This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details.
🍪 These Brown Butter Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies are rich, chewy, and loaded with deep flavor from brown butter, cinnamon, and discard!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItChocolate 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.
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.
⭐ 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
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
🔥 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, then freeze on a baking sheet. Store in a freezer-safe bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding an extra 1–2 minutes of baking 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.
🍽️ Other Recipes You May Enjoy
Brown Butter Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
Would you like to save this?
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- round biscuit cutter/cookie cutter (for scooting cookies)
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, 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
🥡 STORAGE
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Add a slice of sandwich bread to the container to help keep cookies soft.
♨️ REHEATING
- Warm baked cookies in a 300°F oven for 3–5 minutes.
- Microwave individual cookies for 8–10 seconds for a quick warm-up.
- Air fryer: Heat at 300°F for 2–3 minutes for a slightly crisp edge.
❄️ FREEZING
- Freeze baked cookies in a zip-top bag for up to 2 months. Let cookies cool completely. Freeze in a single layer or stack with parchment between layers in a zip-top bag. Reheat in a 300°F oven for 3–5 minutes to achieve a fresh-baked feel.
- Freeze cookie dough balls on a baking sheet, then store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake frozen dough balls straight from the freezer, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
💡 TIPS FOR BEST RESULTS
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours to help cookies hold their shape and deepen flavor.
- Use room-temperature sourdough discard for optimal texture and even mixing.
- Brown the butter carefully and scrape in all the browned bits for maximum flavor.
- Press extra chocolate chips on top before or after baking for a bakery-style look.
- “Scoot” cookies into round shapes right after baking to make them look picture-perfect.
🍳 ALTERNATE COOKING METHODS
- No alternate methods apply for this recipe. Cookies must be baked in a conventional oven.
♻️ LEFTOVERS
- Store leftover cookies at room temperature for snacking throughout the week.
- Crumble leftover cookies over ice cream or yogurt for a quick dessert.
- Use leftover cookie dough chunks in brownies, milkshakes, or skillet cookies for a delicious treat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I misread the ingredients and saved only 1/4 cup of discard, can I still use the recipe as is with that amount?
These are the best sourdough discard cookies I have ever made. They are soft and delish!
My family and friends LOVE these cookies. This recipe is pure bliss. Thanks!
Your list of ingredients doesn’t call for cornstarch but in step 5 you mention cornstarch….
I’m so sorry! I had included it in my initial tests, but after further testing, I found the discard kept the cookies soft and moist without needing the cornstarch. I took it out of the ingredients, but forgot to remove it from the instructions. It has been fixed now – thanks so much for bringing it to my attention.