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    Home » Recipes » Dessert Recipes » Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Published: Aug 25, 2022 · Modified: Oct 4, 2022 by lynnswayoflife · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Chewy, chocolatey, and a great use for your leftover sourdough starter, these Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies are so delicious! These cookies have crisp edges and the brown butter give them a caramel nuttiness that is hard to resist!

    A close up of the sourdough chocolate chip cookie.

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. However this is at no cost to you. Read my affiliate links full disclosure policy here.

    Brown butter is the secret ingredient in these delicious cookies. It takes a few extra minutes to cook the butter, but it is so worth it! And pair that nuttiness with dark chocolate chips and you will make the best cookie that everyone will love!

    Baking with my sourdough starter is one of my favorite things to do! The possibilities are endless! You can make the classic sourdough bread, or you can make donuts, scones, banana bread, pancakes, waffles, muffins, and even crackers!

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love These Cookies!
    • Ingredients To Gather
    • What is Sourdough Discard?
    • Equipment You'll Need
    • Let's Make Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies!
    • Tips and Tricks
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • More Sourdough Cookie Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Why You'll Love These Cookies!

    • They are a great use for leftover sourdough starter! If you bake a lot, you know that there is a lot of leftover discard after you feed your starter. Don't throw it out! Bake cookies with it!
    • These cookies can be made in advance! Make the dough ahead of time and keep it in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap. You can make the dough a day in advance and bake them when you are ready to use them.
    • They are homemade, from scratch! There is nothing better than a scratch made cookie! And throw in browned butter and dark chocolate for a winning combination!

    Ingredients To Gather

    An overhead shot of the ingredients for sourdough chocolate chip cookies
    • All-purpose flour. When adding flour to the measuring cup, fluff it first in the bag so it is not packed down.
    • Baking powder and baking soda. Even though we are using sourdough starter in this recipe, the baking powder and baking soda are going to be doing the leavening, not the starter.
    • Salt. This is important. You might think it's strange to add salt to baked goods, but salt brings out the flavor and the sweetness in the cookies.
    • Butter. Unsalted butter since we are adding salt to the dough.
    • Sugar. Both granulated and light brown sugar.
    • Vanilla. A classic ingredient in chocolate chip cookies.
    • Chocolate chips. For this recipe we are using dark chocolate chips. If you have semi- sweet chocolate chips on hand, use those! You can also cut a large chocolate bar into chocolate chunks for a more rustic type of cookie.

    What is Sourdough Discard?

    Sourdough discard is the portion of your active sourdough starter that you are not feeding. When you are "feeding" your starter to make bread with, you add equal parts flour, water, and extra sourdough starter to a mason jar and let it rise.

    You can't feed your entire active starter, as it doubles and sometimes triples in size, and that's a lot of starter to have on hand! If you are new to sourdough, be sure to check out this post all about how to keep your sourdough starter happy. Keep your leftover sourdough discard in a mason jar in the refrigerator and use it to bake later on!

    A stack of chocolate chip cookies is on a cutting board with a plate of cookies in the background.

    Equipment You'll Need

    • Stand Mixer or hand mixer
    • Measuring Cups
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Ice Cream Scoop used as a cookie scoop
    • Silicone Mat or Parchment Paper
    • Baking Sheet or cookie sheet
    • Wire Cooling Rack

    Let's Make Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies!

    In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix together and set aside.

    In a small saucepan, add the two sticks of butter. Set the heat to medium low and begin to brown the butter. The butter will melt and then get foamy. You'll start to see brown bits in the saucepan, that is what you are looking for. It will take about 5 minutes to brown the butter. Take the butter off the stove and allow it to cool slightly.

    Lynn's Tip! Do not walk away from the stove when you are browning the butter. The butter will quickly go from toasty, golden brown, to burnt. Stir the butter until it is golden brown, then turn it off.

    Add the cooled brown butter to a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and turn the mixer on medium speed. Mix for 1 minute to get the ingredients light and fluffy.

    The dry ingredients are mixed in a bowl.
    The dry ingredients are added to a bowl.
    The brown butter is added to a large bowl.
    The brown butter is added to a large bowl.
    The sugar is added to the large bowl.
    Brown sugar and white sugar are added to the large bowl.
    The eggs, sourdough starter, and vanilla are added to the large bowl.
    The sourdough discard, eggs, and vanilla are added to the bowl.

    Add the large eggs, sourdough starter, and the vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix again. Carefully add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix until all the ingredients are fully combined.

    Finally, add the chocolate chips to the bowl. Mix them in well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but up to 24 hours.

    The dry ingredients are added to the wet ingredients.
    The dry ingredients are added to the wet ingredients.
    The chocolate chips are added to the large bowl.
    Chocolate chips are added to the bowl.
    The dough is in a large bowl ready to be placed in the refrigerator.
    The dough is ready for the fridge.
    A dough ball is on a baking sheet ready to be baked.
    Scoop the dough onto a baking sheet.

    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Scoop the cookie dough into dough balls onto the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges just start to become golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack before serving.

    Tips and Tricks

    • Make sure the brown butter is cooled to room temperature when you add it to the large bowl. It should be cool enough to touch. If it is too hot, you run the risk of cooking the eggs when you add them in and melting the chocolate chips.
    • Refrigerate this dough for at least a half hour. This will allow the brown butter to harden up in the dough. It will also prevent too much spreading as the cookies bake.
    • When the cookies are done baking, sprinkle them with course sea salt for an even more elevated cookie!
    A sourdough chocolate chip cookie is broken in half, surrounded by other cookies and chocolate chips.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Do these sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies taste sour?

    No! The sourdough discard adds a bit of a tang to the cookies, but they do not taste sour. The sourdough discard adds a bit of rise to the cookies and is a great balance for the sweetness of the sugar. If you want to up the sour flavor, chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for a few hours, or overnight. That will enhance the sour flavor of these cookies.

    Can I make these cookies ahead of time?

    Yes! You can refrigerate the dough up to 24 hours before you would like to bake them.

    How should I store the leftover cookies?

    Once baked and cooled, store these cookies in an air-tight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them, fully baked, in gallon Ziploc bags for up to 3 months.

    Chocolate chip cookies are on a cutting board with chocolate chips in a bowl next to the cutting board.

    More Sourdough Cookie Recipes

    • Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies
    • Soft Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Cookies
    • Sourdough Snickerdoodles
    • Sugar Cookies with Sourdough Discard
    • Sourdough Discard Oatmeal Cookies

    Did you love this recipe? If you did, please leave a 5 ⭐️ rating below! Follow along on Instagram and Facebook!

    📖 Recipe

    A close up of the sourdough chocolate chip cookie.

    Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Chewy, chocolatey, and a great use for your leftover sourdough starter, these Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies are so delicious!
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
    Prep Time: 35 minutes
    Cook Time: 12 minutes
    Servings: 36 Cookies
    Calories: 141kcal
    Author: Lynn Polito

    Equipment

    • Hand Mixer
    • Mixing Bowls
    • Measuring Cups
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Ice Cream Scoop
    • Baking Sheet
    • Parchment Paper
    • Wire Cooling Rack

    Ingredients

    • 2 ½ cups Flour
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 2 sticks Unsalted Butter 1 cup
    • 1 cup Brown Sugar
    • ½ cup Granulated Sugar
    • 1 tablespoon Vanilla
    • 2 Eggs
    • ½ cup Sourdough Starter Inactive
    • 2 ½ cups Dark Chocolate Chips
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set that aside.
    • In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. The butter will melt, get foamy, and start turning golden brown. Once it is golden brown, turn the saucepan off and remove from the heat. This process should take 5 minutes. Allow the butter to cool before adding to the bowl. It should be room temperature before it is mixed into the rest of the ingredients.
    • Add the room temperature brown butter to a large bowl. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Turn the hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed and mix for 1 minute until light and fluffy.
    • Add the sourdough starter, eggs, and vanilla to the bowl. Mix until fully combined.
    • Carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
    • Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
    • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
    • When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are just golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on a wire cooling rack before serving.

    Notes

    • Do not walk away from the stove when you are browning the butter. The butter will quickly go from toasty, golden brown, to burnt. Stir the butter until it is golden brown, then turn it off.
    • Make sure the brown butter is cool when you add it to the large bowl. It should be cool enough to touch. If it is too hot, you run the risk of cooking the eggs when you add them in and melting the chocolate chips.
    • Refrigerate this dough for at least a half hour. This will allow the brown butter to harden up in the dough. It will also prevent too much spreading as the cookies bake.
    • When the cookies are done baking, sprinkle them with course sea salt for an even more elevated cookie!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 126mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
    « Easy Pumpkin Bread with Cake Mix
    Brownies with Chocolate Cake Mix »

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    Hey there! I'm Lynn and I'm based just outside of Boston. I'm a wife and mom of two with a passion for cooking and creating homemade food for my family.

    Whether it's creating new recipes, or exploring tried and true classics, I am constantly trying to show that homemade doesn't have to be hard

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