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If you want to make the best cookies of your life this Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is a must! These cookies are so soft and every bite is full of melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chunks. Whip them up in minutes and bake immediately to satisfy your sweet tooth, or ferment the dough overnight for enhanced digestion.
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Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love These Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
- What’s Sourdough Discard?
- Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Why Refrigerate Cookie Dough?
- How to make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Recipe Tips
- How To Freeze Cookie Dough or Baked Cookies
- Recipe FAQ
- More sourdough Cookies
- Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Why You’ll Love These Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
There are so many reasons to love these cookies, but here are just a few!
- Incredibly soft- These cookies melt in your mouth when you eat them and stay soft for days.
- Made with chocolate chunks- While you can absolutely use chocolate chips, the chocolate chunks are the way to go. If you like an explosion of chocolatey melty goodness in every bite, you will want chunks, trust me.
- Flexible timing- Whether you bake these cookies right away or refrigerate the dough for a day or two, they still turn out amazing. Plus if you need to you can even freeze the cookie dough balls to bake at a later date.
- Use up sourdough discard- When you have excess sourdough discard these cookies are the way to go. The discard adds flavor and depth to the cookies making them extra delicious. Plus if you ferment the dough you get the fermentation benefits of sourdough. Another classic cookie made with sourdough discard you won’t want to miss is my Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies.
What’s Sourdough Discard?
The secret ingredient in this cookie is sourdough discard. It adds moisture and depth of flavor. The two most common terms for sourdough starter in a recipe are active and discard. Active sourdough starter refers to starter that has recently been fed and is at “peak”, meaning bubbly and doubled or more in size.
Discard refers to starter after it has past its peak and begins to fall back down. At this point the starter is no longer able to leaven dough. Learn more about the benefits of using sourdough starter discard. If you are new to sourdough and don’t have a starter yet, I can help! Find my sourdough starter recipe. Or get a dehydrated sourdough starter for free (if you live in the US) when you sign up for my Sourdough Master Class.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sourdough Starter- You can use sourdough discard or active sourdough starter in this recipe. When pulling my sourdough discard from the fridge I don’t even worry about letting it come to room temperature first, I just add it cold.
- Butter– I have used salted and unsalted butter in this recipe. Both will work and I haven’t noticed much of a difference in flavor or texture. To control the amount of salt in your recipe use unsalted.
- Sugar– This combination of white and brown sugar is the perfect pair. The brown sugar keeps it soft and moist while the white sugar helps make it thick and fluffy.
- All-Purpose Flour– When adding the flour you want to find the right balance. Too much flour and your cookies will be dry and crumbly. Too little flour and your cookies will spread. Add the flour slowly, incorporating enough flour that your dough is no longer super sticky.
- Chocolate Chunks– While you can use chocolate chips I love the big chunks of chocolatey goodness that you can only get with chocolate chunks. I love the semi-sweet chocolate chunks, from Aldi or Trader Joe’s for the perfect amount of sweetness. For a richer cookie, you can use milk chocolate chunks or dark chocolate.
- Optional Add-ins: English toffee bits are so good in chocolate chip cookies. If love love toffee bits, you should also try my Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Sea salt caramel chips are another incredible add-in. Unfortunately, my favorite sea salt caramel chips are only available seasonally, around Christmas, at Trader Joes. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt over freshly baked cookies would also be delicious.
See all the ingredients and amounts in the recipe card below.
Why Refrigerate Cookie Dough?
In a pinch, you can get away with not refrigerating the dough, but there are a lot of benefits to allowing the dough to sit in the fridge overnight. Allowing the dough to ferment for a long period of time breaks down the gluten and neutralizes the phytic acid, which makes the cookies easier to digest. Chilling cookie dough also helps to solidify the fats in the recipe which prevents spreading. It also enhances the flavor and texture, creating a delicious, chewy cookie. If you’d like a cookie that doesn’t need to chill, try my Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies and add chocolate chips!
How to make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: Start the process by mixing room temperature butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. You can use a large mixing bowl and hand beaters or a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer with the paddle attachment. I love to use my Bosch mixer. This is important as it aerates the dough, ensuring a light and fluffy cookie. If you don’t set your butter out early, just place it in the microwave for a few seconds, but be sure not to melt it.
Step 2: Add in the remaining wet ingredients to the mixture. Beat in the egg, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract until combined.
Step 3: Add in the dry ingredients. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chunks or chips and any other mix-ins.
Step 5: Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, stack two scoops of dough on top of each other to form a tall cookie. Or you can use a single school using a 4-tablespoon cookie scoop. Place on a cookie sheet and cover.
Step 6: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or even better overnight. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place 6-8 dough balls on each lined sheet pan. Bake for 15-16 minutes. Pull cookies when they are slightly browning on the edges and the top is losing its glossy sheen. Let cool for 2-3 minutes and then move to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
Longer Ferment: Refrigerating the dough for 12-24 hours is my preferred method. The cookie holds its shape nicely, and the texture and flavor are perfect. If you want to save yourself time when you go to bake them, line a large Tupperware with parchment paper. Scoop the cookie dough into balls and place in the Tupperware with the lid on. Or you can place them on a cookie sheet and cover with foil or plastic wrap. Once ready to bake, place them on a lined cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 375°F oven. Cold dough typically takes a little longer to bake so anticipate 15-17 minutes, especially when making bigger cookies.
Recipe Tips
- The longer this dough sits in the fridge the better. I like to do overnight but you can leave it up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Around the holidays, you can find sea salt caramel chips at Trader Joe’s. They are so good mixed in chocolate chip cookies and can replace the toffee bits.
How To Freeze Cookie Dough or Baked Cookies
To freeze cookie dough, scoop the dough into balls and place on a lined cookie sheet. Place the cookies in the freezer until frozen. Once frozen, transfer the dough balls to an airtight container or ziplock bag. Cookie dough is good up to 3 months in the freezer. Bake directly from the freezer, but keep in mind the dough balls will most likely need a few extra minutes to bake.
To freeze baked cookies, wait until they are completely cooled. Place the cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper or wax paper in between each layer. Or freeze the cookies on a cookie sheet first, and then place the frozen cookies in a freezer-safe bag. Cookies stay fresh up to 3 months in the freezer.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, either sourdough discard or starter will work for these cookies.
Yes! You can freeze the cookie dough or baked cookies. See section above for the detailed instructions.
I prefer to long ferment for 12-24 hours, but you can leave the cookie dough in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you want to wait longer to bake the cookie dough, I recommend freezing it.
More sourdough Cookies
Easter Sourdough Recipes
Cadbury Egg Sourdough Cookie Bars
Sourdough Cookie Recipes
Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Sourdough Cookie Recipes
Easy Sourdough Sugar Cookie Bars (so soft!)
Sourdough Cookie Recipes
Sourdough Snickerdoodles
Tried this Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies or another recipe from the site? I’d love to hear about it! Drop a star rating and share your thoughts in the comments—can’t wait to see what you’re baking!
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 227 grams butter, unsalted, 1 cup
- 220 grams brown sugar, 1 cup
- 150 grams granulated sugar, ¾ cup
- 1 egg, 50 grams
- 75 grams sourdough discard, ⅓ cup
- 13 grams vanilla extract, 1 Tablespoon
- 5 grams baking soda, 1 teaspoon
- 3 grams salt, ½ teaspoon
- 420 grams all-purpose flour, 3 cups
- 170 grams chocolate chunks or chips, 1 cup
- 170 gram english toffee bits, optional, 1 cup
Instructions
- Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.227 grams butter, unsalted, 220 grams brown sugar, 150 grams granulated sugar
- Beat in an egg, sourdough discard, and vanilla until combined.1 egg, 13 grams vanilla extract, 75 grams sourdough discard
- Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt until just incorporated. Add flour slowly adding in enough that the dough does not feel overly sticky.420 grams all-purpose flour, 5 grams baking soda, 3 grams salt
- Fold in chocolate chunks or chips and any other mix-ins. You can do caramel chips instead of heath bits or you can replace all together and add an additional half cup of chocolate chips.170 grams chocolate chunks or chips, 170 gram english toffee bits, optional
- Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, stack two scoops of dough on top of each other to form a tall cookie. Or you can use a single scoop using a 4-tablespoon cookie scoop. Place on a cookie sheet and cover. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or even better overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Place 6-8 dough balls on each lined sheet pan.
- Bake cookies for about 15-16 minutes. Pull cookies when they are slightly browning on the edges and the top is losing its glossy sheen. Let cool for 2-3 minutes and then move to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
Notes
- The longer this dough sits in the fridge the better. I like to do overnight but you can leave it up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Around the holidays you can find sea salt caramel chips at Trader Joe's. They are so good mixed in chocolate chip cookies and can replace the toffee bits.
- I recommend only baking 6 at a time. If you do 2 trays of cookies at once be sure to rotate the pans half way through the baking time.
- If you make smaller cookies they will bake quicker so be sure to shorten the baking times.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I browned the butter then followed the steps and they came out so good. Thank you for this recipe.
Thanks so much Kasandra!
I always thought the best chocolate chip cookie recipe was on the back of the nestle chocolate chip bag… nope! This one beats it hands down.. what is it about the discard that makes it so much better?
I also wonder about using the convection feature to bake these. My new oven will have convection so I’m curious.
So happy you like them!! I have to agree they are my favorite! I don’t ever bake with convection so you’ll have to let me know how it goes. Thanks!
Made them for the first time and sampled them around my work and my husbands many shop stops. HUGE HIT!!! I’ve had so many compliments and requests for more. I’ll definitely keep this recipe.
Thanks BUNCHES for sharing!!!
Yay I’m so glad you like them!
Just tried this recipe and the cookies were delicious. I’m curious if you can freeze the dough to use at a later time or not? If so, are there any additional instructions or can you just bake it straight from the freezer at 350 degrees?
wondering the same thing! I’m about to make a giant batch and hoping to freeze some, but wondering about the time for baking or if they need to defrost first
You can bake from frozen, it usually adds like 2-5 mins. I usually do a test with just one to figure out the bake time and then bake the remainder.
Straight from the freezer! I do 350 and it typically takes 2-5 extra minutes. Baking a test one can be helpful for timing before baking all of them.
The absolute best!
Thanks so much Jenn!
These are really good cookies! Not too sweet. I used semi-sweet chips as I already had them. I also only ended up using a little over 2 cups of flour (as directed to add until no longer sticky). Made 1.5 dozen cookies with perfectly chewy insides and crispy edges-just the way I like my cookies! I’ve already eaten 2. Shh!🤫
Thanks Erica!!
These are the best chocolate chip cookies ever!! This is my first time making sourdough chocolate chip cookies and truly I’ll never make them without! This recipe makes the chewiest,
gooey – est, most perfect cookie! 10/10!!!
Thank you so much!
This is our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. We make them often. When we have extra discard, we always choose this recipe. Thank you!
So happy to hear that, thanks for sharing.