Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

These sourdough chocolate chip cookies are light, fluffy, and so gratifying. The sourdough starter mixed with the sweetness of the sugar makes this cookie uniquely delectable. The texture is incredible with the inside being soft and the outside having an ever-so-slight crisp. It truly sets itself apart from a regular cookie and the sourdough starter is responsible for that magic!

What makes a sourdough chocolate chip cookie different?

Why use sourdough in a cookie? Well for one, it is a great way to use your sourdough discard. But the starter itself is a natural leavening agent for the cookie, meaning you don’t really need to use baking powder or soda or you can just lessen the amount.

And because the starter is a natural yeast and slowly fermented, it can make the cookie easier to digest and may even provide some additional nutrients.

The texture of the cookies is also quite unique as the sourdough makes them fluffy yet dense, with a golden crisp on the edges making the experience of eating one extra enjoyable.

Let’s talk sugar

My recipe is not super sweet. I do bake with organic cane sugar in moderation, but this recipe also calls for coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. I cook with coconut sugar because it is lower on the glycemic index. This means it will not spike blood sugars when consumed. It also has nutrients like zinc, iron, and calcium making it more beneficial to our health.

You can replace the cane sugar with coconut sugar if desired or use another natural sweetener. Feel free to lessen or increase the amount of sugar to your liking! My personal preference is less sweet. I also use dark chocolate chips that are naturally sweetened, but you can use any kind of chocolate chip you prefer.

How to make sourdough chocolate chip cookies

Something to keep in mind, if you use a starter that has just been recently fed and is active you will notice a plumper cookie. But using unfed sourdough discard is completely fine as well! However, I do recommend bringing your starter to room temperature.

Ingredients & Equipment

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter fed or unfed & brought to room temperature
• 1 egg
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar (if using brown sugar reduce to 1/2 cup)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1.5 cups chocolate chips

You will need:

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Electric mixer
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper

Mix your dry ingredients

• In a medium mixing bowl whisk together your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Mix your wet ingredients

• In a separate medium mixing bowl add your sourdough starter, egg, vanilla extract, butter, sugar, and coconut sugar. Using an electric mixer, mix until combined.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients

• Slowly add in your dry ingredients to the wet mixture until everything is combined (using your electric mixer).

• Then, add your chocolate chips and fold those in using a silicone spatula.

• Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to sit in your refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 24 hours.

Why does the dough have to rest? This dough tends to be a bit wetter so allowing everything to solidify in the refrigerator will help the cookie keep its shape. It also allows the flavors in the dough to develop and meld together, resulting in a more complex, tasty cookie!

Time to bake

• When ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Using a cookie scooper or spoon, scoop about 1-2 tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheet. Make sure the cookies are about 1-2 inches apart from each other. Depending on the size of your cookies this recipe will yield approximately 15-18 cookies.

• Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookie start to brown.

• Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

• Once completely cooled, you can store these cookies in an airtight container for up to a week on your counter. You can freeze unbaked sourdough cookie dough for up to 3 months!

Other sourdough dessert recipes:

• Sourdough Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
• Sourdough Pumpkin Cake (with cream cheese frosting!)
• Sourdough Maple Sugar Cookies
• Sourdough Raspberry Scones (& a lemon glaze!)