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A stack of three thick cookies, the top one broken to show molten dark chocolate, flaky salt on the surface.

DiscardeasyNew recipe

Discard chocolate chip cookies

Sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies with browned butter, chewy centres, and crisp edges. The discard adds a subtle tang that deepens the flavour beyond any standard cookie recipe: complex and caramel-edged. One bowl, no mixer, no fermentation wait. Ready in under an hour.

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Ingredients

Makes about 16 cookies

  • Unsalted butter170g
  • Brown sugar (packed)150g
  • Caster sugar50g
  • Sourdough discard75g
  • Egg + yolk1 egg
  • Vanilla powder2g
  • Plain flour225g
  • Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)¾ tsp (5g)
  • Fine sea salt1 tsp (5g)
  • Dark chocolate callets (70%)170g
  • Light-coloured saucepan, small, so you can see the butter change colour
  • Large heatproof bowl
  • Whisk
  • Silicone spatula
  • Kitchen scale
  • Baking tray, flat, rimmed
  • Baking parchment
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Method

  1. 1

    Brown the butter

    8 min

    Melt 170g butter in a light-coloured saucepan over medium heat, stirring now and then. It foams, then foams again. Watch closely from the second foam: within 1–2 minutes the bits at the bottom turn golden and smell nutty. Take it off the heat straight away and pour into a large heatproof bowl, scraping in all the brown bits: they carry the most flavour. Cool for 10 minutes.

  2. 2

    Mix wet ingredients

    3 min

    Add 150g brown sugar and 50g caster sugar to the cooled browned butter and whisk vigorously for 1 minute until combined. Add 75g sourdough discard, the whole egg, extra yolk, and 2g vanilla powder. Whisk for another minute until the mixture is smooth, slightly thickened, and glossy.

  3. 3

    Add dry ingredients and chocolate

    3 min

    Add 225g plain flour, ¾ tsp (5g) bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), and 1 tsp (5g) fine sea salt to the wet mixture. Fold with a spatula until just combined and no dry flour remains. Add 170g dark chocolate callets and fold through. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky ~ this is correct. Do not overmix.

  4. 4

    Chill the dough

    30 min

    Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The dough can chill for up to 72 hours, and a longer chill gives a more complex flavour.

  5. 5

    Preheat the oven

    15 min

    Heat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan) / 375°F fan (200°C (180°C fan) / 400°F conventional) and line two baking trays with baking parchment. Start this during the last 15 minutes of the chill, so the oven is hot the moment the dough is ready.

  6. 6

    Bake

    14 min

    Scoop the dough into balls of about 45g each. Place on lined trays, 6cm apart. Press one or two extra chocolate callets on top of each ball and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake at 190°C (170°C fan) / 375°F fan for 11–13 minutes, until the edges are golden and set but the centre still looks underdone and glossy. Take the tray out and bang it once on the counter. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes.

  7. 7

    Cool and serve

    10 min

    Leave cookies on the tray for at least 10 minutes ~ they are too soft to move before this point. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, or serve warm after 10 minutes on the tray. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months.

Keeping it

  • Up to 5 days on the counterAirtight, with parchment between the layers.
  • Up to 3 months in the freezerBaked, or as raw dough balls to bake from frozen (add 2–3 minutes).
  • Warm it up160°C (140°C fan) / 320°F for 4–5 minutes melts the chocolate again.

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