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!
If you love these chocolate chip cookies, you've got to try my sourdough chocolate crinkle cookies too!

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 sourdough discard is one of my favorite things to do! You can make sourdough scones, the best sourdough discard banana bread, and my favorite sourdough chocolate chip muffins!
I'd love to have you join our Sourdough Facebook group with other Sourdough fanatics sharing their favorite recipes as well as tips and tricks!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Cookies!
- Ingredients To Gather
- What is Sourdough Discard?
- How To Make Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies!
- Lynn's Tip!
- Tips and Tricks
- How To Long Ferment the Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Make Ahead and Storage Tips
- 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
You only need a few simple ingredients to make these delicious discard 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. If you are new to sourdough, you can make a sourdough starter from scratch, buy one, or get one from a fellow sourdough friend.
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 how to keep a sourdough starter 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!

How To Make Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies!
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.
Step 1: In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix together and set aside.
Step 2: Add the cooled brown butter to a separate large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.


Step 3: 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.
Step 4: Add the large eggs, sourdough starter, and the vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix again.


Step 5: Carefully add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix until all the ingredients are fully combined.
Step 6: Add the chocolate chips to the bowl. Mix them in well.


Step 7: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Step 8: 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.


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!

How To Long Ferment the Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Long fermenting your sourdough discard chocolate chip cookie dough is a great way to make the cookies a little easier to digest. After mixing the dough, simply cover the bowl tightly and place it in the fridge for anywhere from 12 to 48 hours.
When you're ready to bake, take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 15–30 minutes so it’s easier to scoop. You can either bake it all at once or just scoop a few cookies at a time and keep the rest chilled for later.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
These brown butter sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies are super make-ahead friendly! Once your cookie dough is mixed, you can scoop it into balls and pop them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze them for about an hour, then transfer the frozen dough balls to a sealed container or freezer bag. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, just pop them straight onto a baking sheet and add an extra minute or two to the baking time.
These cookies store really well, too. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–4 days, and they’ll stay soft and chewy.
If you want to keep them fresh even longer, put them in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze the baked cookies for up to 2 months. Just let them come to room temp. You can warm them in the microwave or oven too for a ooey gooey cookie flavor!
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Yes! Active starter works just as well as discard. Just make sure it's unfed and not overly bubbly.
It's optional, but I suggest it. It helps keep the dough from spreading too much when they are baking and making the cookies too crispy.
You can use regular melted butter or softened butter if you’re in a pinch, but brown butter adds a nutty flavor that takes these cookies over the top and so so good!
More Sourdough Cookie Recipes
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📖 Recipe

Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
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
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!
Geneviève Nicolet says
Hi Lynn,
I really enjoyed these cookies. Do you think this recipe could be doubled?
Thank you so very much.
Lynn Polito says
Definitely!
Katrina says
These were AMAZING! If you have ever had NYC levain bakery cookies these reminded me a lot of them. How delicious - they weren't too rich. Just an overall tasty cookie. Can these be refrigerated for 48 hours? Or is there a hard stop at 24?
Lynn Polito says
Sure! You can keep them in the fridge for 48 hours. Thanks so much for your kind words I am so happy you enjoyed them!
Julie says
So good!
Ashlee says
I love this recipe as a base! I change to using 1.5 cups bread flour and 1 cup all purpose! It takes way more than 5 min to brown the butter but no big deal, itales them so much better! Last week i made butterscotch with white choc chips and today im making butterfinger cookies!
Amanda says
Mine taste really good, but they do have more of a cake texture. I was hoping for a more buttery flatter cookie. Still good though, I’ll keep this recipe!
Sheryl says
I was looking for something different to make with my sourdough discard. Amazing, delicious, and so easy. I thought at first the recipe called for too many chocolate chips since the dough is filled with chips. It bakes up into a perfect cookie! Thank you
Lynn Polito says
You're welcome! I am so happy you enjoyed them!
Maryanne says
Do you think these could be frozen for longer storage time?
Lynn Polito says
Definitely! You can keep them frozen for a really long time as long as the container is airtight or the Ziploc bag is sealed.
Maria says
Hi Lynn ! thank you for sharing ! quick question, can I freeze the balls before baking them ?? (keep them frozen raw)
Lynn Polito says
Hi! Yes! You can bake them from frozen! You may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time to accommodate the frozen dough balls, but it shouldn't be a problem!