Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies are everything a bakery-style cookie should be—thick, soft, rich with caramelized brown butter flavor, and loaded with pools of melted chocolate. The addition of sourdough discard adds a chewy texture while also putting extra starter to good use. Add my secret ingredient, powdered milk, to keep these cookies soft for days. This will be your new go-to discard cookie recipe!

*Timeline suggestion: Make the cookie dough the day before baking the cookies. An overnight chill gives time for the flour to hydrate, and this technique yields a cookie with a softer, more chewy texture.

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 11

Chill Time: 8

Servings: cookies

Equipment

Ingredients

227 g unsalted butter (1 cup/2 sticks)
220 g dark brown sugar, packed (1 cup)
100 g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk (~68 g) room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
120 g sourdough discard (1/2 cup)
330 g all-purpose flour 2(¾ cup)
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
14 g nonfat powdered milk (2 tablespoons)
111 g semi-sweet chocolate chips (⅔ cup)
111 g dark chocolate (⅔ cup), chopped into chunks, I prefer 70% cacao
8 g sea salt flakes (2 teaspoons) I prefer Maldon salt

Instructions

Brown the Butter & Chill

Slice the butter into smaller pieces. In a light colored saucepan, brown the butter over medium-low heat. Stir frequently to prevent from burning. Once the butter has a golden amber color, toasted flecks on the bottom of the pan, and gives off a nutty aroma, immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the butter into a heat safe bowl. Scrape all the toasted flecks from the bottom of the pan to include with the butter - this is where all the flavor is.
227 g unsalted butter
Chill the butter in the refrigerator until it returns to a solid form, about 3 hours.

Mix the Cookie Dough

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and use a spoon to break it up into smaller pieces.
Add the butter pieces to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the cookie paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. The mixture won't be smooth, but the ingredients should be fully incorporated.
220 g dark brown sugar, packed
100 g granulated sugar
Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and sourdough discard. Mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
120 g sourdough discard
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, fine sea salt, and powdered milk. Add it to the mixer bowl and combine with the butter mixture on low speed. Mix until just combined (avoid overmixing).
330 g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
14 g nonfat powdered milk
Add the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks and mix on low until combined.
111 g semi-sweet chocolate chips
111 g dark chocolate

Chill the Cookie Dough

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet, forming 24 cookies. For the perfectly shaped bakery-style cookie, pinch the dough, making it a bit taller. Cover and refrigerate the scooped cookie dough for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours. (see notes for freezing option)

Bake

Preheat the oven to 350°F/176°C. Place 12 cookies on 1 baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until the edges are set and are just beginning to brown. Sprinkle the top of the cookies with sea salt flakes. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Serve and enjoy!
8 g sea salt flakes
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days, at room temperature.

Notes

Freezing unbaked cookies: Once shaped, the cookies can be frozen and baked later. Store in a freezer zip top bag for up to 2 months. To bake frozen cookies, bake at 350°F/176°C and increase bake time to 11-14 minutes.
Try my Sourdough Sugar Cookies for another yummy discard cookie recipe!

Nutrition