The classic chocolate chip cookie just got an upgrade. These Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies are sweet, chewy, perfectly gooey, and have just the right touch of tangy sourdough flavor.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THESE Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Browned Butter. Browned butter will not only result in a better texture but also a better flavor. This one step goes a long way to achieve that chewy texture that is an essential part of making the perfect cookie.

Add-Ins. Mix in all kinds of goodies, like chocolate chunks, roughly chopped instead of chocolate chips or nuts, like walnuts.

Great Use For Sourdough Discard. This is the perfect recipe to use your leftover sourdough discard that you may have. No one wants to let it go to waste. Using sourdough should add some tanginess and depth to the flavor of your cookies, but they should not be sour. Sourdough discard cookies should be sweet.

INGREDIENTS

All-Purpose Flour- The base of the cookie recipe.

Baking Soda & Baking Powder- Combined agents help the cookies rise and enhance their light texture.

Fine Sea Salt- Helps balance out all the flavors and sugar.

Unsalted Browned Butter– This will not only result in a better texture but also a better flavor.

Dark Brown Sugar and Cane Sugar- A perfect sweet combo for these cookies.

Eggs- The rich yokes are the binder that helps keep the ingredients together.

Vanilla Extract- Adds a hint of vanilla and sweetness.

Unfed sourdough starter or active starter- A fabulous way to use that excess discard from your sourdough.

Chocolate Chips- The star of the show.

Pecans- This adds great texture, flavor, and crunch to the cookie.

Scroll down to the recipe card to see quantities used.

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set it aside.
In a small saucepan, brown the butter on medium-low heat. Once the butter is golden brown, pull it from the heat and allow it to cool for five to 10 minutes. Once cooled, pour the brown butter into a large mixing bowl.
Add the sugars to the brown butter mixing bowl and combine. Adding the sugars to the butter before adding the egg yolks prevents the yokes from scrambling when coming into contact with the warm, browned butter.
Once the butter and sugars are combined, add the egg yolks, sourdough starter, and vanilla. Mix until incorporated and set aside.
Using a medium mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda) and wrisk together. Then, add the dry ingredients to the large bowl of wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
Fold in the chocolate chips and optional chopped pecans.
Put cookies onto the parchment-lined baking sheet using a cookie scoop and bake at 350F until you have crisp, brown edges but the middles are still soft. About 10-12 minutes.
Set the cookies on a wire rack to cool and enjoy.

SUBSTITUTIONS/VARIATIONS

Nutty goodness. Add a handful of chopped walnuts in place of pecans to give the cookies a little crunch to complement the softness.
Need an egg substitute? Unsweetened plain applesauce works best for the swap. 1/4 cup unsweetened plain applesauce = 1 egg.

STORAGE

If you won’t be baking right away, cover the bowl of cookie dough with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Store this sourdough chocolate chip cookie dough in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

WHAT IS SOURDOUGH DISCARD?

Sourdough discard is the portion of the starter removed and discarded before feeding the remaining starter. This portion must be removed to keep the starter maintained. As your starter is starting, you can end up with a lot of discard and that’s where sourdough discard recipes like these Sourdough Discard Banana Bread come in handy!

Need more sourdough recipes? Try this Easy Sourdough Discard Banana Bread. It’s seriously so good!