Extra Soft Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sourdough chocolate chip cookies are incredibly soft and chewy in the center with the perfect amount of crispiness on the outside. Each cookie is jam-packed with gooey chocolate chips and the slight tang of sourdough discard perfectly balances the sweet cookie goodness. Bake them right away or ferment for several days in the refrigerator for added fermentation benefit!

I have been cooking the same chocolate chip cookie recipe for years. It’s what my husband frequently requests if he’s craving something sweet and it’s so dang good that I bring them to every social gathering. They ALWAYS turn out and you can easily eat a stack at a time.

When I started baking with sourdough, I knew I had to try incorporating sourdough discard into these amazing cookies because… Well, I just think sourdough makes everything better. And let me tell you… These cookies are absolutely incredible! They are perfectly soft and chewy on the inside with the most delicate crispy outer shell. Every bite is chock full of delicious chocolatey goodness. My husband said he didn’t think my OG cookies could get any better but the sourdough addition proved him wrong.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Straight Forward Deliciousness: There are no extra, fancy steps here. I’m a mom of 3 and when I bake, I need fast, easy and did I mention fast?! These cookies are straightforward… Simply a classic chocolate chip cookie that will totally rock your world.
• Discard Use: I’m always looking for ways to use my extra discard since I have a strict rule to never waste this fermented goodness. Plus, using sourdough discard in this recipe adds the benefit of fermenting grains with a long-ferment option! This increases digestibility and may make the grains better absorbed by the body.
• Soft + chewy: The perfect cookie is soft and chewy on the inside but slightly crispy on the outside… These fit the bill with an incredibly soft center! It will blow your mind.
• Extra Chocolate Chippiness: There are opinions on chocolate chip-to-dough ratios but most would agree a chocolate chip in every bite is a MUST. These cookies are the perfect ratio in my opinion!

Why Bake With Sourdough Discard?

If you hang around here long enough, you’ll see that I bake a LOT of sourdough discard recipes. I make everything from sourdough discard granola bars, to sourdough pop tarts AND my favorite sourdough discard churros!

Why take the time to incorporate sourdough discard into my everyday recipes?

Well, as a nurse and a mom, I prioritize eating REAL, unprocessed foods. Our family avoids foods that are packaged, full of preservatives and non-fermented grains because we want to avoid the many chronic illnesses that have been linked to eating highly processed foods. (Source).

Sourdough has many astounding health properties. First, the fermentation properties of sourdough help to break down phytic acid in the grains it’s combined with.

Phytic acid is the major storage form of phosphorus in our foods. It occurs naturally in many grains but unfortunately, studies have found that it is also the major cause of food malabsorption in many individuals!Source

Baking with sourdough can help to break down the phytic acid that contributes to abdominal inflammation and malabsorption. Sourdough discard recipes have fermentation properties, however, if you don’t give the starter some time to ferment the grains, the phytic acid won’t break down as completely as recipes that proof overnight.

Recommendation: Let this cookie dough chill in the refrigerator for 12-48 hours. This gives the sourdough discard some time to ferment the rest of the grains in the cookie dough!

Sourdough Discard Versus Active Sourdough Starter 

If you are thinking “What’s the difference between sourdough discard and active sourdough starter?” – You aren’t alone! This is one of the confusing things about sourdough that TRULY isn’t all that complicated.

Discard starter is the sourdough starter in its NONACTIVE state- This means, no bubbles. Not yet fed. How my starter is when I’ve just pulled it out of the fridge or when it’s on the counter but I haven’t fed it in 8 hours or so. 

Are you wanting to get started with sourdough? Check out these posts:

• Sourdough Starter
• Sourdough feeding and maintenance

Tips + Tricks for Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Remove your discard, eggs, and butter from the fridge an hour or so before you start mixing these up. The ingredients mix best when at room temperature!
• The key to a super gooey, chewy cookie is to not overbake these! They continue to bake and firm up after they are out of the oven, so don’t stress if they still seem a bit doughy in the center!
• Don’t overmix! If you over-mix this batter the cookies may turn out super flat or “bready”.
• Do not move these cookies off the pan for at least 10 minutes out of the oven or they may fall apart. Give them 10-20 minutes to cool and then transfer them to a wire rack to continue cooling.
• These cookies bake great from frozen! Follow the instructions below for best results!

Supplies:

• Stand mixer
• Large bowl
• Cookie sheets
• Cookie Scooper
• Parchment paper
• airtight container
• wire cooling rack
• metal spatula
• rubber spatula
• measuring cups + spoons

Ingredients:

• Salted Butter
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar (I used dark brown for a deeper flavor)
• Vanilla extract
• Sourdough Discard
• Eggs (I always use pasture-raised eggs- the flavor is unmatched!)
• All Purpose flour
• Baking soda + Baking Powder- These serve as leavening agents since the sourdough is inactive.
• Sea Salt- I love using THIS flaky sea salt!
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Let’s get started!

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Make The Dough

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Make sure all your measurements are exact to create the best dough consistency. Mix well using a whisk or fork. Set aside.

The next step is to cream butter and sugars together in the bowl of your standing mixer or using a hand mixer. I like to set my butter out on the counter several hours before baking to make sure it is at the exact perfect temperature! This is important because too-cold butter can cause cookies to not bake correctly. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, vanilla, and sourdough discard, and beat until combined. Don’t over-mix.

Add dry ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix until just combined.

Lastly, add the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks and mix until just combined. TRUST ME: You need all 2 cups of chocolate chips!

NOTE: The dough should not be sticky. If your dough seems sticky and hard to handle, your discard may have been a bit too runny. Make sure you are feeding your starter correctly. A runny starter is a sign of incorrect feeding processes!

Long Ferment Instructions:

If you plan to bake cookies right away, skip this step.

For a longer fermentation and better digestive properties, scoop cookie dough out into a large piece of plastic wrap or into a storage bag. Place cookie dough in the fridge for 12-48 hours. The longer ferment time will yield the most digestible grains. I also think the texture and flavor is even better after the 48-hour ferment!

Follow the baking instructions for chilled dough below.

Portion Out Dough:

Portion out dough using a cookie scoop or your hands. For some reason, I always end up doing it with my hands. But for consistency of size, use a cookie scooper and drop the dough onto the parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.

You may choose to freeze cookie dough after portioning out your dough. If you plan to freeze, place the tray in the freezer for about an hour until the dough is set. Then, remove the tray from the freezer and place the dough balls in a freezer-safe bag. These freeze well for up to 3 months.

Baking Instructions

Baking varies based on whether your dough is fresh, chilled, or frozen! Follow these instructions EXACTLY.

Baking Variations:

Bake Fresh Dough (not chilled or frozen):

Place cookies in the oven preheated to 375 F and bake for about 8 minutes. I know, it’s short. But these cookies can NOT be over-baked. They will continue baking and setting while resting on the pan after being removed from the oven. Trust me on this.

Bake Chilled Dough:

If you decide to long-ferment or chill dough in the fridge before baking, bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. I still err on the 8-minute side because, again you don’t want these to over-bake.

Bake From Freezer:

These cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe bag. There are 2 options for baking from frozen dough.

Option 1: Thaw dough before baking. When you are ready to bake cookies, remove the dough balls from the freezer, set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and cover with to let them thaw. After 1-2 hours they should be room temp. Follow the regular baking instructions above.

Option 2: Bake from frozen. Place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the baking sheet in the oven at the beginning of the preheating time. Set the timer for 15 minutes and remove the cookies after 15 minutes. This variation yields the best result with a frozen dough by letting the dough warm up while the oven also warms up!

Seriously, Do Not Over Bake These!

Just one more caution to NOT over-bake these. They will look doughy when they come out of the oven and that is what you want! They cook a bit more as they cool on the tray. For almost all instances, the 8-9 minute range is plenty for these cookies. Any longer will create a very bready cookie which is just not what you want.

Cool:

Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack. Let the cookies cool completely before storing.

Storage:

Store in an airtight container or bag for up to 5 days at room temp. You can also store these cookies in the freezer for up to 2 months.

I hope you love these sourdough chocolate chip cookies! Let me know all your sourdough discard baking questions below!

Print

Option 1: Thaw dough before baking. When you are ready to bake cookies, remove the dough balls from the freezer, set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with a tea towel to let them thaw. After 1-2 hours they should be room temp. Follow the regular baking instructions.

Option 2: Bake from frozen. Place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the baking sheet in the oven in the beginning of the preheating time. Set the timer for 15 minutes and remove the cookies after 15 minutes.

• The key to a super gooey, chewy cookie is to not overbake these! They continue to bake and firm up after they are out of the oven, so don’t stress if they still seem a bit doughy in the center!
• Don’t overmix! If you over-mix this batter the cookies may turn out super flat or “bready”.
• Do not move these cookies off the pan for at least 10 minutes out of the oven or they may fall apart. Give them 10-20 minutes to cool and then transfer them to a wire rack to continue cooling.