Chocolate Sourdough Cookies are one of my favorite ways to bake with sourdough discard. Instead of tossing out excess starter, you can turn it into a rich, chocolatey treat. The starter adds a gentle tang that balances the intensity of three types of chocolate, making each cookie taste complex without being overly sweet.
Cookies were actually where my baking started-the very first recipe I ever made was oatmeal cookies. Since then I've shared everything from classics like sourdough chocolate chip cookies to iced red velvet sourdough cookies, and these chocolate-loaded cookies have quickly become a staple right alongside them.
This recipe is simple to put together, no stand mixer, no chilling, and just 30 minutes from start to finish. Readers have called these some of the best cookies they've baked, and if you're craving more chocolate bakes, try my sourdough crinkles or sourdough chocolate biscotti next.
5-Star Review ★
These cookies are absolutely fantastic 😋 Triple chocolate, espresso and sourdough! Are you kidding me, so amazing! Thank you for a great recipe!
Jen
Ingredients and Substitutions
Espresso or strong brewed coffee: brings out the flavor of chocolate, if you don't like coffee, water, Earl Gray or black tea instead.
Sourdough discard: Since you are not using it to make bread, your sourdough starter does not need to be activated or fed for it to work in this cookie recipe. Feel free to use your discard directly from the fridge. If you don't have sourdough, simply add 28 g water and 28 g all-purpose flour into your recipe.
All purpose flour: Don't substitute whole wheat flour or your cookies will be dry and crumbly.
Cocoa powder: Use Dutch-processed cocoa powder, not natural cocoa powder which is acidic and will make your cookies too puffy.
See the recipe card for full ingredient details.
Baking with sourdough discard
Sourdough discard adds a great tangy flavor to these cookies.
Older discard will have a tangier, acidic flavor than freshly-fed sourdough starter. Both will work for this recipe, you'll get a slightly different result but your cookies will still be delicious!
Love cookies made with sourdough discard? Check out my recipes for Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies and Sourdough Sugar Cookies. Need more ideas? Check out my Top Sourdough Cookie Recipes.
Step-by-step Instructions
Make the cookie dough
STEP 1. Melt chocolate in hot melted butter and strong brewed coffee
STEP 2. Whisk sugars into cooled chocolate, butter mixture
STEP 3. Fold in the sourdough discard, egg, vanilla, flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa powder
STEP 4. Stir in the chocolate chips until well distributed throughout the dough
Bake the cookies
STEP 5. Portion out the dough and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet with room to spread
STEP 6. Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes
Notes from Hannah's Test Kitchen
- These Sourdough Chocolate Cookies are all about chocolate so make sure you invest in the best quality you can find, I usually reach for Lindt, Ghirardelli or Guittard.
- Let the melted butter cool completely. Hot butter will melt sugars and may cause your cookies to spread as they bake.
- Don't crowd your baking sheet. The cookie dough will spread a bit as they bake, arrange them at least 2 inches apart.
- Use a light-colored baking sheet. A dark colored baking sheet will absorb too much heat and burn the bottoms of your cookies.
- Don't over bake your cookies! They will turn out bland, chalky and dry.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. These cookies depend on residual heat for gentle baking, keeping them soft and delicious.
Make ahead instructions
Letting this dough rest in the fridge isn't just convenient, it also works like a long ferment. The dough has more time to develop, which brings out a deeper chocolate flavor in the baked cookies.
- Mix the cookie dough up to 1 week in advance.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap (or transfer to an airtight container).
- Refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Portion and bake straight from the fridge-no need to bring the dough to room temperature.
Note: This dough does not freeze well, so refrigeration is the best option for making it ahead.
Did this recipe rise to the occasion?
★★★★★
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Sourdough Chocolate Cookie Recipe
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Ingredients
- 113 grams unsalted butter
- 28 grams espresso or strong brewed coffee
- 50 grams dark chocolate chopped
- 150 grams brown sugar
- 50 grams white sugar
- 56 grams sourdough discard
- 1 egg
- 14 grams vanilla
- 180 grams all purpose flour
- 10 grams baking powder
- 6 grams salt
- 25 grams cocoa powder
- 172 grams chocolate chips
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
Instructions
- Melt the butter and chocolate: Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Place chopped dark chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Pour hot butter and espresso (or strong brewed coffee) over the chocolate, stir using a spatula until completely melted. Set aside and let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.113 grams unsalted butter, 28 grams espresso, 50 grams dark chocolate
- Whisk in sugars: Whisk the brown sugar and granulated sugar into the cooled chocolate and butter until the sugars are dissolved and the mixture looks smooth and thickened.150 grams brown sugar, 50 grams white sugar
- Make the dough:Add the sourdough discard, egg, vanilla, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder in that order into the mixing bowl. Stir until no traces of discard or egg and no dry bits of flour remain.56 grams sourdough discard, 1 egg, 14 grams vanilla, 180 grams all purpose flour, 10 grams baking powder, 6 grams salt, 25 grams cocoa powder
- Stir in chocolate chips: Stir the chocolate chips in until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes to allow the dough to firm up and become a little less sticky.172 grams chocolate chips
- Prep: While your dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375 F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Portion out cookie dough: Take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator and portion them out using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoon or 50 gram portions). Roll the dough out into rounds and flatten the top lightly. Arrange the cookie dough on your prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies have flattened out, the tops look dry and the edges look set. Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool completely on the baking sheets. Your cookies will not be completely set at this point, so do not move them.
- Enjoy and store: These cookies are best enjoyed once they have completely cooled and set, they are even better the next day! Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, any nutrition information provided is an estimate.
colleen konkel says
Hi there! Could these be made into a cookie bar rather than individual cookies? I like making my cookie recipes that way anymore. It's way easier to slice them into squares and it's fun to eat. Are there any adjustments to the recipe that should be made? Different baking time, etc?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Colleen! I've never tried baking these chocolate cookies into cookie bar. I'm not quite sure what baking vessel would be the best. But if you use something that would make them about 1-inch thick. You can bake these at 350 F for 20 to 25 minutes. Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Jen says
These cookies are absolutely fantastic 😋 Triple chocolate, espresso and sourdough! Are you kidding me, so amazing! I rolled them in powdered sugar prior to baking and they turned out all kinds of pretty! Thank you for a great recipe!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Jen! Thanks so much for your feedback. I am so glad you loved these, adding the powdered sugar is such a great idea for a holiday cookie box!
Becca says
This recipe is perfect if you like a soft, almost gooey cookie. It comes out so fudgey, has a good depth of flavor, and doesn’t have difficult techniques so it’s super straightforward to make! I will say if you’re sensitive to the taste of coffee, you might not love this, because you might get a hint of coffee taste, but I thought that made it that much better! Lastly, I did about 2 tsp of baking powder because the weight was registering in my scale and though it was less than the recipe said, it still came out perfect so it doesn’t seem super strict to have the right amount of baking powder at least:)
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Thank you for the feedback, Becca! So happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Clara says
Hi!! Question I just made this cookies. Divine! But super flat… what I did wrong?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Your butter may have been a little warm when the sugars were mixed in. It could also be the type of chocolate you used. Did you use Dutch processed cocoa?
Chelsea W says
Made these tonight and these are simply the best brownie cookies I have ever eaten!! Best way to use discard. Definitely will be trying more recipes. Thank you!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Yay! I'm so glad you found something you loved. Can't wait to hear what you try next.
Beata says
We really like these. They are light and not greasy like many other cookies. I was ready for the sticky dough after reading the reviews so I didn't roll them but rather just scooped with a teaspoon. For variety i added a few tsps of ground up dried coconut and a handful of walnuts.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So happy you loved them!
Cherish says
Great recipe but I was wondering if it’s normal for the dough to be extra sticky? I weighed everything and let it sit in fridge for 24 hours and even straight out of fridge when I try to roll it in a ball my hands are covered with sticky dough.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Cherish! Yes - the dough is very sticky almost brownie like.
L Walker says
This is one of the best cookies I have ever eaten. Definitely better with the flake salt. I do not normally love cookies to the point that I just want to keep eating them, but that is not the case with this cookie. Soooooo good.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
I am so happy these helped you discover a love for cookies!
deborah says
When you say 28 grams of espresso, does that mean espresso coffee in 28 grams of water ?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Deborah - this would be a 28 gram (ml) espresso shot. So the liquid should measure 28 grams.
Thea says
Worked a treat, most delicious cookies I’ve ever made-didn’t have Dutch processed cocoa, just used regular
Hannah Dela Cruz says
I'm so glad you love them!
Raelyn F. says
I absolutely love this recipe! I have a cottage bakery and am making a few dozen for my customers for Valentine’s Day! The cookies turn out amazing, but mine do not flatten as much as yours. Do you know what could be causing this?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Did you use Dutch-processed cocoa powder? You can always flatten the cookie dough for a little bit before baking.