These brown butter sourdough chocolate chip cookies are what happens when you get a little obsessive about getting cookie texture right. Crisp, golden edges. A chewy middle that is not cakey. Pools of dark chocolate all the way through, wrapped up in that deep, nutty flavor that only browned butter can give you. I’ve made a lot of batches of sourdough chocolate chip cookies over the years while I was figuring this recipe out.
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Chip Sourdough Cookies
- Ingredients for Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Substitutions & Variations
- How To Make Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Expert Tips
- How to Store Sourdough Discard Cookies
- Related Recipes
- FAQ
- Did you make this recipe?
- Other Sourdough Recipes
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Chip Sourdough Cookies
- The texture is exactly right: Crisp edges, soft and chewy centers, no cakey texture in sight. That comes down to using less sourdough starter than most recipes call for, more on that below.
- Deep, nutty flavor: Browned butter and dark chocolate chunks give these a flavor that’s a step above your average chocolate chip cookie.
- A great way to use up discard: Whether you’ve got a jar of sourdough discard sitting in the fridge or active starter you want to use, this recipe works with either.
- Freezer friendly: Make one big batch of dough, then bake just a few cookies at a time whenever the craving hits. This is honestly my favorite thing about this recipe.
Ingredients for Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
I built this recipe around getting the texture right, since that’s the part a lot of sourdough chocolate chip cookies get wrong. Here’s what goes into it and why.
- Butter: browned until golden, it gives the cookies a deep, caramel like flavor and cooks off some of the extra moisture that sourdough starter brings to the dough
- Sugar: For these sourdough chocolate chip cookies, you’ll need a mixture of white and brown sugar.
- Egg and egg yolk: the extra yolk adds richness and helps keep the centers chewy instead of dry
- Sourdough discard: adds flavor and a little tenderness, without making the dough too wet (we use less than a lot of recipes call for and it makes a real difference)
- Vanilla extract: rounds out the flavor
- All purpose flour: gives the dough structure
- Baking powder and baking soda: for lift and the right amount of spread
- Salt: balances the sweetness
- Dark chocolate: I like 80% dark chocolate, chopped into chunks, for a deep, slightly bitter contrast against the sweet dough
- Flaky sea salt: for sprinkling on top once they’re out of the oven
See the recipe card below for exact quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Chocolate: swap the dark chocolate chunks for chocolate chips, or use semi-sweet or milk chocolate if you want something sweeter
- Sugar: raw cane sugar works fine in place of granulated sugar
- Starter: active sourdough starter works just as well as discard here
- Mix-ins: try adding chopped walnuts or pecans along with the chocolate
This recipe has not been tested with all substitutions.
How To Make Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Step 1: Brown the butter. Melt it in a saucepan over medium heat and keep stirring until it turns golden and smells nutty, then let it cool.
- Step 2: Whisk the sugars into the cooled brown butter, then whisk in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, salt and sourdough discard.
- Step 3: Fold in the flour, baking powder and baking soda, just until no dry streaks remain.
- Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chunks, then shape the dough into balls.
- Step 5: Chill the dough, ideally overnight, then bake straight from the fridge.
- Step 6: Bake until the edges are set and the centers still look a little soft, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Chilling overnight makes the biggest difference in flavor, though 2 hours will work if you’re short on time. Just don’t skip it entirely, or the cookies will spread too much in the oven.
Expert Tips
- Watch the butter closely. It can go from perfectly browned to burnt in under a minute once it starts smelling nutty.
- Use less starter than you’d expect. A lot of sourdough brown butter cookies call for close to double the discard used here. I’ve found that using less is exactly what keeps these chewy instead of cakey.
- Don’t skip the chill. It firms up the butter, lets the flour hydrate, and gives the dough time to develop flavor. Overnight is ideal, though the dough holds well in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
- Bake straight from cold. Go directly from the fridge or freezer into the oven. If the dough sits out and comes to room temperature first, the cookies will spread too thin.
- Underbake slightly. Pull the cookies when the centers still look pale and a little soft. They firm up as they cool on the pan.
How to Store Sourdough Discard Cookies
- Room Temperature: Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezing Instructions: To freeze the dough, shape it into balls, freeze them on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding about 1 minute to the bake time.
Related Recipes
Vanilla Custard Ice Cream – These are amazing served warm with a scoop of vanilla custard ice cream on the side.
FAQ
Yes. Active starter works just as well as discard in this recipe.
Yes, and it’s honestly my favorite part of this recipe. I always make the full batch of dough, then freeze most of the shaped balls and bake just a few at a time whenever I want fresh cookies.
Up to 48 hours. If anything, the flavor gets better the longer it sits.g.
Yes, though chopped chocolate melts into those gooey pools that chips don’t quite give you.
No. The discard adds flavor and a little tenderness, not tang. You won’t taste any sourness in the finished cookies.
Did you make this recipe?
If you make these brown butter sourdough chocolate chip cookies, leave a star rating and let me know how it turned out in the comments. And if you share it on Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @your_kitchen_lab so I can see your creations.
Other Sourdough Recipes
You might also like:
Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep stirring as it foams and turns golden brown, watching it closely so it doesn't burn. Once it smells nutty and you see browned bits at the bottom of the pan, take it off the heat and pour it into a mixing bowl to cool.
- Whisk the brown sugar and granulated sugar into the cooled brown butter until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, salt and sourdough discard, then whisk again until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Fold everything together with a spatula just until no dry flour remains. Avoid overmixing, or the cookies will bake up cakey instead of chewy.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks.
- Divide the dough into 15 portions, about 70 to 75 grams each, and roll into balls. Place them on a tray, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight or up to 48 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the chilled dough balls on the baking sheet, spacing them a couple of inches apart. Bake straight from the fridge, without pressing them down first.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are set and golden but the centers still look soft and slightly underbaked. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt right out of the oven, then let the cookies rest on the pan for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- If baking from frozen, add about 1 minute to the bake time.
- If you make smaller cookies, start checking them at 11 minutes.
- Dough keeps in the fridge for up to 48 hours before baking.
- Nutrition is estimated and will vary depending on the exact chocolate and butter used.
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