Sourdough chocolate chip cookies are perfectly soft and packed with chocolate chunks. Whip this recipe up for a quick dessert, or long ferment for better digestion. You will want to keep this recipe in your back pocket.
‘Tis the season for cookies. The house is gleaming with Christmas cheer. Greenery hugs the staircase, and pops of red run through each room.
While we do occasionally make typical Christmas sugar cookies, I always prefer a soft, buttery, chocolate chip cookie.
My motto has always been this: if you can’t sour it, use einkorn (like in these Toasted Coconut Cookies). But I also love figuring out how to take a regular recipe and turn it into sourdough. (Find how to convert any recipe into sourdough here.)
Sourdough baking has been a passion of mine for nearly 10 years now. It has so many health benefits; fermenting decreases the phytic acid in order to make the nutrients more bio-available and the grain more digestible.
Creating more nourishing foods has been important in our family. And while cookies may be a fun treat and perfect for the holidays, this recipe is also very adaptable.
If you have the time, I highly suggest allowing this recipe to ferment at least overnight. Not only because it makes it slightly healthier, but it also adds a delicious and subtle tang that pairs perfectly with the sweetness.
If you have never tried a sourdough dessert, you will be presently surprised.
Tips For Making Sourdough Cookies:
- If you are new to sourdough, find my tutorial on how to make a sourdough starter from scratch here.
- Make this recipe and bake right away, or ferment it up to 24 hours for the most health benefits and easier digestion. The instructions on how to make them long fermented versus the faster version vary slightly, so make sure to check out the steps below.
- I highly suggest using chocolate chunks. While chocolate chips are wonderful, there is something amazing about chocolate chunks (especially the ones from Trader Joe’s. They are the best!).
- Do not over bake or over mix this recipe. You may end up with a tough or more cake-like cookie.
FAQ
Should I use sourdough discard or active sourdough starter for this recipe?
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 also 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 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.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Ingredients:
Butter: When baking, it is preferred to use unsalted butter. This allows you to control the amount of salt added to the cookies.
Sugar: This recipe includes both granulated sugar and brown sugar. Brown sugar helps make cookies crisp while granulated sugar helps keep them chewy.
Egg: Acts as a binder.
Sourdough starter: Sourdough starter or sourdough discard can be used for this recipe. Since there is added leaveners, the sourdough acts to help ferment the dough (when long fermenting) and add flavor.
Vanilla extract: Adds a yummy warm flavor. See how to make your own homemade vanilla extract here.
All-purpose flour:
Salt: Brings our all the flavors and sweetness to these sourdough cookies.
Leaveners: Baking soda and baking powder are used to give the cookies rise.
Chocolate chunks: In my personal opinion, chocolate chunks are far superior to chocolate chips. Both will work, I just like the chunks better.
Tools you may need:
Grain mill (optional)
Measuring cups and spoons
Parchment paper
How To Make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies – Quick version:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
Add egg and mix until well incorporated.
Add vanilla and sourdough starter and mix until just combined.
In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, about 1/3 at a time, and mix until just incorporated. Be careful not to over mix.
Add chocolate and gently combine.
How To Bake Sourdough Cookies
Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden. I would recommend using a cookie scoop. It is the most reliable way to get your cookies a consistent size and evenly baked.
How To Make Long Fermented Sourdough Cookies:
The night before, mix together melted butter, sourdough starter, and flour in a stand mixer bowl; cover. Allow the grains to ferment for 8-24 hours to help break down the phytic acid and reap the most health benefits from the fermented grain.
The Next Day:
Preheat oven to 350. If you place the dough in the refrigerator for one hour before baking, as recommended (see step below), then you can wait to preheat the oven until about 20 minutes before baking.
Add egg and vanilla to the sourdough starter mixture and mix together well. This will be difficult to incorporate, but it can be done! I highly recommend using a stand mixer.
Sprinkle the remaining dry ingredients (sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt) into the bowl and stir.
Fold in chocolate chunks (chips will work too, but chunks are better in my opinion).
For best results, refrigerate dough prior to baking for at least one hour.
Spoon into even balls on parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown.
How to Freeze Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
There are two ways to freeze cookies: after baking or before.
Freezing Cookie Dough:
Make the dough (long fermented or 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. When you’re ready to use them, bake according to 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 them in an air-tight 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.
Find More Sourdough Desserts:
- Sourdough Cranberry Bread
- Sourdough Chocolate Cake
- Fermented Carrot Muffins
- Sourdough Pumpkin Roll
- Sourdough Pie Crust
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
Sourdough chocolate chip cookies are perfectly soft and packed with chocolate chunks. The light tanginess from the sourdough makes the yummiest cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 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
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs, sourdough discard, and vanilla. Mix well until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides and mix well.
- 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 baking sheet.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or up to 2 days for a longer fermentation. I like the texture and taste when they sit in the fridge for 12-24 hours best!
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Scoop chocolate chip cookies on to a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
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 Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 266Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 214mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 3g
Dustin says
So easy and delicious!! It’s like my grandma used to make! Thank you!!
SIRMA says
Looks so good Lisa,
Love baking this time of year,
Happy holidays everybody….
Sirma
Laura says
Hello ans thanks for the receipe! Whatvare the weight for the butter stick? I am note from américains and we have 250 to 500grammes of butter sticks available here un France ! Thanks a lot
Lisa says
1 stick of butter should be 113 grams (or 1/2 cup). So for two sticks it would be 226 grams. Hope that helps. Isn’t that interesting that it is different in different parts of the world? Happy baking!
Laura says
Thanks a lot! And now i am a proud owner of a sourdough starter that Bubbles a lot.we named it “Gaston” ! Thanks to your explanation and vidéo <3
UP Bob says
I had to cook the fermented SD ones 2 minutes longer, but they’re spectacular.
Christine says
These were delicious! I had to bake fermented ones for about 15 minutes, I’m sure our ovens are different. I love the texture, and I feel better about eating too many since they’re sourdough 😆
Jennifer Monroe says
These are so good! I love that they’re not overly sweet! These are a much better option for kids! I followed the instant method and made with my sourdough starter (made with einkorn) and a GF ancient grains blend (which isn’t always good in sweets, but worked well).
Michelle says
Made these for the first time the other day. They were so good. I will definitely be adding them to treat list.
Courtney says
These freeze great! I think they’re our favorite freezer cookie, which maybe isn’t a good thing because we probably eat too many! 😉 Do you think you’d get any of the fermentation benefits if you make up the whole recipe and leave the dough in the fridge overnight?
Karen says
Can I substitute with coconut sugar?
Cory Savage says
I have done this with great results 🙂
Rachel says
Oh my!!! These are my new favorite cookie!!!! I had to use chocolate chips but still great!!!
Michelle says
Delicious! I used 1/2 c. Maple syrup in place of sugar. Worked out great!
Brenda Hall says
My husband said they’re the BEST cookie he’s ever had. I think they’d be good without chips, too. The dough is very soft, so I replaced it in the refrigerator each time.
Corinne says
I decided that milk chocolate chips are better than my usual go-to dark or semi-sweet in this because they balance the sourness of my starter so well. I’ve done both versions, and while they’re both delicious my current lifestyle works best with the quick version.
Andre says
I just made these! Left them fermenting overnight (a bit nerve-wracking since I wasn’t sure my starter was ready), and they came out sooo good! Thank you so much for sharing these amazing recipes. It’s my first time having my own sourdough starter, and I’m enjoying having your recipes handy. Thanks again!
Trisha says
I have Made these many times and they are THE BEST!
Lisa, how do I go about converting the standard all purpose flour to einkorn?
I’ll be using sour dough starter that is also made with einkorn. Should the dry and liquid amounts stay the same? Do you alter anything?
Thanks!
Rebecca says
I accidentally placed the butter, flour, sourdough mixture in the fridge overnight. Letting the mixture come to room temp before mixing it all together. I’ll post how they turn out but don’t know what I was thinking!
MamaPossum7 says
I accidentally went bread mode and put my dough in the fridge as well! Even after an hour on the counter the dough was so stiff that it didn’t quite mix fully without a few small chunks of dough left in the batter. However, I am happy to report they baked up just fine, and NO ONE complained as they gobbled them up! Thank you Lisa for so many amazing sourdough recipes that encourage this sourdough newbie to not be intimidated to use my sourdough starter to the fullest!
Charissa Cilek says
Our families #1 cookie! It makes getting sourdough into a recipe so easy even my husband eats it! Thank you ☺️
Meghan says
these are DELICIOUS! My whole family loves them, I actually made it with a cup of starter and they are super fluffy and don’t even taste like sourdough.
Gisele Walker says
Oh my goodness!!! Best chocolate chip cookies ever! I made them 2 ways, baking immediately & also fermented. FERMENTED IS the way I prefer them. The flavor is amazing!
I appreciate sourdough recipes so much more now that I have grown my starter in a gallon glass jar. Using it fresh & bubbly instead of discard is my preferred way now. 👍🏻😋
Kallisto says
I’m not sure if I made this recipe correctly. We don’t have butter here sold in sticks so I had to use google to try and convert it to grams.
It would be easier if the recipe also included the grams for things.
Nancy E says
These were delicious!!! The first time I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and they were very decadent…so the next time I subbed the 2 cups of chocolate chips with 1 cup of dried blueberries and 1 cup of crushed walnuts…omg even better. With the sourdough tang they tasted like blueberry cheesecake muffin cookies. Not too sweet and sooo yummy! Excited to try other mix-ins too. Thank you so much!!!!
Kat says
These are my new favorite cookie recipe! Last time I browned the butter and that added so much depth to the cookies, and balanced the sourdough taste. I made the first batch the next day, stored the dough in the fridge, then made the rest like 5 days later; still so good!
Today I will be trying it made with coconut oil to make it dairy free, and will be subbing out the brown sugar, rolling in cinnamon and sugar, and turning it into snickerdoodles!
Agnese says
Can you use just sourdouh started without flour and without fermentation?
Alexis says
I’m going to try this, hopefully I remember to come back and update. Any ideas about how much starter to use, or is it a simple 1-1 tweak, that is, 2 3/4 cups of starter?
Corrie says
I started these cookies yesterday morning and left the dough to ferment in the kitchen aid stainless steel bowl. When I went to check the dough this morning (24 hours later) two little spots of green mold had appeared on the bottom side of the dough. My starter is healthy (though it is still young at 4 weeks old)—smells yeasty & fruity and I am careful to keep things clean when handling my starter and recipes. I am unsure of why this occurred and would appreciate any insight you may have! (I do live in a very humid warm climate in central Florida—but our home is well insulated and we keep the AC set to 75 & 76 degrees)
Christi says
I think you were supposed to ferment in the fridge overnight.
Megan says
Oh my goodness, these cookies are amazing!!! 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ You definitely have to try these!
Heather says
I absolutely LOVE these cookies! The texture is unlike any I’ve had before. Sooooo good!
Patricia Adams says
Hi Lisa, do you have any tips on how to make this into a cookie cake? Like a sheet cookie cake. I’d love if you shared a sourdough cookie cake recipe! Thanks so much!!
Angela says
Delicious! I made the quick version with active starter and baked them right away, and next time I want to try the long ferment method. Also, I only had chocolate chips, not chunks, but I just added plenty and they were great! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Lisa says
So glad you enjoyed them!
Joy says
I thought the quick version was delicious, but oh my word, you have to make these using the longer ferment! The depth of flavor is complex, smooth, and makes your taste buds dance. Thank you again for another great sourdough recipe, I use sourdough for practically everything and follow a lot of your recipes!!!
Lisa says
Thank you for the wonderful compliment. Glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Val says
So for the long ferment you add the sugar the next day after fermenting, not with the traditional first step of butter and sugar being mixed together?
Lisa says
You can do it either way. The easiest way to long ferment this recipe is to make it the regular way and place it in a covered dish or plastic bag and stick it in the fridge for 2-3 days. 3 days seems like the perfect amount.
Kathy says
The long ferment says to mix MELTED butter with sourdough and flour. The regular recipe doesn’t say anything about melting butter. Is that correct for the long ferment- to melt the butter first?
Thank you for any information!
Kaitlyn says
I was silly and thought you said put it in the fridge to ferment. So I did for 8 hours. 😑 well I made it anyway. It has a cabbage patch doll smell and taste and I’m not sure why? Another recipe I was using after the 4th time it started to get that taste also.
Lisa says
You can put it in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. I’m not sure why it would taste and smell funny. Was it covered tightly.
Teresa says
Do you think this recipe would work to make 1 giant cookie? Has anyone tried it?
Susu says
Really excellent recipe, I made a double batch to freeze the dough balls in an effort to not buy crap and always have homemade treats available (and apply portion control lol). Just try this recipe!
Old Mom says
Sharing the result of “tweaking” before making the cookies true to the recipe. This turned out good, no question, and they are a little healthier, but not the way to go if you are looking for that familiar chewy, gooey chocolate chip cookie. I subbed in coconut sugar for the brown sugar, and I subbed in good old Missouri black walnuts for half the chocolate chips. My result absolutely is good, but the cookies are more like cake or muffins. The ones I took out earlier have a really strange and still cakelike texture. I have noted this on the recipe, but the next time I want a more traditional cookie, I will stick with the brown sugar. I will likely continue to put walnuts or pecans in, because we are a nutty family! 🙂
Lisa says
Thanks for sharing your substitutions. Adding walnuts sounds delicious.
Old Mom says
I made them again yesterday/today, following the recipe to the letter. They are wonderful and will be my new go to! I realized as I was making them that there were a couple of things I misread and did wrong the first time, probably due to having more than one of Lisa’s recipes printed out and laying on the counter to mix up, AND my old eyes had the wrong glasses on them. In addition to the ingredient change the first time through, I added in the eggs and vanilla with the first ingredients that long fermented, and I fermented them in the fridge. I also overmixed. I think it was those things that caused the texture differences more than the sugar substitution. The nuts subbed in for half the chocolate did not make any difference. I am going to try the coconut sugar again next time, just to cut down the sugar content a little and make them a touch healthier. The lesson I learned: no matter how experienced you are with something (baking), when trying something new (sourdough), you really need to pay attention to the details and follow the directions of the expert! Thank you, Lisa, for all you do and share with us! I wish I’d had you to turn to 30 years ago. By golly, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks…..
Brooke says
These have got to be the best chocolate chip cookies ever! My first overnight ferment with sourdough and they turned out spectacular. Thank you for all your delicious looking recipes and I can’t wait to try more!
Lisa says
so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Shasta says
These cookies came out great! My husband and son loved them, I will definitely make them again! Thanks for the recipe!😊
Lisa says
That is so wonderful to hear!
Allison says
What did I do wrong? Normally i dont have problems with any recipes or onrs you post. I fermented it and the dough was hard and hard to mix and even though I followed everything it wouldn’t set in the oven. I cried and mourned over these cookies. I was having a hard week and was hoping I would get this win. I’m sure I did something wrong. During the long ferment do you refrigerate it? That’s what I did since I cold proof my sourdough is that where i messed up
Lisa says
Oh no, I’m so sorry Allison. It’s hard to say what exactly went wrong. Did you use a stand mixer? Another way to try to ferment it is to make it according to the quick version, and then place it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Spoon the dough onto a baking sheet and bake. The longer the fermentation in the fridge the more digestible the grains become.
Emily says
I unfortunately don’t have a stand mixer. Is there another way you would recommend mixing everything together?
Lisa says
An electric hand mixer would be your next best bet! Otherwise, you could mix by hand, but it may be harder to get everything incorporated evenly.
Kathleen says
The cookies didn’t flatten, and were more cakey than chewy cookie. This was my first time making cookies with discard. I’m not sure what I did wrong.