Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies (no brown butter required)
These soft and chewy sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies have crisp edges, gooey centers, and no brown butter required. An easy, bakery-style cookie recipe with incredible flavor.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Food scale
- Large baking sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone mats
- Hand or stand mixer
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 113 grams unsalted butter (softened )
- 120 grams sugar
- 120 grams light brown sugar
- 2 large egg yolks (room temperature )
- 80 grams sourdough discard (room temp and no more than a week old)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 235 grams all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 grams (1 tablespoon) cornstarch
- a pinch of espresso powder (optional but enhances chocolate flavor)
- 200 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 180 grams semi sweet chocolate chunks)
Instructions
-
In a large mixing bowl cream together the softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy (2-3 minutes).
-
Next, beat in the egg yolks until smooth.
-
Lastly, add the sourdough discard and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
-
To a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, cornstarch, and espresso powder if using.
-
Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips or chunks.
-
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 sourdough chocolate chip cookies
-
Once the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
If the dough has been refrigerated for longer than 1 hour let it rest for 15-20 minutes to take the chill off.
-
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, adjust the time accordingly (they may only need 8-10 minutes).
-
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 cookies 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.
Notes
Can I long ferment the dough? Yes! After mixing, cover the dough tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to bake, let the dough sit at room temperature for about 10–15 minutes just until it’s scoopable, then portion and bake as directed.
Note: the amount of cookies may vary depending on the size you make them.
