The best sourdough chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with chocolate chunks. Keep this recipe in your back pocket for a quick dessert or a long-fermented treat.
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‘Tis the season for cookies. The house is gleaming with Christmas cheer. Our Victorian Farmhouse Christmas Tour showcases greenery along the staircase and pops of red running through each room.
While we occasionally make typical Christmas sugar cookies, I still prefer a soft, buttery, chocolate chip cookie.
I highly suggest allowing this recipe to ferment overnight if you can. This fermentation time makes the cookies healthier, while also adding a delicious and subtle tang that pairs perfectly with the sweetness.
If you have never tried a sourdough dessert, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Now If you don’t have the time for long-fermentation, you can also make these up and bake them right away. They’re incredibly delicious either way.
In this case, I’ll often swap the all-purpose flour out for einkorn flour. My motto has always been that if you can’t sour it, use einkorn, such as in these Toasted Coconut Cookies.
This means that if you don’t have the time for fermentation, which aids in digestibility, just switch over to einkorn flour for its great nutritional qualities.
It’s a whole wheat flour that is more easily digested than typically processed flour, and it adds depth with its nutty flavor.
Sourdough baking has been a passion of mine for over ten years now. It has so many health benefits!
One of the greatest is that fermenting decreases the phytic acid to make the nutrients more bio-available and the grain more digestible.
I’ve spent a lot of time learning how to convert recipes to sourdough, because creating more nourishing foods is so important in our family. Hence, chewy sourdough chocolate chip cookies.
Why you will love this recipe:
Use up your discard: This is a great recipe for using up extra discard and adding tasty sourdough flavor to a classic cookie.
Chewy and delicious: These cookies are mouthwatering, packed with butter and chocolate, with a delightfully chewy texture and sourdough tang.
Versatile: You can make this dough up to three days in advance and store it in the fridge to have freshly baked cookies at a moment’s notice (all while the dough ferments).
You can use milk chocolate, semisweet, or dark chocolate chips, add chopped nuts, or top with flaky salt to make them just how you like them!
Ingredients
Butter: When baking, I prefer to use unsalted butter. This allows you to control the amount of salt added to the cookies.
Sourdough starter: Active starter or sourdough starter discard can be used for this recipe.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds such a rich, warm flavor. I use my homemade vanilla extract.
Chocolate chips: In my opinion, chocolate chunks are far superior to chocolate chips. Both will work, I just like the chunks better.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools you may need:
Grain mill (optional)
Stand mixer or hand mixer
How To Make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, sourdough discard, and vanilla. Mix again until light and fluffy.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Step 3: Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides and mix well. Once combined, add chocolate chips and mix well. If you would like to long-ferment the dough, cover the bowl with a tight lid (i.e. plastic wrap, lid, beeswax wrap) and place it into the fridge. For best digestion, I recommend three days.
Step 4: Roll cookies into a ball using three tablespoons of dough per cookie. Place them two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or up to 3 days for a longer fermentation. I think the best results for texture and taste are achieved when they sit in the fridge for 12-24 hours!
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Once preheated, remove the cookies from the fridge and bake for 10-12 minutes. The edges should start to turn a golden brown.
Step 6: Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Storage
Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Freezing cookie dough: Make the dough (long-fermented or the quick version) and scoop out cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Freeze on the sheet. Once frozen, transfer to an air-tight container or freezer-safe bag. When you’re ready to use them, bake according to the directions above. They may take slightly longer to bake from frozen. Cookie dough will last three months in the freezer.
Freezing Baked Cookies: Bake and allow to cool completely. Place the baking sheets (with the cookies and parchment paper in place) in the freezer for a few hours.
Once frozen, place the cookies in an airtight container. You can put parchment paper between layers if desired. Frozen cookies will last three months in the freezer. Allow to thaw at room temperature. Bake for just a few minutes for a nice warm cookie.
Tips for Making Sourdough Cookies
- If you are new to sourdough, I have a post all about how to make a sourdough starter from scratch.
- Make this recipe and bake right away, or ferment the dough for up to three days for the most health benefits and easier digestion. The instructions on how to make them long-fermented versus the faster version vary slightly.
- I highly suggest using chocolate chunks. While chocolate chips are wonderful, something is extra amazing about chocolate chunks (especially the ones from Trader Joe’s – they are the best!).
- I would recommend using a cookie scoop. It is the most reliable way to get your cookies a consistent size and evenly baked.
- Be careful not to overbake or overmix the dough or your cookies won’t be as soft and tender.
Recipe FAQ
Sourdough is a good option because of the fermented grains in the discard, and a long-fermented dough will be more easily digested and utilized. They still contain sugar and fats, so moderation is key, but fermentation does reduce the sugar and add flavor.
Either will work. Since you don’t need to rise this recipe like you would a sourdough bread, you can use either.
No. You can follow the non-fermented version. You won’t reap the benefits from the ferment, but if you have no issues digesting grains, then whip them up and bake them right away.
The secret is in the baking time. A shorter bake time will give you a softer cookie, whereas a longer bake time will give you a fluffier, more cake-like cookie.
Yes! Absolutely. This is how I recommend long-fermenting cookies.
Yes, you can put the whole bowl in the fridge to ferment! Then just shape and bake.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Thumbprint Cookies with Discard
- Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies
- Chewy Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies
- Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies
- Sourdough Sugar Cookies
If you try this recipe and love it, I would appreciate if you could come back, commented on the post, and give it 5 stars! Thanks.
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup sourdough discard
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, sourdough discard, and vanilla. Mix well until light and fluffy.
- In a separate large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides and mix well.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Roll cookies into a ball using 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie. I have a cookie scoop for this. Place them 2 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or up to 2 days for a longer fermentation. For best results, I like the texture and taste when they sit in the fridge for 12-24 hours best!
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. The edges should start to turn a golden brown
- Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool cookies.
Notes
- Make this recipe and bake right away, or ferment it up to 24 hours for the most health benefits and easier digestion.
- I highly suggest using chocolate chunks. While chocolate chips are wonderful, there is something amazing about chocolate chunks.
- Do not over bake or over mix this recipe. You may end up with a tough or more cake-like cookie.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love this chocolate chip cookie recipe for lots of reasons. Number one – they are so tasty!
Even temporarily living in a camper, I can make these cookies in the air fryer plugged in outside.
A great cookie for fermenting longer as you mix the entire recipe together before the long ferment.
AND I can steal a little dough to make a few cookies right away!
Great recipe, Lisa!
I used all King Arthur’s unbleached all purpose flour, it’s what I have on hand and know worked with an apple cinnamon sourdough bread we made in our bread machine. I’m refrigerated 2 hours then decided to bake a tray up (no patience for cookies!) Mine did not really flatten out when baking, and the center remained gooey, so baked them another 4 min, and were still gooey. The tops were nicely browned already and I was concerned about extra baking time and over browning and getting a hard crispy cookie. I like crispy chocolate chip cookies but other’s in the house prefer them soft, so was hoping for a soft cookie they would enjoy. Popped them back into the oven and lowered the temp to 325 (my oven is a smaller convection type oven so baking is always difficult for me) Baked an extra 5 min with foil laid over the top to prevent over browning. Just took them out of the oven now and the one I had tested before the 2nd extra bake time, seemed to have set up when it was cool and it was still very soft! Hoping I didn’t over bake the rest on the tray.. I was looking for info on freezing these before baking, I see you can put them in the fridge/long ferment up to 3 days, but what about freezing? Has anyone tried th!is? I don’t think we can eat all these in 3 days. They are very rich and VERY good! Thanks Lisa
Perfection! I sub freshly milled iron corn one for one
These have been a staple recipe for years now and they’re delicious!!! 👏🏼
The best chocolate chip cookies I have ever baked. My grandsons love them and call them “Lolli’s fat cookies” ♥️
I used whole wheat flour, as that’s all I had. I fermented in refrigerator about 23 hours in mixing bowl, then scooped each cookie onto cookie sheets and baked in convection oven, using two racks at a time and needed to bake them 15 mins. They are slight-moderately chewy, and flavorfully delicious! I am tickled ! This is only the second thing I’ve made with the sourdough discard.
Wonderful recipe. I ferment mine for about 12 hours and they turn out perfect every time. I always add a pinch of flaky sea salt on the tops of the cookies. Absolutely divine!
Amazing!!! Fluffy!!! Delicious!!!!