These Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies are an ultra soft, thick, bakery style cookie that you are sure to love. They are the perfect recipe for sourdough bakers looking to make something sweet with their sourdough discard.
Chocolate chip cookies are probably my favorite food ever. If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, I’d probably pick chocolate chip cookies. These Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies are one of my favorite cookie recipes ever. They’re a must make recipe for sourdough bakers.
I can’t believe I’ve been baking sourdough for over 12 years now! I used to only bake bread when I first began my sourdough journey then I took a long break when my kids were little. In the past few years, I started making different things with my sourdough discard. I have tons of Sourdough and Sourdough Discard Recipes if you need fresh ideas. While these cookies are probably my number one favorite, this Sourdough Coffee Cake is a close second.
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🍪 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Great for discard: These chocolate chip cookies are a great way to use up some of your sourdough discard. The sourdough discard gives these cookies a little bit of a tangy flavor which sourdough bakers can appreciate.
- Easy: These cookies are fairly straightforward and use common pantry ingredients.
- Taste: These cookies are thick bakery style cookie with tons of buttery and sweet flavor.
- Go-to recipe: These are one of my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipes. I’ve made this recipe over 20 times (basically whenever I don’t feel like baking bread). I’m certain that you will love it too.
📋 Ingredients needed
The complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the printable recipe card further below in the post.
To make these cookies, you will need:
- All purpose flour: The base of the cookie dough.
- Sugar and brown sugar: To sweeten the cookies. You can use light or dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar has more molasses content and will give you a richer taste in your cookies.
- Salt: You’ll need just ½ of a teaspoon of salt.
- Corn starch
- Baking soda: To help the cookies rise.
- Sourdough starter: Use your unfed sourdough starter for these cookies. If you’d like to learn how to make your own sourdough starter, this post on how to make sourdough starter with blueberries is a great start.
- Egg: You’ll need one large egg for this recipe.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter when baking so that you can control the amount of salt going into the recipe. Salt content in salted butter varies brand by brand and can be inconsistent. Let your butter soften to room temperature.
- Chocolate chips: Use semi-sweet or milk chocolate, whichever you prefer. You could also use chocolate chunks or chop up a chocolate bar. I love the chocolate bars from Trader’s Joes for the latter.
🥣 How to make these cookies (step by step guide)
To make these cookies, begin by creaming together the sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and butter that has been softened to room temperature (image 1).
Add the remaining ingredients except for the chocolate chips and mix until everything is well combined (image 2). If dough appears a little crumbly, that is OK, it will come together in your hands as your form the dough balls.
Stir in the chocolate chips with a large spoon (image 3). Form the dough into balls. Chill the dough for at least one hour in your refrigerator.
I like to form all of my cookie dough then set it all on a cookie sheet to chill then separate it out onto a second sheet once it’s ready to bake. You can chill the dough using this method and then freeze a few cookies for later or chill all of the dough in the mixing bowl and then form the dough balls. Either way works.
Add six cookies per baking sheet with enough room to spread (image 4) and bake for 11 to 13 minutes at 350 degrees. You will know the cookies are done when the edges are golden brown. Let the cookies rest for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- Be sure to chill your dough. If you skip this step then the cookies can turn out flat.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet before transferring.
⭐ Variations
- You can add in chopped walnuts or pecans to these cookies. About ½ of a cup works great.
- If you want M&M cookies you can substitute M&Ms for the chocolate chips.
📋 Recipe FAQs
You can form dough balls and freeze leftover dough then bake directly from the freezer. Add 1-2 extra minutes to the bake time.
Sure you can add any where from ½ of a cup to 1 full cup of nuts. I like adding pecans or walnuts.
🍰 More great sourdough recipes:
- Sourdough Apple Bread
- Sourdough Monster Cookies
- Cinnamon Sourdough Muffins
- Sourdough Discard Oatmeal Cookies
- Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Muffins
- Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake
- Sourdough Cinnamon Cookies
- Sourdough Vanilla Wafers
If you tried these Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies or any other recipe on my site, please leave a ⭐ rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I would love to hear from you and I’m always happy to try to answer any questions you may have. Happy baking!
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Mixer
- Large mixing bowl
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper (optional, make sure you use parchment and NOT wax paper)
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened to room temperature (do not melt)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sourdough starter unfed
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- To make these cookies, begin by creaming together the sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and butter that has been softened to room temperature.½ cup sugar, ¾ cup brown sugar, 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the chocolate chips and mix until everything is well combined. If dough appears a little crumbly, that is OK, it will come together in your hands as your form the dough balls.2 ¼ cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon corn starch, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 large egg, ½ cup sourdough starter
- Stir in the chocolate chips with a large spoon. Form the dough into balls. Chill the dough for at least one hour in your refrigerator.2 cups chocolate chips
- I like to form all of my cookie dough then set it all on a cookie sheet to chill then separate it out onto a second sheet once it's ready to bake.
- Add six cookies per baking sheet with enough room to spread and bake for 11 to 13 minutes at 350 degrees. You will know the cookies are done when the edges are golden brown. Let the cookies rest for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Be sure to chill your dough. If you skip this step then the cookies can turn out flat.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet before transferring.
Meg says
They were so delicious and easy recipe to follow!
Adriana says
Such a genius use for discard! These came out thick, buttery, and perfectly soft every time.
Rani says
Sourdough chocolate chip cookies are delicious. I can make use of my sourdough discard.
Caleb says
These are tasty! I love the slight tang the sourdough gives them.
Lora says
What a great way to use up that sourdough starter. These cookies baked up so nicely! Baking another batch this weekend!
Virginia says
Have you attempted this with browning the butter first then letting it cool to room temp?
Audrey says
Hi Virginia, I haven’t tried them with browned butter but if you do try it this way please let me know how it turns out! I do love brown butter in cookies.
Raquel says
I’m not sure how to shape the dough into an oval. Any additional guidance you can offer on the individual shaping to get more of a bakery style cookie?
Audrey says
Instead of forming just a ball with the dough, shape it into an oval (like an egg). This way it will be thicker when it bakes. 🙂 Hope that helps.
Raquel says
Thank you.
Sharon says
Can I freeze this cookie dough?
Audrey says
Yes, you can. Roll it into balls then freeze between parchment paper. 🙂
Kristine says
So many compliments from this recipe! Delicious!
Kristina says
Delicious recipe 🙂
Lilly says
Soo delish!