The evening before you make the cookies, mix the Amish starter ingredients (sourdough starter, milk, sugar, & flour) in a glass jar. It will be thicker in texture. Cover it loosely and allow it to rest overnight for 8-10 hours. It will double in size by the morning and be light and fluffy in texture.

**If using regular sourdough discard see notes below for adjustments on ingredients **

Tip for a less sweet cookie: Reduce both sugars to 100 g each. This works especially well if using sweet chocolate chunks or if you're sensitive to sugar.

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.

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. Every oven is different, so yours might only need the initial 15 minutes.

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.