Chocolate Chip Sourdough Discard Cookies

If you love a little sourdough tang combined with dark chocolate and maybe even a little flaky sea salt, then these Chocolate Chip Sourdough Discard Cookies are for you! This recipe makes a thinner cookie with more crunch and a wonderful flavor and texture.

Looking for other cookie recipes? Check out these Biscoff Butter Cookies, Chocolate Espresso Cookies, and Chocolate Covered OREOs.

And if you're looking for other sourdough recipes, try these Sourdough Discard Brownies, Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites, and Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls.

Ingredients

As long as you have sourdough discard, you're halfway there! You only need a few additional pantry staples to make these Chocolate Chip Sourdough Discard Cookies.

• All-purpose flour: This is the base of the cookie and helps give the cookie it's shape.
• Baking soda: Even though we're using sourdough discard, we need to use a little bit of baking soda to help the cookies rise appropriately and predictably.
• Unsalted butter: You'll want the butter to be softened at room temperature for this recipe.
• Brown sugar: The brown sugar gives the cookies a deep sweet flavor, but also helps them become golden brown after baking.
• Sourdough discard: This recipe is designed for a 1:1 sourdough discard (when you feed your starter, it's with 1 part starter, 1 part flour, 1 part water). If your starter uses a different ratio, you'll need to adjust some of the ingredients. Make sure the discard is unfed and at room temperature before you start baking.
• Dark chocolate: You can use dark chocolate chips, but I prefer using a chocolate bar coarsely chopped into chunks. This gives you a wonderful mix of large and small chocolate pieces that are all a bit irregular. My favorite to bake with is Lindt 70% cocoa chocolate bars.

See full recipe below for detailed directions.

Instructions

These cookies come together in a few easy steps and don't need any chilling time!

Whisk together flour, salt and baking soda together in a small bowl and set aside.

Mix the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until creamy. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add the egg, vanilla extract and sourdough discard and mix on low to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just incorporated.

Fold in the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.

Scoop the dough (roughly 1 Tablespoon of dough for each cookie) and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. I recommend 6-8 cookies to a half-sheet pan so they have room to expand.

Bake 12-14 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool fully.

Hint: I recommend using a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough. It ensures that all of your cookies are a uniform size, and it also helps make them more perfectly round.

What is sourdough discard?

Sourdough discard is what is left over after you feed your sourdough starter. This recipe is designed to be made with a sourdough discard that uses a 1:1 ratio (when you feed your sourdough starter, it's with 1 part starter, 1 part flour, 1 part water). If your soudough starter uses a different ratio, you will need to adjust some of the ingredients in this recipe. Make sure the sourdough discard is unfed and at room temperature before making this recipe.

Since it came from the active starter, sourdough discard does have some natural yeast to it. There is very little additional leavening agent (such as baking powder or baking soda) in this recipe.

If you are new to working with sourdough starter, check out these in-depth guides on how to feed sourdough starter and how to use sourdough discard.

Variations

There are a few easy variations you can make to this recipe, and below are some of my favorites:

• Change the chocolate - While I prefer dark chocolate, you might prefer milk chocolate! You can also use chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or coarsely chopped chocolate bars for this recipe.
• Add nuts - Reduce the chocolate chunks to 6 ounces, and add ¼ cup chopped pecans to the batter.
• Double Chocolate Chip Sourdough Discard Cookies - Craving a little more chocolate? Add ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder to make a chocolate dough (add this when you're whisking the flour and other dry ingredients together).
• Add sea salt - If you love a salty-sweet combination, sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on the dough before baking.

Equipment

I like to make the dough for these cookies in a 5-Quart KitchenAid Stand Mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, but that is optional. You can also make this in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer.

You'll also need a few baking sheets, parchment paper and a cooling rack. I also recommend using a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough (you can also do this with a 1 Tablespoon measuring spoon!).

Storage

Store these Chocolate Chip Sourdough Discard Cookies in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for up to two weeks. They will get a bit harder and more crisp as they sit, but they will still be delicious!

You can also freeze these cookies in an airtight bag or container for up to two months. Make sure the cookies are fully cooled before you package them for freezing.

Recipe FAQ