Soft and Chewy Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
Looking for the perfect chocolate chip cookie that is packed with flavor? These sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies are the ultimate treat! Soft and chewy and packed with chocolate chunks, they are an absolute must try.
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It is no secret that I am an avid chocolate chip cookie fan. There are tons of cookie recipes here on the blog, with sourdough discard cookies becoming one of my new favorites! I find that the addition of the discard makes for an extra thick and chewy cookie, which I really love.
These cookies are perfectly soft, chewy, and packed with chocolate chips. Pretty much everything you could ever want in a cookie, right?
Let’s make them!
Quick Recipe Snapshot
TOTAL TIME: Let the dough sit overnight in the fridge for best results. They bake up in 10 minutes.
YIELD: Depending on the size of your cookies, you can get up to 48 out of this recipe!
STORAGE: Airtight container for up to 5 days. These cookies also freeze beautifully.
BEST SERVED: Warm out of the oven with a cold glass if milk. YUM.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Tips for Preparing to Make These Cookies
- I HIGHLY recommend chilling the dough for best results. I typically chill mine overnight and bake the next day. If chilling overnight, I like to set out the bowl of cookie dough to thaw on the counter before trying to scoop and shape the cookies. Letting the dough come to room temperature makes this process much easier.
- I always like to slightly underbake my cookies in order to obtain a chewier texture. They will continue to cook briefly on the cookie sheet once they are pulled out of the oven.
- Don’t skip out on the additions of the egg yolk and cornstarch. They help to make a much chewier, softer cookie.
- Using room temperature ingredients really does make a difference!
- Variations: Top these cookies with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt, add chopped pecans, swap out dark chocolate chips, or give this recipe for brown butter chocolate chip cookies a try. This sourdough chocolate chip skillet cookie is also divine!
- If you don’t own a stand mixer, you can still easily make this recipe using a large bowl and an electric handheld mixer.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below!
Recipe FAQs
Keep in mind that at the end of the day, it is still a cookie recipe that contains sugar and fats. However, sourdough is a great option because the long fermented grain is more easily digested and utilized. It also adds more flavor to any recipe.
Discard provides added moisture and texture to cookie recipes, making for an extra thick and chewy cookie.
Step by Step Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a medium bowl, cream together softened butter and sugars until combined.
- Beat in the egg, egg yolk, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract until light (about 1 minute).
- Begin adding in the dry ingredients, mixing until combined.
- Add chocolate chunks and mix well.
- Add the dough to the fridge to chill for a minimum of 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Once ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat. Set aside.
- Using a medium sized cookie scoop, scoop out 12 equal balls of cookie dough onto each prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven for approximately 10-11 minutes. Take them out when they are just barely starting to turn golden brown.
- For best results, let them sit on the baking pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
- Baked cookies will store well in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Storage Instructions
- Storage: These cookies store well at room temperature on the counter for up to 3 days, or an airtight container for up to 5 days. If you haven’t heard of the bread trick, definitely try it! Simply add a small slice of bread to your container to keep your cookies extra soft!
- Freezing Instructions: Cookie dough can be made ahead of time and placed in the freezer until ready to bake. Sometimes I will make double the amount of cookie dough just so I can freeze some to have at a later time. My method for this is to scoop out balls of cookie dough and add them to a gallon sized freezer safe bag, making sure I store the bag laying flat in the freezer. Once you are ready to bake, you can pop the cookies straight from the freezer into the oven, or set out on the counter to thaw beforehand. If you are putting them straight in the oven from the freezer, you may need to adjust your baking time to allow the frozen dough extra time to bake.
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More Sourdough Recipes
Check out these reader favorites, straight from my log cabin kitchen!
Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks softened butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2/3 cup sourdough discard
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chunks
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a medium bowl, cream together softened butter and sugars until combined.
- Beat in the egg, egg yolk, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract until light (about 1 minute).
- Begin adding in the dry ingredients, mixing until combined.
- Add chocolate chunks and mix well.
- Add the dough to the fridge to chill for a minimum of 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Once you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat. Set aside.
- Using a medium sized cookie scoop, scoop out 12 equal balls of cookie dough onto each prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven for approximately 10-11 minutes. Take them out when they are just barely starting to turn golden brown.
- For best results, let them sit on the baking pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
- Baked cookies will store well in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- I HIGHLY recommend chilling this dough for best results. I typically chill mine overnight.
- If chilling overnight, I like to set out the bowl of cookie dough to thaw on the counter before trying to scoop and shape the cookies. Letting the dough come to room temperature makes this much easier.
- I always like to slightly underbake my cookies in order to obtain a chewier texture. They will continue to cook briefly on the cookie sheet once they are pulled out of the oven.
- Don’t skip out on the additions of the egg yolk and cornstarch. They help to make a much chewier, softer cookie!
- Variations: Top these cookies with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt, add chopped pecans, swap out dark chocolate chips, or give this sourdough chocolate chip skillet cookie a try.
- Storage: These cookies store well at room temperature on the counter for up to 3 days, or an airtight container for up to 5 days. If you haven’t heard of the bread trick, definitely try it! Simply add a small slice of bread to your container to keep your cookies extra soft!
Nutrition
If you loved this recipe for sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies, make sure to come back and leave a comment and a 5 star rating! Tag me on Instagram with your creations @ourhandcraftedhomeblog.
These look super delicious, can’t wait to make!
Thank you! I hope you love them!
Could I not add the white sugar? could I just do one cup of coconut sugar? why is the extra cup of sugar?
for the cornstarch, could I use tapioca instead?
thank you 🙂
Hi,
Yes coconut sugar works great as a substitute. Tapioca starch should also work as a substitute for the cornstarch, although I’ve not tried it personally! The recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar to help balance out all the tanginess from the sourdough.
Best of luck and hope you enjoy! 🙂
So excited to bake mine! Sitting in my fridge as we speak!
Hope you love them! 🙂
Can you freeze the dough?
Yes!
What is the measurement on the butter? I see it reads two sticks, but I have one brick that is 8oz. Is it two 8oz bricks? Or would that just be one? I buy the Kirkland grass fed green package. Thank you in advance.
Hey Lacey!
It would be just one 8 oz brick 🙂
hope you enjoy!
Awesome! Thanks so much.
soft, chewy, and delicious, just as every cookie should be 🙂
Absolutely a favorite in my household. My kids keep sharing with the neighborhood kids too (:
Aw, I love that so much! Thanks for trying the recipe 🙂
The PERFECT chocolate chip cookie! I followed the recipe precisely and baked for 11 min. I was able to get 31 3 inch cookies out of one batch. Will definitely keep this one in my rotation!
Yay! So glad you loved the recipe, Anna!
The best recipe I’ve come across to date (which is saying a lot!!). These are so FREAKING good!!
Great recipe for my sourdough discard! I added white chocolate and coconut!
Yum, sounds delicious!
WOW! My family loves this recipe for chocolate chip cookies. They are chewy, with a bit of crispiness around the edges. They literally say they are the best chocolate chips they have ever had. I followed the recipe exactly and each time they turn out perfect. Thank you for sharing.
Cheryl, thank you so much for this kind comment! I’m so glad you and your family love them!
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
I use salted butter, but unsalted will work just fine, too!
Just WOW!!!! Exactly what I was looking for in terms of a chocolate chip cookie, and a great way to use all my beautiful leftover bubbly starter =)
Thank you! So glad you loved the recipe!
I just made these cookies which came out delicious, but recipe said it would make 24 cookies and mine came out with 48 cookies! I put the dough in the refrigerator for couple hours before baking and used mini chocolate chips . I am wondering if you were correct that recipe makes 24?
Thankyou!
Eileen
Hi Eileen!
I think it depends on the size of your cookies- I have had other readers also say it made 48 for them! I always make larger sized cookies so it makes less for me. Good news is- they freeze well 🙂
Very delicious and my family love them… Thank you!!!!
My first batch were great 2nd and third were runny? What do you think happened?
Hi Sarah,
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with this recipe! How long are you baking the cookies for?
this recipe is a favorite in our household!!