Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies

There’s a morning in early September when you just know summer has packed up her beach towels and fall has quietly slipped in with her soft sweaters and golden light. The air smells different. The kids notice it too, even if they can’t quite put it into words. For us, that first hint of fall always seems to land right as we dive back into homeschooling. The house feels alive again with fresh lesson plans, new schoolbooks stacked high, and the sound of pencils scratching across paper. It’s both exciting and a little bittersweet, trading long lazy summer days for rhythm, structure, and yes… earlier mornings. Even for homeschoolers, the transition is real!

This year, on our very first "official" school day, I decided to mark the occasion with something warm and cozy, sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies. You see, my sourdough starter is like another family member at this point fed regularly, living happily in the fridge, she even had a name, it's Poppy. Anyone who bakes sourdough knows you end up with a good bit of discard. Instead of tossing it (which always feels wrong), I like to turn it into something special. These cookies are slightly tangy, perfectly chewy, and packed with lots of melty chocolate! The perfect after-math, after-reading, after-anything treat!

While the kids worked through their first math lessons of the year, the smell of brown butter and chocolate filled the house. I pulled the tray out of the oven, and before they could even finish their handwriting practice, I had three smiling faces in the kitchen asking, “Are those for us?” Yes. Always yes. Because homeschooling isn’t just about books and lessons, it’s about creating a home filled with warmth, good food, and sweet moments to remember.

Ingredients:

Makes about 25 cookies

225g butter, browned

380g all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

220g white sugar

220g brown sugar

2 eggs

240g sourdough starter discard

1 tsp vanilla extract

250 dark chocolate chips

250 semisweet chocolate chips

Sea salt (optional)

Method:

1. First you need to brown the butter. Don’t be tempted to skip this step because this isn’t just done for flavor, it also removes the water content from the butter. If you skip this step the cookies will have a very different texture. Place the butter into a saucepan and over medium/high heat cook until the butter melts, bubbles and then foams. Keep a close eye on it as it can burn quickly, when the milk solids have browned the water will have been evaporated, so remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. It should smell nice and toasty.

2. Place the butter, sugars, vanilla, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment and whisk for a couple minutes to combine and to break up any lumps. Add the eggs one at a time and whisk for 2-3 minutes on medium/high.

3. Next, add the discard, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and chocolate chips. Mix on low speed, just until everything comes together as a dough. Finally, place plastic wrap onto the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minuets. You can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Just keep in mind the longer the cookies dough sits the more sourdough flavor it will take on. (that's not a bad thing)

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment pepper. Scoop the dough and form it into balls. press them down slightly to make room for the salt. Top each cookie with a bit of sea salt. This helps to balance out the sweet chocolate and the tang of the discard. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minuets.

If you are baking them frozen, bake them 15-20 minuets.

My favorite way to serve these sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies are fresh out of the oven! So, I only bake what I need and form the rest of the dough into balls and keep them in the freezer. That way you can have freshly baked cookies whenever the kids are finished with their schoolwork!

---

I hope you are jumping into the new school year with both feet and giving these sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies a try. Share this recipe with a sourdough baking friend! If you give it try, let me know, I would love to hear from you! If you want to stay in the loop and never miss another blog post, subscribe to me email list today!

Subscribe Today!