Sourdough Chocolate Cookies

5 from 2 votes

Rich, fudgy sourdough chocolate cookies with deep cocoa flavor and gooey chocolate chips. These soft and chewy double chocolate cookies are perfect for using sourdough up discard!

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 307kcal

Author: Joy Kincaid

Equipment

Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Round Cookie Cutter (optional, for making cookies round)

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter 115 g, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar 150 g
1/4 cup light brown sugar 50 g, packed
1/2 cup sourdough discard 120 g, unfed, room temperature
1 large egg yolk room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder 50 g
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 160 g
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1-1 1/4 cups chocolate chunks or chips 170–200 g, (mix of dark and semi-sweet recommended)
flaky salt for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Avoid dark sheet pans, which can cause cookies to overbake on the bottom.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 2 – 3 minutes. You can use a stand mixer or regular electric mixer for this step.
Mix in sourdough discard until smooth. Add egg yolk and vanilla, whisking until glossy.
In a separate bowl, whisk cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt.
Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in most of the chocolate, reserving some for topping.
Scoop the dough into 3-tablespoon balls and place each ball on a cookie sheet. Flatten each ball to about 3/4 inch thick. Press a few chocolate pieces on top. Please note it is important to slightly flatten the cookie, otherwise you may end up with a thick cookie.
Bake for 8–10 minutes, until edges are set but centers still look soft.
When cookies are done, remove pan from the oven, and knock the pan gently on the counter a couple of times to release air. Optional: Use a round cookie cutter, glass, or jar lid to “scoot” cookies into a circle while hot. Sprinkle on some flaky salt and press in extra chocolate chips if desired.
Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

How to Store:

Room Temperature: You can store the cookies in an airtight container up to 3 days.
Freezer: You can freeze the cookie dough balls up to 3 months; bake from frozen with 1–2 extra minutes. Baked cookies freeze up to 2 months.

Recipe Tips:

Pushing down/flattening the cookies slightly is important. Otherwise, these will bake nice and thick. Just be sure to not skip that step unless you want thicker cookies!
Hydration note: This recipe has been tested with discard at 100% hydration (equal weights of flour and water). If your starter has a different hydration, you may need to adjust the flour slightly.
Make sure your butter, sourdough discard, and egg yolk are all at room temperature before mixing. Cold ingredients can affect how well the dough comes together and change the spread of the cookies.
For a thicker cookie with a deeper chocolate flavor, refrigerate the dough overnight. If you don’t have that much time, even a 30-minute chill will help with shape and texture. Chilling the dough is not required for this recipe, but if you notice your cookies spreading, then try to chill the dough for 30 minutes.
A mix of chocolate types gives more depth of flavor and makes the cookies more visually interesting. Combining dark and semi-sweet chips, or mixing chips and chunks, creates melted spots throughout the cookie.
Avoid overbaking. Pull the cookies from the oven while the centers still look slightly underdone. They will firm up as they cool, but overbaking will make them dry.
Dark sheet pans can cause the bottoms to bake too quickly and overbrown. Use lighter metal pans lined with parchment for the most even bake.
Right after baking, knock the pan gently on the countertop a couple of times to release any trapped air inside the cookies. This helps the centers settle slightly and improves their texture.
Using a round cookie cutter or glass to “scoot” the cookies while hot helps give them a perfectly round, bakery-style shape. This is also the best time to press in a few extra chocolate chips for a gooey finish.

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