Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
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The best sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies are soft, buttery, and tangy, bursting with chocolate chips and a chewy texture. These delightful cookies can be made quickly or long-fermented for better digestibility.
If you’re a fan of chocolate chip cookies and sourdough, you’re in for a treat! This chewy sourdough chocolate chip cookie recipe brings together the best of both worlds, using sourdough discard to elevate the flavor and texture. You should also try these sourdough breakfast cookies.
The natural tang from the sourdough discard adds an extra depth of flavor to the cookies, making them even more irresistible. It is really hard to just eat one…
With crispy edges, a soft and chewy center, and gooey chocolate chips, these cookies will surely become a your family’s new favorite treat. And for more gooey sourdough deliciousness, you should also try these sourdough cinnamon rolls.
These cookies are easy to make, the dough can be made days in advance (bonus: prepping ahead of time will help with digestibility), and they are just so darn yummy.
Whether you enjoy them fresh out of the oven or let them cool to room temperature, these sourdough chocolate chip cookies are bound to be a crowd-pleaser!
This post has been updated with a new and improved recipe.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Delicious: Perfectly sweet and chewy, these chocolate chip cookies with sourdough starter are addicting.
Easier to digest: Long ferment these cookies for easier digestion and more bioavailable nutrients.
Make ahead: Have a party or special occasion (or not) coming up? Make this cookie dough days in advance and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to bake. Or make dough balls, place them on parchment paper, and freeze. Transfer into a freezer-safe container to make cookies on demand.
Great way to use excess sourdough starter discard: Have a lot of starter on your hands? This is the perfect recipe for it (same with this sourdough banana bread)! You’ll never throw away sourdough discard again with the right recipes in your pocket!
Why Sourdough?
There is a sourdough revolution among us, and I love it.
Wheat can be difficult to digest for many people. When you make sourdough products, the fermentation breaks down the amount of gluten present (2) and contains pre-biotics and probiotics.
Both of these things can help make digesting wheat easier and more tolerable for many (3).
Also, wheat naturally contains phytic acid, an anti-nutrient that decreases the body’s ability to absorb some of the nutrients, like folate, naturally present in wheat.
The fermentation process helps break down this phytic acid, increasing the nutrient profile.
Those who are sensitive to gluten may be able to tolerate long-fermented sourdough products. My daughter is one of those people.
If you find that you’re sensitive to gluten, you might be able to eat long-fermented sourdough without the bellyache that normally comes with eating gluten.
Since this recipe contains eggs and cannot sit out unrefrigerated, the fermentation process takes place in the refrigerator for a longer amount of time, since refrigeration slows the process.
Note on Long Fermentation
My husband is very sensitive to gluten (he isn’t celiac, though), but he can tolerate long-fermented sourdough products, like these sourdough apple muffins or sourdough scones.
So I thought to myself, “…I wonder if I can long-ferment sourdough cookies to make them more digestible?”
That answer is yes! And they are delicious.
But to get the yummy sweetness and the perfect amount of sourness in these cookies, they need to ferment for 72 hours in the fridge. Yes. Seventy-two hours.
I tested these cookies at 24, 48, and 72 hours. They truly developed the best sour taste at the 72-hour mark, which also makes them the most digestible.
Unfortunately, we found out how digestible they were the hard way.
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We tried them at 48 hours, and there may have been a bellyache, but after fermenting for 72 hours, my husband was perfectly fine. Odd, right?
So I recommend long fermentation for those who have some gluten digestion issues.
Ingredients
Brown sugar and cane sugar: Using these two types of sugar creates a chewy and yummy cookie.
Unsalted butter: The butter should be at room temperature. To soften butter quickly, pour hot water into a medium-sized glass or ceramic cup or bowl (large enough to cover the stick of butter). Allow the hot water to heat the glass for a few minutes, then pour out the water and cover the butter with the bowl. Wait a few minutes and the butter should be softened.
Vanilla extract: Homemade vanilla extract or store-bought.
Sourdough starter: Active or discard will work, though I prefer using discard.
Salt: Salt brings out all the flavors and makes the cookies sweeter.
Leaveners: Baking powder and baking soda give these cookies rise.
Chocolate chips: I love using mini chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
A list of the remaining ingredients can be found in the recipe card.
Tools You May Need
Cookie scoop
Cookie sheet
How to Make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375. In a stand mixer bowl with paddle attachment, add brown sugar, sugar, and butter and beat on medium speed until pale in color.
Step 2: Add in egg, vanilla, and sourdough starter. Mix until combined, scraping the sides occasionally.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. While the mixer is on low speed, add dry ingredients about 1/3 at a time until the dough forms. Don’t over-mix, or the cookies will not be tender.
Step 4: Mix in chocolate chips.
Step 6: Spoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. I like to use a scoop to make cookie dough balls.
Step 7: Bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown around the edges. Once done, I like to take them out and tap them onto the stove or counter to make them go flat. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Long-Fermented Chewy Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Create dough per the directions above. With the dough in a large bowl with a lid, place in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours. It can be as short as you like, but I found that 72 hours gave it the perfect amount of tanginess and the best digestibility.
Preheat oven to 375.
Spoon your fermented dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. They will start to turn golden brown around the edges.
Tap the cookies on the counter to flatten them a bit. Move to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy.
How to Store
To store baked sourdough cookies, simply place them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
For longer freshness, you can freeze them—just wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag or freeze them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and transfer to a bag. To enjoy later, let them thaw at room temperature for a few hours, or warm them up in the oven for a few minutes.
As for sourdough cookie dough, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you’d like to keep it longer, freeze the dough in a freezer-safe container or as cookie dough balls, which allows for easy baking whenever you crave fresh cookies.
Just thaw the dough in the fridge overnight or bake frozen dough balls right from the freezer. They may take a little longer to bake from frozen.
Tips for Making this Recipe
- You can bake these right away, or place them in a covered bowl and ferment in the refrigerator for 72 hours for the best flavor and digestibility.
- I really like using mini chocolate chips because more chocolate is evenly distributed.
- Cover pans with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- New to sourdough? You can find my quick and dirty way to make a sourdough starter in 2 days, or you can find the traditional way over at my friend Lisa’s blog.
- Active sourdough starter can be used, or turn these into sourdough discard cookies by using extra sourdough discard.
FAQ
Most likely, the leaveners are old and not very active or the oven is too hot.
If the sourdough cookies are long-fermented then they will be easier to digest, they will have a lower gluten content, and the nutrients in the flour will be more easily absorbed by the body.
If you are just starting your sourdough journey, you can easily start baking with the discard right away. It will not be able to rise bread, but rather than tossing out the discard, use it in recipes that also use a leavening agent (baking soda and baking powder), like cookies, cakes, scones, muffins, etc.
Find More Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Easy Sourdough Bread For Beginners
- Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
- The Easiest Sourdough Crackers
- Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sourdough starter discard or active will work
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips. 12 oz bag
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. In a stand mixer bowl with paddle attachment, add brown sugar, sugar, and butter and beat on medium speed until pale in color.
- Add in egg, vanilla, and sourdough starter. Mix until combined, scraping the sides occasionally.
- In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.
- While the mixer is on low speed, add dry ingredients about 1/3 at a time until the dough forms. Don’t over-mix, or the cookies will not be tender.
- Mix in chocolate chips.
- Spoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. I like to use a scoop to make cookie dough balls.
- Bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown around the edges. Once done, I like to take them out and tap them onto the stove to make them go flat. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
To Long Ferment:
- Create dough per the directions above. Add the dough to a large bowl with a lid, place in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours. It can be as short as you like, but I found that 72 hours gave it the perfect amount of tanginess and the best digestibility.
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Spoon your fermented dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. They will start to turn golden brown around the edges.
- Move to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy.
Notes
- You can bake these right away, or place them in a covered bowl and ferment in the refrigerator for 72 hours for the best flavor and digestibility.
- I really like using mini chocolate chips because more chocolate is evenly distributed.
- Cover pans with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Active sourdough starter can be used, or turn these into sourdough discard cookies by using extra sourdough discard.
Will this recipe work if I use the discard from my fridge rather than the active starter in my counter?
Yes for sure!
Can I use flax egg & let the fermentation happen on the counter top.
Possibly! I have never tried that. You will have to let me know how it works!
Thank you for the recipe. Can I mix the ingredients and let the dough sit overnight outside the fridge and bake it in the morning?
I wouldn’t recommend it because of the egg. You can let it sit in the fridge for just 24 hours. Or possibly (aka haven’t tried it), leave out the eggs and let it ferment over night, add eggs in the morning. The dough may be too stiff for that though.
So if you’re using gluten free flour and gf sourdough, do you have to wait the 72 hours?
No you don’t, but it is still beneficial to ferment even gluten free grains to help break down the phytic acid. Technically, you don’t have to long ferment this recipe it works either way. I’m not positive this recipe it will work with gluten free flour thought. I haven’t tested it.
I like to freeze cookie dough so I can bake off a few cookies in the mornings for lunch boxes. Do you think this recipe would freeze well? It would be such a great way to use up some sourdough starter at the same time!
That is such a good idea! Yes, I think it would freeze well. You could probably freeze it after fermentation if you are wanting the benefits of fermented grains. Or just freeze it as soon as you make it, that should work too.