Chewy Gooey Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

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My Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie Dreams Came True

There are a lot of sourdough chocolate chip cookies on the internet. But none were the flavor and texture I wanted, nor the ease to make. Most of them were too cakey, bland, and required a stand mixer.

So I set out to make the best chewy, gooey sourdough chocolate chip cookie that I could. After many rounds of testing, here she is in all her glory. And I can’t wait for you to fall in love with these like I have. 

These Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies have the chewy, gooey middle you dream of, with buttery crisp edges and beautiful cracks through the surface. There’s loads of nutty, rich flavor from using browned butter, extra vanilla, and being kissed with perfect amount of salt. Each bite has a good amount of dark chocolate; just look at those delicious pools of decadence! And they stay chewy for a few days rather than turning dry.

They come together with just a bowl and a whisk, no stand mixer needed! That was a very important factor when I was developing this recipe, as I wanted everyone to be able to make them.

I use sourdough discard in the dough to provide moisture and add a developed flavor to the cookies. It does not make them one bit sour; instead it’s acidic nature brings out the delicious chocolate and vanilla flavors.

Brown Butter is a Star Ingredient of My Sourdough Dough Chocolate Chip Cookies

To enhance the chew and give these cookies the most incredible toasty flavor, I always start by browning unsalted butter. It’s a simple process with an incredible reward— just melting butter on the stovetop and letting it simmer for a few minutes until the water cooks off and the milk solids sink and turn into golden, toasty flecks. That’s where all the magic lives. Don’t worry if you’ve never done it before — I included a video in the recipe card so you can see just how easy it is!

Browning the butter adds a deep, nutty, almost caramel-like richness that makes the chocolate taste more intense and the whole cookie feel truly bakery-worthy. It’s also the flavor backbone of my chewy Sourdough White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies — where that toasty butter pairs with tangy sourdough, creamy white chocolate, and buttery macadamias in the most irresistible way.

Using Chocolate Chips versus Chopped Chocolate in Cookies

I tested these cookies with both chopped chocolate from a bar and chocolate chips to demonstrate how it affects the texture of the cookies. You can use either, but I highly recommend chopped chocolate for the very best cookie.

Chocolate chips are made with emulsifiers so they hold their shape. This means they do not melt well; cookies spread less when they are used. Chocolate chips = thicker cookies and less overall chocolate distribution.

Instead, chopped chocolate melts into gooey pockets, creating a more melty and decadent texture in the finished cookie. The irregular shapes and sizes of the chocolate pieces give you some bites with tons of chocolate and others with just a hint. And the cookies have so much more visual interest and texture.

Here’s How Long I Keep My Sourdough Discard in the Fridge

I tend to keep my sourdough discard in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Any longer than that, and the discard becomes very sour and stinky. For that reason, when I’m making something sweet like these cookies, pumpkin scones or sourdough discard cake, where I don’t want the sourness to come through, I use discard that is less than 5 days old.

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Chewy Gooey Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is the only sourdough chocolate chip cookie recipe you will ever need. They're chewy, gooey, and the perfect blend of vanilla and chopped chocolate. So easy to make with just a whisk and bowl. Brown butter gives them a rich and nutty flavor, paired with extra vanilla extract. It's the most delicious way to use up leftover sourdough starter!

5 from 153 votes

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Prep Time :15 minutes minutes

Cook Time :12 minutes minutes

Fridge Time :30 minutes minutes

Yield: 18 cookies

Author: Amanda Paa

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Equipment

• Half Sheet Pan
• Size 24 Cookie Scoop

Ingredients

• 113 grams (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 160 grams brown sugar
• 140 grams granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 80 grams sourdough discard, room temperature (discard less than 5 days is old is preferred)
• 3/4 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 235 grams all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 6 ounces chopped dark or semisweet chocolate from a chocolate bar (if needed you can use chocolate chips, see notes below for what to expect*)
• Flaky salt, optional

Instructions 

Brown the Butter:

• In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook for several minutes to brown the butter. It will go from simmering to bubbling to foaming, and you will begin to see brown flecks on the edges of the pan and the bottom. It will smell nutty and delicious. Once you can see a good amount of brown specks, remove from heat and pour butter and scrape all the bits into your mixing bowl that you will use for the cookies.
• Add sugars and stir to coat. Then add sourdough discard and stir to incorporate a bit. Then add egg and switch to a whisk, whisking mixture until it is cohesive. Add vanilla and whisk again.
• In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add half the flour mixture to the wet mixture, and stir with a spatula, about 15 times. Then add remaining flour and stir gently to incorporate, until almost all the flour is absorbed, but not quite. We want to avoid overworking the dough, so add the chopped chocolate now, and finish mixing the dough.
• Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes*. When 30 minutes is up, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper, and scoop 55 gram dough balls. I usually bake 7 cookies at a time.
• Bake for about 13 minutes, until edges are a little bit brown and middles are just set. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and tap the pan on the counter firmly two times, this deflates the cookie a bit and gives you the gooeyness. Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes. They will finish baking here. Then move cookies to a wire rack to cool. Top with a light sprinkle of flaky salt.

Notes

• You can refrigerate the dough for up to 36 hours. The longer they are in the fridge, the more you will be REWARDED with a more intensified the flavor and goodness. Same goes for these (delicious!) chewy Sourdough Monster Cookies. :)
• If you don’t want to brown the butter, you don’t absolutely have to – you can just melt it. But I really really urge you to, as it is easy and makes these cookies absolutely wonderful.
• I highly recommend using an inexpensive oven thermometer when you are baking, as no oven is calibrated exactly precise, even one that is brand new. Your other likely runs hotter or cooler than it actually reads, and this can determine how much your cookies spread or do not spread and if they will look and taste like the recipe was written for. Using an oven thermometer allows you to slightly adjust the temperature to make it correct.
• I tested these cookies with both chopped chocolate from a bar and chocolate chips to demonstrate how it affects the texture of the cookies. Chocolate chips are made with emulsifiers so they hold their shape. This means they do not melt well; cookies spread less when they are used. Chocolate chips = thicker cookies and less overall chocolate distribution. Instead, chopped chocolate melts into gooey pockets, creating a more melty and decadent texture in the finished cookie. The irregular shapes and sizes of the chocolate pieces give you some bites with tons of chocolate and others with just a hint.

Can I Freeze this Sourdough Cookie Dough?

Yes, the dough freezes well for about a month! I prefer to scoop the dough into balls and freeze them that way, instead of big chunk of dough. Take the frozen dough out of the freezer and let it come to room temperature before you bake the cookies.