Sourdough Cookies Choco Chip

I assume everyone has eaten a chocolate chip cookie in their life: traditional chocolate chip cookies, Disneyland chocolate chip cookies, dairy-free chocolate chip cookies, etc…. but have you ever had sourdough chocolate chip cookies?

Sourdough bread is made with starter. To properly maintain the sourdough starter, you must “feed” it once a week. I feed mine with 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup filtered water. Then I discard 1/2 of the total starter. This keeps the starter alive, healthy, and manageable. If you keep 100% every time you feed it, it doubles and grows into a massive sourdough starter like the blob from the movie, The Blob, rolling across your kitchen floor!

I use my sourdough discard to make tasty sourdough recipes, like sourdough English muffins. This past week I baked chocolate chip cookies with the discard—YUM! I never thought I’d enjoy sourdough cookies, but they are delicious! The slight hint of sourdough paired with the chocolate, cakey texture of the cookie is perfect! Get a chewier, less cakey cookie by baking the dough for a little less time.

You don’t need an electric mixer for this recipe, but it makes the stirring easier. You need a large mixing bowl, baking sheet, and cookie cooling rack, along with the following ingredients: butter, white sugar, brown sugar, 1 egg, sourdough starter, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and chocolate chips. Once the dough is mixed together, place it in the fridge to rest. Because of the rest time, you don’t need to preheat the oven immediately.

Begin making the dough by creaming the butter and sugars. The butter should be either room temperature or partially melted in the microwave (about 20 seconds). Cold butter is difficult to cream.

Mix in the egg. Add the sourdough discard and vanilla to the creamed mixture, and stir together.

Add in the dry ingredients. Start with the flour and sprinkle on the salt and baking soda. Mix thoroughly; then add in the chocolate chips and combine.

Place the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest.

Preheat oven to 350F, and using an ice cream scoop or your hands, roll out 3 tablespoon-sized cookie balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. 10 minutes for a chewier cookie and 12 for a more cakey cookie. Enjoy!

The additional two minutes makes a big difference: instead of a chewier, flatter cookie, you get a softer, fluffier, cake-like cookie. Watch it closely; don’t let the cookie tops get too brown—only a light golden brown tint.

How to store sourdough cookies?

Keep the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to one week, or allow the cookies to completely cool; then store them in a zipped plastic freezer bag somewhere in the freezer. The cookies last up to three months in the freezer. Allow them to thaw overnight at room temperature before eating them. Easy!