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?
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Wow needed something to use my sourdough discard for and these are awesome!What a good soft cookie! Added a half cup of chopped pecans to half of batch and they are delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Question: does your starter need to be room temperature or is straight out of the fridge okay? Thanks so much!
Really enjoyed this recipe! Very easy. Subbed coconut sugar for brown sugar and they turned out great.
These cookies are delicious, I think even better the second day! Do you recommend storing these in the refrigerator? I noticed a slight discoloration in the (chewy) cookies that I baked to the shorter time. The batch I left in a bit longer (cake-like) did not have the same discoloration. I’m new to baking with discard so can’t help but think that is part of it. I had left them out on the counter and by the third day the discoloration started, they darkened, which seems to be what the discard itself does, maybe to a grayish tint? no pink or orange.
These are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had! They almost taste like ice cream and they stay soft!
I’m using a standard ice cream scoop, (not sure the size) and I’m using a silpat mat. They don’t cook in 8 minutes, but just cook them longer if they’re still raw, no big deal. They look like completely raw dough after 8 minutes, so I cooked them for 20 mins and they were perfect. Enjoy!
These cookies are 🔥. Light and fluffy, but still soft and gooey. I’m constantly in search of the perfect cookie and this is pretty close. I will definitely make again!! No change to the ingredients, but I tweaked the directions a bit…I used a semi fed starter (not at peak, but not unfed). Instead of chilling in the fridge, I scooped the dough and then put in the freezer for ~30 min before cooking. Took them out when I was preheating the oven so they started to come back to room temp. They did not cook in 8-10mins, Instead it took about 14mins, but they came out perfectly! I actually froze half of the uncooked dough to use later – hope they turn out just as delicious!
The best cookie ever! Family LOVEd them. Thick and chewy! First batch I made were gone in a day. Making them again tonight.
These are so good! I used recently fed sourdough starter and they came up puffy and perfectly cooked. Thank you!
This is by far the best choc chip cookie I’ve ever made. Recipe will be printed and added to my collection of must makes and go to recipes.
I added a cup of chopped pecans as well. What is a chocolate chip cookie without pecans?! What a wonderful cookie. I only bake what we will eat in a day as I love a freshly baked cookie. Delicious! Thanks for sharing