Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
Put sourdough discard to good use in brown-butter chocolate chip cookies with semisweet chocolate and a simple chill-before-baking method.
If you keep a sourdough starter, it does not take long to end up with a regular supply of discard. I like the idea of having a few simple ways to use it so keeping a starter feels practical rather than wasteful.
These cookies pair sourdough discard with brown butter, brown and granulated sugars, semisweet chocolate, one whole egg, and an extra yolk. The dough also gets a good rest in the refrigerator before baking.
That chill time gives the flour a chance to absorb the moisture in the dough while the browned butter firms back up. It also makes this an easy recipe to mix ahead and bake later in the day—or the next day.
Good to know: This recipe is written for sourdough discard at 100% hydration, which simply means the starter is maintained with equal weights of flour and water.
Why You’ll Love Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
- They use 100 grams of discard. It is enough to put some of your discard to good use without making the cookies feel like a completely different dessert.
- Brown butter adds another layer of flavor. Browning the butter gives it toasted, nutty notes that pair naturally with brown sugar, vanilla, and semisweet chocolate.
- The dough can work around your schedule. Chill it for two hours when you want cookies the same day, or leave it in the refrigerator overnight and bake the next day.
- You do not need active starter. This recipe uses baking soda and baking powder for its main lift, so the discard does not need to be bubbly or at its peak.
That is one of the things I like about finding practical uses for sourdough discard. Keeping a starter does not mean every baking project has to turn into a complicated bread day. Sometimes it can simply become a batch of cookies.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Cookies
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 100 grams sourdough discard at 100% hydration, about 1/2 cup
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate
- Flaky sea salt for finishing, optional
Do not taste raw cookie dough: Untreated flour and raw eggs can contain harmful germs. Wait until the cookies are fully baked, and wash your hands, bowls, utensils, and work surfaces after handling raw dough.
Helpful Equipment
- A small light-colored saucepan or skillet makes it easier to see when the butter has browned.
- A large mixing bowl and whisk for the wet ingredients.
- A medium mixing bowl for the flour and leaveners.
- A flexible spatula for bringing the dough together.
- A kitchen scale is especially helpful for measuring the discard and dividing the dough evenly.
- Parchment-lined baking sheets help with cleanup and consistent baking.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
1. Brown the butter.
Place the butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Let it melt, then keep cooking as it foams. Stir or whisk frequently and watch the milk solids on the bottom of the pan.
Once those bits turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty, take the pan off the heat right away. Pour the butter—and all of those browned bits—into a large heat-safe mixing bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
2. Mix the dry ingredients.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt.
3. Mix the sugars and brown butter.
Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the slightly cooled brown butter and whisk until the butter is evenly worked through the sugars.
4. Add the egg, yolk, vanilla, and discard.
Whisk in the whole egg and egg yolk, then add the vanilla. Add the sourdough discard and whisk until the mixture looks smooth and you no longer see obvious streaks of starter.
5. Finish the dough.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Fold with a spatula just until most of the flour has disappeared, then add the chocolate.
Keep folding only until the chocolate is evenly distributed and there are no dry pockets of flour left.
Do not overmix: Once the flour goes into the bowl, switch to a spatula and stop as soon as everything comes together.
6. Chill the cookie dough.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours. If you want to make the dough ahead, it can stay refrigerated for up to 24 hours before you portion and bake it.
7. Portion the cookies.
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
Divide the chilled dough into 20 equal portions. Gently roll each portion into a ball and leave several inches between the cookies on the baking sheets.
8. Bake.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Instead of waiting for the whole cookie to look firm, watch the edges. They should look set and lightly golden while the centers still look a little soft.
If you are baking two sheets at once, rotate them between the upper and lower racks halfway through so they brown more evenly.
If you are using flaky sea salt, sprinkle a small amount over the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven.
9. Let the cookies cool.
Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. That gives the soft centers time to finish setting before you move them.
After that, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
What Kind of Sourdough Discard Should You Use?
This recipe is written for sourdough discard at 100% hydration. That simply means the starter is maintained with equal weights of flour and water.
The discard does not need to be bubbly or at peak activity. These cookies use baking soda and baking powder for their primary lift rather than depending on the starter to raise the dough.
Use discard from a healthy sourdough starter and measure it by weight when you can. That gives you the most consistent flour-to-water balance from one batch to another.
If your starter is maintained at a substantially different hydration, it brings a different amount of flour and water into the dough. That can change how the dough feels and how much the cookies spread.
Tips for Better Sourdough Discard Cookies
Let the brown butter cool a little
It can still be warm when you mix the dough, but it should not be piping hot when the egg goes in. About 10 minutes of cooling also keeps the dough from becoming unnecessarily warm before its refrigerator rest.
Watch the cookies, not only the timer
Ovens vary. Look for set, lightly golden edges and centers that still look slightly soft rather than waiting for the entire cookie to look firm inside the oven.
Storage and Make-Ahead
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
The mixed dough can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking.
For longer storage, completely cooled baked cookies can be frozen in an airtight freezer-safe container. Let them thaw at room temperature before serving.
Keep Going With a Bit More Homemade
If sourdough has you making a little more from scratch, these are natural places to go next.
Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown-butter chocolate chip cookies made with 100% hydration sourdough discard, semisweet chocolate, and a simple refrigerator rest before baking.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 100 grams sourdough discard at 100% hydration, about 1/2 cup
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate
- Flaky sea salt for finishing, optional
Instructions
- Brown the butter. Cook the butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat until the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty. Immediately pour the butter and browned bits into a heat-safe mixing bowl and cool for about 10 minutes.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt.
- Add the sugars. Whisk the brown sugar and granulated sugar into the slightly cooled brown butter.
- Add the wet ingredients. Whisk in the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Add the sourdough discard and whisk until smooth.
- Finish the dough. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until almost combined. Add the chocolate and continue folding just until no dry flour remains.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Portion. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment. Divide the dough into 20 equal portions, roughly 50 grams each, and arrange several inches apart.
- Bake. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden while the centers remain slightly soft. Rotate two baking sheets between racks halfway through baking if needed. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using.
- Cool. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
A Bit More Homemade
Once you keep a sourdough starter, having a few useful discard recipes makes the whole routine easier to fit into everyday life. One jar of starter can become bread one day and chocolate chip cookies another.
Simple Ingredients. Wholesome Living.
You don’t have to do everything. Just start with something—and make your home a bit more homemade one change at a time.
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