Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sourdough discard (unfed, at room temperature)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oven. Preheat to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Brown the butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Let it foam and brown lightly, swirling, until it smells nutty — about 3–4 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. (Plain melted butter works too, but browned butter is worth it.)
- Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the warm butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the sourdough discard, egg, and vanilla until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Fold into the wet mixture just until no flour streaks remain.
- Fold in the chocolate. Stir in the chocolate chips. The dough will be soft — scoop 2-tablespoon portions onto the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
- Bake. Bake 10–11 minutes until the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly underdone. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while warm.
- Cool. Rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. The centers set into chewy perfection as they cool.
💡 Sourdough discard tips
Use unfed discard straight from the fridge — no need to let it warm up first. The discard's tang balances the sweetness, so older, more sour discard actually tastes better here. For thicker cookies, chill the scooped dough 30 minutes before baking. Dough balls freeze beautifully: freeze on a sheet, bag them, and bake from frozen adding 2 extra minutes.
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