning with the kiddo. Delicious! Thanks for another great recipe. Happy to find another yummy use for my discard.
I am wondering if part of the timing issue is whether people let the dough come to room temp like the recipe states. I didn’t (just because I wanted to start baking) and they cooked much closer to the description once they reached room temperature by the last batch. The first batch (straight from fridge) took 15 minutes to reach chewy status, the last batch (room temp) was cake-like in only 9 minutes. All are wonderful and will be gobbled up.
Not an experienced baker, I made these two times with several personal variations (nuts, cacao, coconut, coffee) and absolutely loved the way the sourdough balanced the sweet. (I don’t like things super sweet.) On the second batch I accidentally made double so the cookies spread out and ended up a little burnt. Pay attention to that two minutes … I live at 7,500 feet. Freeze well, easy to share! 🐸
My family loooove these cookies! I make a lot of sourdough, & they don’t actually like the loaves, so finding useful, tasty & popular recipes is great! I do have to leave them in the oven a bit longer, but I could be making them bigger than you do…several times I had no vanilla essence but made these anyway, & they were still very well received. Now my daughter has come home asking for the recipe for her friend!
I never did get these to brown. They aren’t as flavorful as my regular chocolate chip cookies and they crumbled when stacked.
A lack of browning would indicate that they were not baked long enough. They are not a “regular” chocolate chip cookie and shouldn’t taste the same as a full-fat chocolate chip cookie. Not sure when you mean about the crumbling and why that would be considered a negative. Is it possible your starter was not well hydrated?
These are delicious little cake/cookie hybrids! I LOVE them and baked them almost every week for a month!
I saw a couple folks ask about freezing the dough, and I was curious too, so I tried it! At this point, my pre-portioned (I use a 2tbs cookie scoop) dough has been frozen about a week. I pulled it out and plopped the cookies on a tray while the over pre-heated and popped them in the oven still pretty much frozen. They only required an extra minute of baking time (by my oven, everyone’s is different) and came out great! Happy to report a success!