Your search for the BEST sourdough chocolate chip cookies is officially over, you’re welcome! Made with sourdough discard and dark chocolate chips, these cookies get a bold upgrade from nutty brown butter and umami-rich white miso, taking a classic from familiar to completely unforgettable. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top seals the deal on these perfectly balanced, savory-sweet delicious cookies.
I’m sure you would agree with me that a solid chocolate chip cookie recipe is a staple in any kitchen. They are always my first choice when I need to make a batch of cookies for a work potluck, a birthday party, and especially during our family holiday cookie swap. And these sourdough chocolate chip cookies, oh em gee… they are the bee’s knees.
This recipe builds on a classic chocolate chip cookie base, with so many bells and whistles. Sourdough dicard adds moisture and a subtle tang. Brown butter adds nuttiness and a caramelized toffee-like note. Miso also adds moisture and a subtle umami. The result? A chewy cookie with crispy edges, soft center, and pockets of melty bittersweet chocolate. Every bite is sweet, salty and deeply crave-worthy, you may want to make a double batch!
Gather your ingredients
Below is a picture of the 11 ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. If you want to skip ahead, the complete list of ingredients with quantities is in the recipe card at the end of this post, as always.
Notes on key ingredients
- You’ll notice that I use brown butter for many of my sourdough discard recipes, even in this sourdough banana bread. This is because when you brown the butter, you remove water in the butter to make room for the extra moisture you’ll add in the form of sourdough discard.
- Sourdough discard adds that subtle tang and “breadiness”, as well as moisture. My sourdough discard is always at 100% hydration. You can use ripe sourdough starter as well, the acidity of the fed starter will be lower and your cookies will be less tangy.
- You only need egg yolk and not whole egg for these cookies. Egg yolk makes them more chewy, whereas if you add a whole egg, your cookies will be more cakey. Trust me, I’ve tried. Also, removing the egg white also makes room for the extra moisture in the sourdough starter discard.
- I use Miko Brand sweet miso (50% less sodium) from Tokyo Central – a Japanese grocery store I frequent. This miso paste contains 570 mg of sodium per 24 g of miso. So the amount I used in this recipe (36 g) contains about 858 mg of sodium, which is roughly equivalent to a rounded ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt.
Make sourdough chocolate chip cookies with me!
Follow along visually as we make this sourdough chocolate chip cookie recipe if you love seeing each step in photos. Otherwise, you can skip ahead, detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
Baker’s tips
- Chilling the dough is non-negotiable. You can always choose to bake any cookies without chilling but I think this step allows the flavor to develop giving you a much more complex and delicious cookie.
- Use a cookie scoop! I love my vintage 3-tablespoon scoop I picked up during one of my vintage shopping trips years ago. They make the perfect consistent size cookies that are not too big, not too small, just enough for an afternoon snack with tea.
- Don’t over bake: take the cookies out of the oven when the center is still slightly underbaked and allow the residual heat to finish baking your cookies for the best texture – chewy with soft and gooey center.
- Variation: trying adding toffee bits for the ultimate chewy and crispy texture in these toffee sourdough chocolate chip cookies!
Miso Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Baking Sheet
- Cookie Scoop
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 113 grams (4 oz) unsalted butter brown
- 39 grams (3 tablespoon) granulated sugar ~3 tablespoons
- 100 grams (½ cup) brown sugar light or dark brown
- 1 large egg yolk
- 5 grams (1 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
- 36 grams (2 tablespoon) white miso paste
- 60 grams sourdough starter discard 100% hydration
- 120 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour ~1 cup
- 3 grams (½ teaspoon) baking soda
- 180 grams (1 cup) dark chocolate chip bittersweet
- Flake sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Brown the butter – Heat unsalted butter in a light colored saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, it will become foamy. When the foam subsides, you will see clear bubbles, start whisking continuously at this point to keep the milk solids from burning. When the butter is caramel in color and smells nutty – about 8 to 9 minutes – take it off the heat and immediately pour it into the stand mixer bowl and allow to cool.113 grams unsalted butter
- Beat in sugar – Once the butter has cooled down, add both granulated sugar and brown sugar to it. Beat with the paddle attachment for at least 2 minutes until light in color.39 grams granulated sugar, 100 grams brown sugar
- Incorporate remaining wet ingredients – Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, miso paste, sourdough starter and continue beating for at least another 2 minutes until fluffy and creamy.1 large egg yolk, 5 grams pure vanilla extract, 36 grams white miso paste, 60 grams sourdough starter discard
- Add dry ingredients – Sift flour and baking soda directly into the wet ingredient mixture in the stand mixer bowl, stir until incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.120 grams all-purpose flour, 3 grams baking soda
- Add mix-ins – Add the chocolate chips, stir to distribute evenly. Stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the side and bottom of the bowl to ensure good distribution of chocolate chips throughout the cookie dough.180 grams dark chocolate chip
- Scoop and chill – Portion the cookie dough with a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop and place them on a lined baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days, before baking. Chilling the dough is essential to allow the butter to re-solidify, the flour to hydrate and the flavor to develop. Don’t skip!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake – Place 6 dough balls on a baking sheet, and bake 1 batch at a time for about 13 minutes, until the cookies start to turn golden but the middle is still slightly underbaked.
- Cool – Remove the baking sheet from the oven, sprinkle some flake sea salt on top and allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet to finish baking from the residual heat for 10-15 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.Flake sea salt for topping
Notes
- I use Miko Brand sweet miso (50% less sodium) from Tokyo Central.
- The cookie dough can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 6 months, once portioned.
- You can bake frozen dough balls without thawing, simply increase baking time by 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for 3-5 days to keep them fresh. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
