Amish Friendship Chocolate Chip Cookies (sourdough option included)
These Amish Friendship Chocolate Chip Cookies are irresistibly soft, chewy, and buttery—quite possibly the best ever—and the recipe includes a classic sourdough discard version too!
Servings: 16 cookies
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Food scale
- Large baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Portion scoop optional but handy
Ingredients
For the Amish friendship sourdough starter
- 15 grams sourdough starter fed within 48 hours
- 15 grams sugar
- 60 grams milk
- 60 grams all-purpose flour
For the chocolate chip cookies
- 120 grams (1/2 cup) Amish friendship sourdough starter from above
- 113 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter softened
- 135 grams (2/3rd cup) sugar
- 135 grams (2/3rd cup) brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 255 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 200 grams (1 cup) chocolate chips
Instructions
Make the Amish friendship starter:
- The evening before you make the cookies, mix the Amish starter ingredients (sourdough starter, milk, sugar, & flour) in a glass jar. Cover it loosely and allow it to rest overnight for 8-10 hours.
The following morning:
- **If using regular sourdough discard see notes below for adjustments on ingredients **
- In a large bowl cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the egg, vanilla extract, and Amish starter (or sourdough discard if using).
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the cookie dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours for even better flavor and texture.Why refrigerate the cookie dough? Refrigerating the dough helps the flavors develop, gives you thicker, chewier cookies that spread less, and makes the dough easier to work with.
Shape and bake the Amish friendship chocolate chip cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- I like to weigh each cookie to ensure they're exactly 60 grams, but you can also use a large cookie scoop—about 2 ounces—to portion them out evenly.Pro tip: Gently roll each dough portion by hand to create perfectly round cookies.
- Align about 6-8 cookies on your baking sheet (making sure they are spaced about 2 inches apart) and bake for 15 minutes. If making smaller cookies, they may only need 8-10 minutes of baking.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and firmly tap the tray on the counter to create those signature bakery-style cracks. This step is optional, but it adds a beautiful finish to the cookies.
- Place the cookie back in the oven for 3-5 more minutes to ensure they are done baking.
- Upon removing them from the oven let them rest on the pan for 5 minutes before placing on a cooling rack.
- For the ultimate finish, top with flaky sea salt for the perfect balance of sweet and salty.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Can I freeze Amish friendship chocolate chip cookie dough? Yes! You can freeze unbaked cookie dough balls for up to 3 months; bake straight from frozen, adding an extra minute or two to the bake time.
Notes
Baker’s schedule: Make the Amish friendship starter (milk starter) the evening before you make the muffins. If using discard this step can be skipped. Use a discard that is no more than a week old to avoid a sour taste in the muffins.
Using regular sourdough discard?
No problem! Keep the recipe the same, but adjust the sugars to 140 grams each of granulated and brown sugar, and increase the flour to 270 grams to balance the extra moisture.
No problem! Keep the recipe the same, but adjust the sugars to 140 grams each of granulated and brown sugar, and increase the flour to 270 grams to balance the extra moisture.
