Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Prep Time:

20 mins

Cook Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 45 mins

Servings:

20

Yield:

20 cookies

Martha's sourdough chocolate chip cookies are tender, decadent, and deliciously tangy. They're made with sourdough starter, Her recipe calls for three-quarters of a cup of discard in addition to pantry staples like flour, butter, vanilla, and brown sugar. Browning the butter gives a welcome nuttiness and depth of flavor that takes these cookies over the top.

To achieve the perfect finished texture, Martha employs a clever baking trick: Twice during the baking process, she removes the pan from the oven and bangs it on a hard surface; this deflates the dough and flattens the cookies, resulting in crispy edges and soft, chewy centers. This recipe is definitely our favorite way to use up discarded sourdough starter.

Key Ingredients for Our Sourdough Cookies

Starter: This recipe requires 3/4 cup of sourdough starter which is roughly 150 grams. You can use leftover discard that's been hanging out in the fridge for a few days but not much longer than that.

Flour: We prefer to use organic unbleached all-purpose flour for our sourdough recipes as it contains more natural yeast and bacteria, making for a better rise and flavor. If you have organic flour handy, use it here; otherwise, swap in convention all-purpose flour instead.

Butter: Using unsalted butter will keep the dough from becoming too salty. If you have a light-colored skillet, use it when browning the butter; it's much easier to monitor the color than when using a darker pan.

Egg yolks: Room-temperature egg yolks will blend more easily with the other ingredients, making for a more cohesive dough. (Use the three leftover egg whites to make this protein-packed omelet!)

Brown sugar: Light-brown sugar lends caramel-y notes to this recipe, but you can use dark-brown sugar instead—just note that the cookies will have a slightly more pronounced molasses flavor.

Chocolate: Semisweet chocolate adds just the right depth of flavor to these cookies. Chunks are our preferred form, but you can certainly use chocolate chips if you prefer.

How to Make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies Ahead

Formed dough balls can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 24 hours or frozen for up to 1 month; if making from frozen, add about 2 minutes to baking time.

Dough can also be refrigerated in the mixing bowl, covered, for up to 3 days before scooping. Note that the longer it sits, the stronger the sourdough flavor will be.

Directions

Brown butter; let cool:

Heat butter in a saucepan over medium until it simmers and foam rises to surface. Continue cooking until solids sink to bottom and turn golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Pour into a mixing bowl, scraping in browned solids as well. Let cool 30 minutes.
Beat in remaining ingredients; let dough rest:

Beat butter with sugar, baking soda, and salt on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks and vanilla and continue beating another 1 minute. Beat in sourdough discard until combined. Add flour; beat to combine. Add chocolate; beat to combine. Let stand 30 minutes.
Heat oven; scoop dough:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Use a 2-ounce scoop to form 1/4-cup balls of dough; arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart.
Bake, then bang pan; repeat, baking until edges are brown:

Bake 9 minutes. Remove sheets from oven and bang on a hard surface or oven rack. Bake 3 minutes more; remove and bang again. Bake until cookies begin to brown at edges and are just set in center, 3 to 5 minutes more.
Let cool slightly, then transfer to rack:

Let cool on sheets on a wire rack 5 minutes, then transfer directly to rack and let cool completely (or serve warm).