Chocolaty Sourdough Brownies

Homemade brownies are THE BEST, but have you ever had sourdough brownies?

YUM! I’d suggest making a sourdough starter NOW, or ask a friend with one for their discard, so you can skip starting from scratch. I love using my sourdough discard for baked goods like sourdough chocolate chip cookies or sourdough cinnamon rolls because the sourdough starter adds an extra dimension of flavor. Don’t discard your discard—this tasty brownie recipe is a great way to make use of your sourdough discard!

A tasty homemade brownie recipe is difficult to find. Either the brownies end up dry or they don’t rise and sit flat as the baking pan—no thanks! This gooey sourdough brownie recipe makes a perfectly risen, fudgy brownie with crackly tops and crispy edges. The inside is dense with chocolatey pockets throughout!

I LOVE THESE BROWNIES!

How do I make soft brownies?

Over-mixing flour in the brownie batter results in tough brownies; instead, we simply fold the flour into the batter with a spatula until just incorporated. If we get too crazy here, our brownies will be way too tough!

How do I create a shiny top on brownies?

By beating together the sugars, eggs, and egg yolk for about 10 minutes. This creates a meringue that yields the shiny top to the fudgy brownies!

Let me teach you how to make homemade brownies from scratch.

First, gather your homemade brownie ingredients: butter, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, sourdough starter, flour, and salt. Most of these ingredients are pantry staples!

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9×9 baking dish. I use a glass baking dish greased with butter. Parchment paper will also prevent sticking, but I generally don’t have parchment paper on hand, and butter works great to grease a dish.

Begin by melting the butter on the stovetop in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add in the chocolate chips and stir until melted. Mix in the cocoa and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. Set aside and allow to cool.

Beat the sugars, eggs, and egg yolk together for about 10 minutes. I use my Kitchenaid because while it mixes, I can prepare the chocolate on the stovetop. If you don’t have a Kitchenaid, use a handheld mixer. Add in the sourdough discard and chocolate. Mix until combined. Fold in the flour and salt until just combined—it’s important not to overmix here!

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 45-50 minutes. At 45 minutes, poke the brownies with a toothpick. If a lot of batter comes up with the toothpick, bake for 5 more minutes; if not, take out and COMPLETELY cool. It’s difficult leaving the brownies to cool, but they continue cooking while in the dish, and cooling allows them to set up perfectly. Once cooled, cut and enjoy!

Let’s get baking!