Sourdough Discard Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Rich, nutty brown butter, sourdough discard, plenty of chocolate, and flaky sea salt come together in these soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies. They're crispy around the edges, gooey in the center, and packed with flavor.

Ingredients

Brown Butter

• 226 g unsalted butter — 1 cup
• 15 g water — 1 tbsp

Cookie Dough

• 180 g dark brown sugar — ¾ cup + 2 tbsp, packed
• 100 g granulated sugar — ½ cup
• 100 g sourdough discard —  ½ cup
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 10 g vanilla extract — 2 tsp
• 315 g all-purpose flour — about 2½ cups
• 5 g baking soda — 1 tsp
• 3 g baking powder — ¾ tsp
• 4 g kosher salt — ¾ tsp
• 250 g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate — about 1½ cups
• Flaky sea salt, for topping

Instructions

1. Brown the Butter

Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat.

Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the butter foams and the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty and caramel-like.

Remove from heat immediately and stir in 1 tbsp water.

Let cool for about 10–15 minutes.

2. Mix the Wet Ingredients

Whisk together the cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.

Add the sourdough discard, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix until smooth and well combined.

3. Add the Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.

Do not overmix.

4. Add the Chocolate

Fold in the chocolate, reserving some for the tops of the cookies.

5. Chill

Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.

For the best flavor, chill overnight.

6. Scoop & Bake

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Scoop into 65–70 g balls (roughly 3 tbsp each).

Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and press extra chocolate onto the tops.

Bake for 11–13 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly underbaked.

7. Finish

Immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

🤎 The Secret

Pull them out when you think they're almost done.

The residual heat from the baking sheet finishes the centers, giving you those chewy edges + soft, gooey centers instead of a dry cookie.

Makes: 14–16 large cookies