🍪 These Brown Butter Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies are rich, chewy, and loaded with deep flavor from brown butter, cinnamon, and discard!
Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you’re wondering what to do with sourdough discard, these Brown Butter Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies are the answer. This recipe combines the rich nuttiness of brown butter with the chewy goodness of chocolate chip cookies. A touch of cinnamon and the slight tang from the sourdough discard make these some of the best chocolate chip cookies you’ll ever bake.
⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for using up sourdough discard
- Rich flavor from brown butter and brown sugar
- Soft, chewy texture that stays fresh for days
- Easy to make with pantry staples
- Bakery-style look and taste
🛒 Ingredients & Substitutions
- unsalted butter – use salted and reduce added salt
- light brown sugar – dark brown sugar adds more molasses flavor
- granulated sugar
- large egg + yolk
- sourdough discard – use unfed, room temp discard
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- ground cinnamon – optional, but it adds just a hint of warmth and complexity.
- chocolate chips or chopped chocolate – dark, milk, or semi-sweet all work
- flaky sea salt – optional topping for a gourmet finish
✨ Variations
- Skip the cinnamon for a more traditional flavor
- Add chopped nuts for crunch
- Swap chocolate for white chocolate or peanut butter chips
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How to make Brown Butter Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
🔥 Tips
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours to prevent spreading
- Use room temperature discard
- Scoop before chilling for easy baking
- Watch the butter closely when browning to avoid burning
❓ FAQs
You can, but it changes the flavor and texture. Try another chocolate chip recipe instead.
Unfed white flour discard, ideally less than a week old, works great.
Either the dough was not chilled long enough, or the butter was too warm when mixing.
Yes! You can refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days. The flavor gets even better with time.
Yes. Scoop into balls, freeze on a baking sheet, then store in a freezer-safe bag. Bake straight from frozen with an extra 1–2 minutes of bake time.
The combo helps balance spread and rise, especially with the moisture from the discard.
To keep your cookies fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies for up to 2 months. You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough balls and bake them later. Just add a couple of minutes to the bake time. These cookies stay soft and chewy, making them one of the best make ahead sourdough discard recipes.
This is one of those sourdough discard recipes that proves baking can be both resourceful and delicious. These brown butter chocolate chip cookies are a must-try for cookie lovers.
🍽️ Other recipes you may enjoy
Brown Butter Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- saucepan
- cookie scoop
- large baking sheet
- parchment paper
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- large round cookie cutter or glass (for scooting cookies)
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
- ½ cup sourdough discard unfed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-1/2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate plus extra for topping
- flaky sea salt for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir and swirl occasionally until it foams, then turns golden brown and smells nutty. Scrape all the browned bits into a large mixing bowl. Let it cool for 10–15 minutes.
- Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to the brown butter and whisk to combine.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth and glossy.
- Stir in the sourdough discard until fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 72 hours. Chilling is essential for thicker, more flavorful cookies.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop dough into 2-tablespoon-sized balls and place 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes or until the edges are golden and the centers still look slightly soft.
- Immediately after baking, press extra chocolate chips on top and use a large round cookie cutter or glass to gently “scoot” the cookies into perfect circles, if desired.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if using. Allow to cool completely.
Notes
- Don’t skip chilling the dough. This is key for preventing spread and developing deep, rich flavor. Chill for at least 2 hours, but up to 3 days is ideal. 24 hours would be ideal to help with the chill time and develop flavor. I have tried making the cookies without the chill time, and they just came out a bit thin. They were delicious, but chilling is essential.
- Use room temperature discard. Cold discard can cause the dough to seize or clump. Let it come to room temperature. Room temperature is key in making these cookies.
- Scoop before chilling (optional): For easier scooping, portion the dough before refrigerating.
- When making the brown butter, be sure to keep a close eye on it. The butter goes from browned to burnt quickly.
- Scooting cookies with a cutter while they’re hot helps them look uniform and bakery-style. Additionally, adding extra chocolate chips before or after cooking will also help achieve that bakery look.
Storage Tips
Room Temperature:- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Add a slice of sandwich bread to the container to help keep the cookies soft.
- Scoop dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet until solid.
- Transfer to a freezer-safe zip-top bag and store for up to 3 months.
- Bake directly from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
- Let cookies cool completely.
- Freeze in a single layer or stack with parchment between layers in a zip-top bag.
- Good for up to 2 months.
- Reheat in a 300°F oven for 3–5 minutes for that fresh-baked feel.
Nutrition
Please note that the nutritional information listed on this page is an estimation based on the products I used. Ingredients and nutritional information can vary significantly between brands. Always be sure to read labels. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Likewise, recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them.
I’m Jamie, a self-taught home cook passionate about sharing easy, delicious, and family-friendly recipes. From comforting classics to irresistible desserts, I believe homemade food brings people together. Join me on my journey of creating and sharing meals that bring joy to every table!
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