Sourdough Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
By: Meara, East Coast Homestead
We all need a good chocolate chip cookie in our back pocket for any occasion. These sourdough brown butter chocolate chip cookies will put all other cookies to shame. Perfectly gooey, filled with chocolate, and rich in flavor – they are simply the perfect cookie.
Saying sourdough brown butter chocolate chip cookies is a mouthful. BUT these cookies are a mouthful of flavor, so I guess it’s fitting!
These cookies have the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and chocolatey goodness. I think my husband requests these cookies weekly, and they have become one of our homestead’s favorites.
This sourdough brown butter chocolate chip cookie dough is always prepped and stocked in my freezer, ready to bake fresh cookies for any occasion.
My sister-in-law inspired me to do this. Instead of baking 12-15 cookies in one sitting, just bake what you need and save the rest of the dough for later. By freezing portioned cookie dough, we have warm, delicious cookies more often!
These cookies are rich and full of complex flavor. I guarantee you will need a glass of milk paired with your cookie. The brown butter gives a pleasant nutty flavor, but the sourdough discard brings an additional “jouze” to the cookies!
Cookies
Hour and 23 minutes
Calories
Good For:
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Butter – Brown your butter and let it return to a softened room temperature before mixing cookie dough.
- Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Sourdough Discard
- Egg Yolk
- Vanilla Extract
- Unbleached All-purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Chocolate Chips
Tools you may need
- Stand Mixer
- Paddle Attachment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Small Pot
- Wooden Spoon
- Baking Sheet
Tips for making Sourdough Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Browning your butter takes extra effort and love, but it is worth it! Read above the best way to brown your butter.
- I recommend letting your brown butter return to a slightly chilled/softend-butter state before mixing your cookie dough. Avoid using melted butter, as it will cause the cookie to become too flat during baking. The fat must be solidified and slightly chilled to get the best shape and consistency of your sourdough brown butter chocolate chip cookies. If your kitchen is warm, you can reach the perfect butter consistency by popping it in the fridge for a bit.
- Let your dough do its thing! The best outcome with these cookies is to let the cookie dough chill in the fridge. I recommend letting it ferment in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours before baking to allow that sourdough flavor to develop. However, if you don’t have time, let the dough chill in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours before baking.
**If you haven’t an hour to spare, pre-roll your cookie dough with your cookie scoop and place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Next, put the baking sheet in the freezer for 20-30 minutes before baking. This is essential to avoid the cookies from spreading too thin.
Sourdough Health Benefits
What’s all the rage with sourdough? Maybe you’ve seen people get increasingly interested in baking sourdough bread and other baked goods. Is this legit or just a trend that will fade over the next few months? There are quite a few health benefits to sourdough, and in my opinion, this is one of those timeless traditions that have been around for centuries.
First, the grain is fermented, an extra step you won’t find in your store-bought bread. The fermentation process breaks down the gluten and phytic acid found in flour. Phytic Acid is an antinutrient that blocks our bodies from absorbing the other nutrients found in wheat. When phytic acid is broken down, it is easier for our bodies to digest the grain and get more nutrients out of it. Those with a slight gluten intolerance (not celiac) can even enjoy baked goods with sourdough because of the fermented grain.
Second, fermentation also helps produce beneficial probiotics from the yeast in sourdough, which will continue to make a healthy gut microbiome.
Lastly, one of my favorite fun facts about sourdough is that it surprisingly helps manage blood sugar. It seems like an oxymoron, right? Especially since we’ve been told our whole lives that bread is an empty carb and our bodies just turn it into sugar. In comparison, it might be true for most “commercialized” bread. When naturally fermented, sourdough has a lower glycemic index than white bread. This means it is slower to spike your blood sugar levels!
How To Feed Your Sourdough Starter
Feeding your starter is pretty simple. I’m sure it can feel like information overload when there are way too many opinions out there. The best way is to just keep it simple!
I feed my starter a 1:1:1 ratio. It’s simple and never fails me! You will want equal parts starter, flour, and warm water.
For example, if you have ½ cup starter, then you will feed it with ½ cup of flour and ½ cup of warm water.
The same goes for weighing with a kitchen scale. If you have 100g of starter, feed it with 100g of flour and warm water.
You will cover your jar with a tea towel or cheesecloth and let it do its thing on the counter. Within 4-12 hours, your starter should double in size. When it has reached “peak” or doubled in size, there is one more step to make sure the starter is bubbly and active enough.
You will want to perform a “float” test! This involves taking a small glass of cold water and plopping some of the bubbly starter into it. If it floats, it means the starter is active enough to bake with! Pretty crazy, right? And just like that, you’re ready to make some sourdough dinner rolls!
How to Brown Butter
Browning butter brings such a rich flavor to any chocolate chip cookie. It’s an extra step that takes a little bit of time. All you need is a small pan/pot and your butter.
Take your stick of butter and plop it right into your pan. Melt it down on medium heat. You are going to melt your butter until it starts to bubble.
Next, you will want to whisk and stir the butter frequently. During this process, you are browning/caramelizing the milk solids. Be sure to stir often to avoid burning the milk solids.
Over the next 3-5 minutes, you will notice that a beautiful caramel color is beginning to form under the bubbles. The butter will smell rich and nutty. This is when you will know your butter has reached perfect browning.
Immediately pour your butter into a heat-safe bowl to stop the cooking process. I recommend letting the butter come back to a softened room-temperature consistency in this recipe to create the perfect cookies that don’t spread out too thin! You can speed this process up by placing the butter in the fridge to cool.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
When making sourdough brown butter chocolate chip cookies, you are gonna want to start by browning your butter.
Take your stick of butter and plop it right into your pan. Next, melt it down on medium heat. You are going to melt your butter until it starts to bubble.
From here, you will want to take a whisk and stir frequently. At this point, you are browning/caramelizing the milk solids. You have to stir frequently to avoid burning the milk solids.
Step 2
Over the next 3-5 minutes, you will notice under the bubbles that a beautiful caramel color is beginning to form. The butter will smell rich and nutty. This is when you will know your butter has reached perfect browning
Pour the butter into a heat-safe bowl, place it in the fridge to cool down, and return it to a softened state.
Step 3
After your butter has resolidified, place it, along with the brown sugar and sugar, in your stand mixing bowl. Cream it together for 2-3 minutes until it turns white and fluffy.
Step 4
Next, add your sourdough discard, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until evenly distributed.
In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients—flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt—together. Then, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
From there, fold in your chocolate chips with a wooden spoon to ensure you aren’t overmixing your cookie dough. I recommend covering your cookie dough with plastic wrap and placing it in the fridge to cold ferment for 12-24 hours.
Step 5
If you don’t want to wait that long, place your cookie dough in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours. If you don’t have an hour to spare, pre-portion your cookie dough balls onto a prepared baking sheet and pop them into the freezer for 20-30 minutes to firm up before baking.
Step 6
When you’re ready to bake your cookies, preheat your oven to 375 and line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake your cookies for 10-12 minutes or until they are nice and golden brown. You will want to enjoy these cookies warm and gooey.
Step 7
Once your cookies are done baking, let them sit on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. These cookies pair perfectly with some fresh vanilla ice cream for the perfect sweet treat!
More Recipes
Sourdough Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Paddle Attachment
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Small Pot
- Wooden Spoon
- Baking Sheet
- Cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 1 Stick Butter Browned (Back to room temp) 113g
- ¾ Cup Brown Sugar (Packed) 165g
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar 50g
- ½ Cup Sourdough Discard (Stirred down) 115g
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 ⅓ Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour 180g
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- 1 Cup Chocolate Chips 175g
- Flakey Salt (Optional)
Instructions
Browning Butter –
- Brown the butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Stir the melted butter constantly. You will begin to notice the butter bubbling up. After a few minutes, you should start to smell a nice nutty flavor from the butter and little brown flecks at the bottom of the pan. These are the milk solids caramelized from the heat, which is what gives brown butter such a beautiful, complex flavor.1 Stick Butter Browned (Back to room temp)
- Remove the browned butter from the pan and allow the butter to solidify back to room temperature before making the cookies. (You can firm up the butter quicker by sticking it in the freezer for 10 minutes)
Making The Cookie Dough –
- Once the butter is cooled to room temperature, add brown sugar and brown butter to your stand mixer. Cream together at medium speed for a couple of minutes.1 Stick Butter Browned (Back to room temp), ¾ Cup Brown Sugar (Packed), ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- Once the butter is cooled to room temperature, add brown sugar and brown butter to your stand mixer. Cream together at medium speed for a couple of minutes.½ Cup Sourdough Discard (Stirred down), 1 Egg Yolk, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Mix well until everything is evenly distributed.1 ⅓ Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour, ½ tsp Baking Soda, ½ tsp Baking Powder, ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- Next, add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix on medium/low speed just until the flour is combined. Do not overmix the dough.
- Lastly, fold in chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.1 Cup Chocolate Chips
- Chill your dough for at least 1-2 hours before baking. If you don’t have an hour to wait, ball your cookies and place the dough balls on your cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 20-30 minutes before baking.
- Long Ferment Option: To long ferment, mix in the chocolate chips and place in the fridge for 12-24 hours before baking. This will allow the sourdough starter to develop a lovely flavor throughout the cookies.
Baking Instructions –
- Preheat the oven to 375 and place your cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges become brown and crisp. The middle of the cookie should still be soft and gooey-looking.
- Let the cookies sit for 3-5 minutes to set up before removing them from the baking sheet. Once slightly cooled, top your cookies with flakey salt and enjoy!Flakey Salt (Optional)
Notes
- Browning your butter takes extra effort and love, but it’s completely worth it! Read my How to Brown Butter section above if you need more help with this step.
- I recommend letting your brown butter return to a softened room temperature before mixing your cookie dough. I do not recommend using melted butter, as it will cause the cookie to become too thin. The fat must be solidified and slightly chilled to get the best shape and consistency of your sourdough brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
- Let your dough do its thing! The best outcome with these cookies is to let the cookie dough chill in the fridge. I recommend letting it ferment in the fridge for 12-24 hours before baking to let that sourdough flavor develop. However, if you don’t have time, let the dough chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours before baking. **
- **If you haven’t spare an hour, pre-roll your cookies and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 30-45 minutes before baking. This is essential to avoid the cookies from spreading too thin.
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