These Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies are packed with sourdough tang, dark chocolate chips or chunks, and even a little flaky sea salt (for topping!). Full transparency: I am team "crunchy" when it comes to chocolate chip cookies! These are a thinner cookie with a nice crunch. If you're looking for a soft, chewy cookie, this might not be the one for you!
Looking for other cookie recipes? Check out these Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Blossoms and these Sourdough Discard Shortbread Cookies.
If you're looking for other sourdough discard recipes, try these Sourdough Discard Brownies, Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites, and Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls.
Jump to:
Why you'll love this recipe
- This easy recipe comes together with just 15 minutes of hands-on time and doesn't require any chilling!
- These Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies are perfectly crunchy and great to sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Cookies freeze well if you want to save some for later!
- This recipe is a great way to use up some of your sourdough discard, or you can make them with active sourdough starter as well.
Ingredients
As long as you have sourdough discard, you're halfway there! You only need a few additional pantry staples to make these Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Baking soda and baking powder: Even though we're using sourdough discard, we need to use a little bit of baking soda and baking powder to help the cookies rise appropriately and predictably.
- Unsalted butter: The butter should be softened at room temperature for this recipe to ensure your dough is the right consistency.
- 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 flour and 1 part water). If your starter uses a different ratio, you may need to adjust some of the ingredients in this recipe. 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.
Substitutions & Variations
This is a very adaptable recipe and below are a few easy substitutions and variations you can try.
- Change up 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 (or another nut such as almonds) to the cookie dough.
- Add sea salt - If you love a salty-sweet combination, sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on the dough before baking. I like to use Maldon Sea Salt for this purpose!
- Egg substitutes - If you're not baking with eggs, I recommend using a liquid egg substitute, such as Just Egg.
- Butter substitutes - If you're not baking with butter, I recommend using a non-dairy butter alternative such as Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or Miyoko's Vegan Butter.
- Use active sourdough starter - If you'd like to use active starter instead of discard, you can! Replace the discard with active starter in a 1:1 substitute.
I have not tested this recipe with other variations, but if you do, let us know how it turns out in the comments! I always love to hear how you're adapting these recipes and use those as ideas for future recipes as well!
How to make Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies come together in a few easy steps and don't need any chilling time!
Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside.
Cream 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 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 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.
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.
Expert Baking Tips
- Use chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or whatever you prefer! I like to coarsely chop a chocolate bar, so there is some variety in the sizes of chocolate chunks.
- This recipe uses dark chocolate, but you can also make these cookies with milk chocolate or even white chocolate.
- Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature. This is important for getting the right consistency in the cookie dough.
- Use 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.
- Let the baking pans cool in between batches. If you place the cookie dough on an already warm baking sheet, it will start melting right away and will affect the final shape of your cookies.
- If you want perfectly round cookies, swirl the cookies with a glass when they come out of the oven. While the cookies are warm, place the mouth of a sturdy glass over the cookies, and softly swirl them to make the edges perfectly round and uniform.
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 hand-held mixer. I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the sourdough discard (at least).
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
Room Temperature Storage: Store these Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip 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!
Freezer Storage: 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
Sourdough discard is what is left over after you feed your sourdough starter. Sourdough discard can be literally discarded (thrown away or composted), or you can use it in sourdough discard recipes like this one!
If you are new to working with sourdough starter, check out these in-depth guides on how to feed sourdough starter, how to use sourdough discard, and tips for struggling sourdough starter.
Yes, you can! To do so, replace the sourdough discard with active starter (1:1 substitute).
This recipe uses dark chocolate, but you can also make it with milk chocolate or white chocolate. You can use chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate chunks for this recipe - whatever is easier for you!
If you let sourdough discard sit in the fridge for a longer time before baking, it will develop a stronger, more "sour" flavor.
Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature
- 7 ounces dark chocolate chips or chunks
- Flaky sea salt, for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉ and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with a hand-held mixer), whip the butter on medium speed until creamy, 2-3 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and sourdough discard and mix on low until smooth and combined.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
- Using a cookie scoop or a small spoon, scoop cookie dough (about 1 Tablespoon per cookie) onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving room for the cookies to spread. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly golden.
- While the cookies are warm, sprinkle with flaky sea salt (optional). Let the cookies cool for 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool fully.
MCKINSEY MCMASTER says
Can you store the cookie dough in the freezer for a while before baking?
Jessica Vogl says
This should work! You can let the dough come to room temperature before baking, when you're ready. You could also bake it straight from the freezer, but the cookies will have a different final shape (less spreading).
Amy says
Jess, I’ve been making chocolate chip cookies for over 30 years, these have not only turned out the best, but my self-proclaimed cookie snob, husband says these are the best cookies ever! Even better than his Grandma used to make! So yummy!!
Jessica Vogl says
I love to hear that! Thank you!!
Kat says
This is one of the only cookies we make now! I save all my discard to make huge bulk batches for family and friends because they are that good. Thank you!
Annette says
I just refrigerated the cookie dough for about 8 to 9 hrs, just like Juliette from the first comment, and they turned out just great. They were cake like in the center and had a nice shape, they weren't flat at all. I had a heaping tablespoon of dough and baked the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes. My family loves them too!
Juliette says
Great recipe w a few modifications. The first time I made these cookies they baked v flat. Tasted good tho. So instead of baking the entire batch I put the rest of the dough in the fridge. After 24 hours plus baked the chilled cookie dough (tall heaping 2 TBL) at 350 for about 15 minutes- they r perfect! Edges golden brown w slight crunch and the middle pillowy. Added semi sweet, salted caramel and walnuts. So good my son thought they were store bought.
Heidi says
My cookies spread a lot. I even tried to cool the dough in the fridge. They taste great though. Could this be due to the baking soda instead of how most cookies call for baking powder?
Jessica Vogl says
Hmm it shouldn't be the baking soda. This one might need to go back into testing - I appreciate you flagging!
Destiney Hefner says
The cookies tasted really good, the only issue I had was they were very very flat. I refrigerated the other half for 24-48 hours to see if that would help but nope, still flat. I wonder what changes can be made?
I see some people are struggling with the same issue.