These sourdough blondies have everything I love in a dessert: chewy centers, crisp edges, and a deep brown sugar flavor that's incredibly satisfying. I tested this recipe multiple times in my home kitchen to get the texture and flavor just right. It's a one-bowl recipe made with simple pantry staples and a great way to put your sourdough discard to good use-adding moisture, complexity, and just the right tang to balance the rich sweetness.
★ 5-STAR REVIEW ★
I made these blondies for my husband using your recipe, as he's been requesting for them since I started my hand at baking. He said he loved them! It brought him a nostalgic feeling of his childhood. Thank you for sharing your recipes and knowledge! ☺️
Lee
How I perfected my recipe
This sourdough blondie recipe was one of the first I published on this blog. Although they were good, they fell short of my desired flavors and textures, leading me to revisit and refine the recipe over three years. While achieving a rich butterscotch flavor was straightforward, attaining the desired chewy texture proved to be a persistent challenge.
After three years of continually revisiting my sourdough blondies, I finally created foolproof recipe!
Decreased fat: My original recipe had 2 egg yolks and a lot more butter. While fat contributes to the desired chewiness, too much fat can't be absorbed by the flour, leading to gummy, greasy blondies that seemingly never bake.
More mixing: Borrowing a technique from my Sourdough Brownie recipe, I adopted a more vigorous mixing technique, ensuring my sugars were completely dissolved. Similar to the brownies, this approach yielded a lighter, fluffier texture, and an added bonus-a crackly, shiny top!
Decreased the amount of sourdough discard: Too much discard introduces too much liquid in the batter, which can lead to overly crumbly blondies.
Lower oven temperature: Gently baking the blondies for an extended period ensured the blondies were baked in the center while preventing excessive browning and dryness on the surface. This adjustment effectively eliminated the risk of raw blondies with excessively crusty edges.
What you need
Browned butter: Intensifies the nutty flavor of these blondies.
Dark brown sugar: Blondies need brown sugar to attain their rich butterscotch flavor and chewy texture. You can substitute light brown sugar but do not use granulated sugar or your blondies will be too tough.
All-purpose flour: Don't attempt to use another type of flour to your batter, especially whole wheat flour or your blondies will become to dry and crumbly.
Sourdough discard: You can use an active sourdough starter or add 28 grams of water and 28 grams of flour to the recipe if you don't have any discard.
See the recipe card for full ingredient amounts.
Step-by-step Instructions
Combine the butter and sugar
Whisk the sugars into the browned butter. The mixture will start off grainy (image 1). Add the egg in and whisk vigorously until it appears thick, smooth and satiny (image 2).
Make the batter
Stir in your discard until fully incorporated (image 3). Fold in the dry ingredients (image 4).
Bake:
Stir the nuts and chocolate chips into the batter (image 5). Bake in a lined 8-inch metal pan at 325 F for 35 to 40 minutes (image 6).
Notes from Hannah's Test Kitchen
- Do not under bake these blondies! Just like in my Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies, sourdough discard has a tendency to make gooey baked goods taste underbaked and acidic.
- Let the sourdough blondies cool in the pan, residual heat will allow these to bake fully while retaining their chewy texture without making them too dry.
- Don't skip toasting your walnuts! It enhances their nutty flavor and enhances their crunchy texture.
- Use a metal pan instead of glass or ceramic. Metal conducts heat more effectively, which prevents your blondies from being under baked in the center. If you insist on using glass, add an extra 5 to 10 minutes to your baking time.
- These blondies freeze beautifully, just wrap the individual slices in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.
Did this recipe rise to the occasion?
★★★★★
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Sourdough Discard Blondies Recipe
Equipment
- whisk
- 8-inch metal baking pan
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Ingredients
Batter
- 113 grams unsalted butter
- 68 grams walnuts
- 200 grams dark brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 56 grams sourdough discard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 grams baking powder
- 160 grams all-purpose flour
- 78 grams dark chocolate chips
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 325 F with a rack in the middle. Line an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a light-colored skillet over medium heat. Swirl the pan or scrape the bottom of the pan occasionally. Continue heating until foaming subsides and the milk solids appear darker and the butter smells nutty. Move to a large mixing bowl.113 grams unsalted butter
- Toast the walnuts: Transfer walnuts to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toast for 5 to 8 minutes or until the nuts are fragrant.68 grams walnuts
- Make the batter: Stir the sugar into the hot melted butter. Add the egg in and whisk vigorously until the mixture looks thick, smooth and satiny. Stir in the vanilla and sourdough discard until fully combined.200 grams dark brown sugar, 1 egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 56 grams sourdough discard
- Fold in the salt, baking powder and flour until no traces of dry flour remain.½ teaspoon salt, 5 grams baking powder, 160 grams all-purpose flour
- Add in the chocolate chips and walnuts.78 grams dark chocolate chips
- Bake: Transfer the batter to your prepared pan. The batter should be very thick, almost like cookie dough. Flatten the batter out to the edges of the pan.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center of the blondies bounce back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out just a few moist crumbs.
- Let the blondies set: Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
- Enjoy and store: Slice the blondies and serve. Store leftover slices in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 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
- Both active starter and sourdough discard will work in this recipe.
Feel free to substitute white chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips for dark chocolate. - Use peanuts, cashews, almonds or pecans in place of walnuts. Leave them out if you have a nut allergy.
- Do not underbake these blondies! Sourdough discard has a tendency to make gooey baked goods taste raw and unappealing.
- Let the blondies cool in the pan, residual heat will allow these to bake fully while retaining their chewy texture without making them too dry.
- Don't skip toasting your walnuts! It enhances their nutty flavor and enhances their crunchy texture.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, any nutrition information provided is an estimate.
Lee says
Hi, Hannah!
I made these blondies for my husband using your recipe, as he's been requesting for them since I started my hand at baking. He said he loved them! It brought him a nostalgic feeling of his childhood. I used semi-brown sugar so mine turned out lighter than yours in the pics, but the taste is on point! ☺️ I'm new to baking and am really interested in sourdough bread making, although I've only been able to bake treats from discards. But hopefully one day I'll be able to bake my own sourdough breads! Thank you for sharing your recipes and knowledge! ☺️
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Lee - This makes me so happy to hear. I love these blondies and I am so happy your husband did too.
Cheryl says
I used US measurements and mine turned out dry and cake-like, almost like a scone. The browned butter still gave them a delicious nutty flavor. Perfect with coffee or tea! Then I saw your advice about using a scale. I can’t wait to try again!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
It sounds like your cookies may have been slightly overbaked. These cookies can dry out quickly and lose their flavor if they spend too long in the oven.
Next time, try checking them about 30 seconds before the suggested baking time is up. They should still look a little moist in the center when you take them out. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet—carryover heat will finish baking them gently. Hope that helps! Let me know how the next batch goes.
Brittany says
super easy recipe to follow, turned out amazing!! These will be on repeat for sure, thank you! ☺️
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So happy you loved the recipe! This one is one of my favorites.
Emily P says
These were really tasty but mine turned out super greasy. Like so much butter. And they took a little longer to bake too. But very good and all my friends were pleased with them!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Emily - I'm so glad you still enjoyed your blondies! I was actually having the same issues with the previous iteration of this recipe so I completely reformulated it and added some useful info on the blog post about how to avoid these pitfalls. Hope you try the recipe again.
Hannah
Vera says
Every time I make this, it’s so crumbly and fragile, what do you suggest ? Thank you
Make It Dough says
You may be slightly over baking the blondies! Try not baking them for as long as you have.
Vera says
Thank you for your reply… I was using my convection oven 170 C for 25 minutes, still confused 🤔
Make It Dough says
Please keep in my mind that everyone's oven is different. Mine is not super accurate and has a tendency to run colder than others, so yours may just get a little hotter than mine does. All of these recipes are tested by me in my home kitchen, which may be different from yours so you'll have to tailor these recipes to make them work in your home. Try baking them for 18 to 20 minutes instead of 25 like you said and let us know if that works!
Carly says
Every time I make these they require a lot more time in the oven and still don't seem fully cooked. What do you suggest I do to get fluffy like they look in the picture?
Make It Dough says
Oh no! Sorry to hear that. You could try increasing the temperature a little bit. This bake is very forgiving! Try that and let us know how it goes.
Wendy says
These are as good as you say they are. I did use butterscotch chips and added a little extra dark rum and wow! people have loved them. Thankyou!
Make It Dough says
So happy you liked them!