Cookies are my favorite baked treat and one of my favorite ways to use my sourdough starter discard. I have several other sourdough discard cookie recipes on my site (like my sourdough snickerdoodles, sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies, sourdough discard shortbread cookies, my sourdough oatmeal cookies and sourdough molasses cookies). Not only do I love cookies, but I also love chocolate (who doesn’t though!) so I decided to pair these together for the ultimate sourdough chocolate cookies.

These sourdough chocolate cookies are chocolate lover’s dream. They have a rich chocolate flavor in both the cookie dough and in bursts of chocolate chunks with each bite. These sourdough discard cookies are decadent and indulgent, but they are also a great way to use extra sourdough starter. Personally I prefer chewy cookies rather than cakey cookies and these brownie-like cookies fit that bill.

There is a stack of 4 double chocolate sourdough cookies that are stacked and tied decoratively with kitchen twine. In the background is a baking sheet filled with more cookies.

How to Use Sourdough Starter when Making Cookies

Sourdough starter in cookies adds both moisture and flour. With that being said, you want to make sure your starter has the correct ratio of water to flour.

This recipe (and most sourdough discard recipes out there) call for 100% hydration starter. This means the sourdough starter has been fed equal parts water and flour. If your starter is more “liquid” or “stiff”, you can adjust your starter by adding a bit of flour or water to create the desired consistency.

If you eyeball your flour and water when feeding your starter, that is okay. Just know that you might have some variable results with these cookies in terms of consistency. Sourdough starters that have a higher water content will results in a cookie that is more cakey. If your starter is more on the liquidy side, you can omit the egg white and only use the egg yolk. Egg whites contibute a higher water content whereas the egg yolks act more as a fat, which will make the cookies chewier.

You can use either active sourdough starter or sourdough starter discard. Active starter will have more bubbles throughout so make sure you stir it a bit before using a measuring cup to ensure you have the right measurement. The best way to measure the starter is by weighing it on a kitchen scale.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you need to make these sourdough discard blueberry scones:

sourdough chocolate cookie ingredients in individual measuring cups and bowls.

Flour: I recommend all purpose flour but you can also use bread flour. If you want to add some whole wheat flour only use about 25% of the entire amount of flour or the consistency will be off.
Brown sugar: You can use light or dark brown sugar. I do not recommend substituting white sugar or the texture will be too dry.
Unsalted butter: you can use salted butter in this recipe if that is what you have on hand. If using salted butter, I recommend decreasing the salt in the recipe by 1/4 teaspoon.
Cocoa powder: I recommend dutch-processed cocoa powder. This type of cocoa powder has a deeper chocolate flavor compared to natural cocoa.
Vanilla
Egg
Sourdough discard: see notes above.
Baking soda
Salt
Chocolate chips: I used dark chocolate chunks for this recipe but you can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips. I really like the rich and somewhat bitter flavor that dark chocolate adds but semi-sweet chocolate works great as well. The will be slightly sweeter which many people prefer.

How to Make Sourdough Chocolate Cookies

sourdough chocolate cookie dry ingredients being whisked in small bowl.

Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients.

butter and brown sugar creamed together in bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment.

Step 2: Cream the butter and brown sugar.

sourdough double chocolate cookie wet ingredients in bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment that has been mixed together.

Step 3: Add the eggs, vanilla, and sourdough discard.

sourdough chocolate cookie dough in bowl of stand mixer.

Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

wooden spoon stirring in dark chocolate chunks into chocolate sourdough cookie dough.

Step 5: Stir in the chocolate chip cookies.

sourdough double chocolate chip cookies on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkled with flaky sea salt.

Step 6: Roll the cookie dough and top with extra chocolate chunks. Bake for 12-14 minutes.

How to Store Sourdough Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Store these sourdough cookies in a large plastic storage zip loc bag or another airtight container. You can also keep them on a serving plate covered with plastic wrap. For best results, consume these cookies within 1 week.

How to Make Ahead

These double chocolate sourdough discard cookies can be frozen ahead of time. Simply roll the dough into individual cookie dough balls, place them on a baking sheet and freeze completely for about 2 hours. Once frozen, transfer the cookie dough balls to a gallon size freezer-safe bag. When you are read to bake, follow the instructions as written but add a few extra minutes to the baking time. I recommend using the cookie dough within 3 months.

You can also freeze the cookies themselves in a gallon freezer bag and defrost at room temperature when ready to serve.