Nailing the perfect blend of chewy and soft in a sourdough discard chocolate chip cookie can be tricky, but I've finally nailed it! Say goodbye to any cakiness and hello to the best cookies you'll taste this Christmas. With a special touch of sourdough discard and a mix of M&Ms and chocolate chips, these soft cookies are the ultimate Christmas treat!
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Ingredients
Chances are, the ingredients for these sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies are already in your pantry. No fancy stuff required, just everyday baking essentials and some sourdough discard!
- Softened butter adds richness and flavor. Make sure it's at room temperature, which ensures even mixing and a smooth texture in your cookies.
- White sugar adds sweetness and helps the cookies spread. Always ensure it's well-incorporated to avoid graininess.
- Brown sugar gives cookies a moist, chewy texture and imparts a slight caramel undertone.
- Sourdough starter discard lends a unique tanginess to the cookies. Ensure your discard is well-stirred and homogeneous before using. Clumps are not fun to have in cookies! It's best to use a discard of a 100% hydration starter, or else your dough might end up too dry or too wet. But don't worry if you don't know your starter's hydration: just use it and add a bit of flour if the mixture's too wet or a little bit of water if it's too dry.
- The egg acts as a binding agent, providing structure. For best results, use an egg at room temperature
- All-purpose flour provides the primary structure for cookies. Be careful not to overmix after adding to prevent cookies from becoming tough!
- Vanilla extract enhances the flavors. It's a must-have in most cookie recipes in my opinion, because it adds that warm, aromatic depth.
- Salt balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavor profile.
- Baking soda is a leavening agent that gives cookies their lift. Make sure it's fresh to ensure proper rise. The reason can use baking soda and not baking powder is literally chemistry: since our sourdough discard provides the acid to activate baking soda, we don't need the baking powder that has acid already added to it!
- M&Ms are for that festive Christmas touch, we're using only red, green, and brown M&Ms. A typical 200g package of M&Ms contains about 100g of these colors, so one package will do. Want to add more? See the substitution notes!
- Chocolate chips provide pockets of melty chocolate in every bite, elevating the cookie experience.
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Sourdough Discard Cookies For Christmas
You have the power to decide the sourness and fermentation level of your dough!
For those craving a deeper, tangy twist, let the dough sit in the fridge for up to 4 hours.
If you're eager to get baking, a minimum of 30 minutes is essential to ensure the butter hardens, ensuring perfect cookies every time.
Remember, we aim to bake with hardened butter for the best results!
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract on medium speed using a paddle attachment or hand mixer until well combined.
Add the room temperature egg and sourdough discard. Mix on low speed until just combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
Once the dough is formed, fold in the chocolate chips and M&M's.
Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes, but no more than 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Form about 22 cookie dough balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. You can use a cookie scoop or just eyeball the balls to make them roughly equal. Just remember that we want very nice, round balls, so when they melt, we're going to get perfectly round cookies.
Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350°F (180°C) or until the edges are golden brown and the middle is set. They'll continue to cook slightly during cooling.
Cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes and wait for them to firm up a bit. Then transfer them to a wire rack or on a plate if you don't have one.
Hint: To swiftly soften your butter, fill glasses with boiling water until they're hot. Empty them and turn them over your vertically placed butter sticks on the counter. The trapped warmth will do the trick! You can microwave it for about 7 seconds but don't melt it.
Substitution Notes
- Brown sugar - Coconut sugar can be a substitute for brown sugar. If you don't have either, you can also just use white sugar. Just note that the flavor might be a bit less caramelly and the color of the cookies a bit lighter.
- Salted butter - If you're out of unsalted butter, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe accordingly.
- Chocolate chips - Chunks give bigger melted chocolate spots, while chips spread chocolate evenly. Both work, but they feel different when eaten.
- M&Ms - Swap out the M&Ms for whatever you're feeling! Going for a festive vibe? Try white chocolate chips, crushed peppermint, dried cranberries, or even fun sprinkles. Mix and match to make the cookies your own!
Variations & Add-ins
There are endless cookie mix-ins out there to try. I often use the base of this recipe and add other things, not just chocolate chips and M&Ms. Here are some of the ideas you can try:
- Nuts - Try walnuts, almonds, or pecans. Roast them a bit for better taste.
- (My favorite!) Dried Fruits - Add raisins, cranberries, or dried cherries. Soak first to make them juicy.
- Chocolate - Use white, dark, or milk chocolate bits. For fun, try gooey chocolate chunks.
- Seeds & Oats - Throw in pumpkin seeds or oats. Toast them to make them crunchy.
- Sweet Stuff - Mix in coconut shreds, marshmallows, or crushed candies.
Tools You'll Need
- Electric mixer or hand mixer
- Large mixing bowl
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper
- Optional: Cookie scoop
- Optional: Wire cooling rack
- Optional: Kitchen scale
💭Crucial Success Tips
- Chocolate Chips: Pile them in for that melt-in-your-mouth feel.
- Dough: Should feel just right, not sticky or crumbly. Think play-dough.
- Respect the bake time: The cookies need to look a bit undone when you take them out of the oven. They might look soft, but they'll firm up as they cool. The trick is to get them out just when the edges begin to turn brown. You'll be tempted to leave them in for too long but if you want them gooey, don't overbake them!
- Don't rush the cooling: Let them chill on the tray for 5 mins, then move to a rack. If you try to move them to a rack right away, you risk breaking them apart. It's better to wait a few minutes.
🎥Video
FAQ
Sourdough discard adds a unique sourdough flavor and chewy texture to the cookies. It's a great way to utilize unfed sourdough starter. I swear I sometimes feed my starter just to have excess sourdough starter available to bake with!
Old Baking Stuff: Ingredients like baking soda and baking powder can lose their effectiveness over time. Always check expiry dates.
Over-Mixing: Going too hard on the mixing can cause the cookies to spread more than you'd like. Just mix until combined.
Oven's Off: Sometimes ovens don't heat accurately. Maybe it's running hotter than you think. An oven thermometer can help you know for sure.
Too Much Flour: Adding extra flour can make the cookies puff up. Always measure accurately, and consider using a scale for precision.
Butter and Sugar Mix: Creaming butter and sugar properly introduces air into your cookies, helping them spread and rise correctly. Make sure they're well combined and a bit fluffy before adding other ingredients.
Using an active starter is fine, as long as you understand the cookies will not be completely flat in that case. But they shouldn't rise very much, so if active starter is all you got and you really want to make these cookies - go ahead and try it!
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖Printable Recipe
Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies - Perfect for Christmas!
Nailing the perfect blend of chewy and soft in a sourdough discard chocolate chip cookie can be tricky, but I've finally nailed it! Say goodbye to any cakiness and hello to the best cookies you'll taste this Christmas
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (about 227g) softened butter
- ½ cup (about 100g) sugar
- ½ cup (about 100g) brown sugar
- 1 cup (about 225g) sourdough starter discard
- 1 egg
- 2 cups (about 250g) flour
- 1 tablespoon (about 15g) vanilla
- 1 teaspoon (about 5g) salt
- ½ teaspoon (about 3g) baking soda
- ½ cup (from a 200g package, about 100g) M&Ms
- ¾ cup (about 150g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract on medium speed using a paddle attachment or hand mixer until well combined.
- Add the room temperature egg and sourdough discard. Mix on low speed until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Once the dough is formed, fold in the chocolate chips and M&M's.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes, but no more than 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Form about 22 cookie dough balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. You can use a cookie scoop or just eyeball the balls to make them roughly equal. Just remember that we want very nice, round balls, so when they melt, we're going to get perfectly round cookies.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350°F (180°C) or until the edges are golden brown and the middle is set. They'll continue to cook slightly during cooling.
- Cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes and wait for them to firm up a bit. Then transfer them to a wire rack or on a plate if you don't have one.
Notes
To swiftly soften your butter, fill glasses with boiling water until they're hot. Empty them and turn them over your vertically placed butter sticks on the counter. The trapped warmth will do the trick! You can microwave it for about 7 seconds but don't melt it.
Chocolate Chips: Pile them in for that melt-in-your-mouth feel.
Dough: Should feel just right, not sticky or crumbly. Think play-dough.
Respect the bake time: The cookies need to look a bit undone when you take them out of the oven. They might look soft, but they'll firm up as they cool. The trick is to get them out just when the edges begin to turn brown. You'll be tempted to leave them in for too long but if you want them gooey, don't overbake them!
Don't rush the cooling: Let them chill on the tray for 5 mins, then move to a rack. If you try to move them to a rack right away, you risk breaking them apart. It's better to wait a few minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 22 Serving Size: 1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 21Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 17mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g
These sourdough chocolate chip cookies aren't just a treat for the holiday season; they're also a brilliant solution for using up that extra sourdough starter discard. With festive red and green M&Ms, they truly shine as the ultimate Christmas cookies during Christmas time!
Baking Schedule
Prep the Dough Early: Make your cookie dough a day before you want to bake. This gives it enough time to chill, which helps with the texture and flavor.
Chill Time is Key: Letting the dough rest in the fridge is a must. It allows flavors to meld and the dough to firm up. Aim for at least 30 minutes, but if you want that rich sourdough taste to shine, let it chill overnight.
Plan Your Baking: Once chilled, the dough is ready to bake! But remember, the longer it's chilled, the better the sourdough flavor. So if you can wait, it's worth it. If you're in a hurry, just make sure it's been chilling for a minimum of 30 minutes.
How To Store Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
You can keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days. I like to keep them in the fridge, so they stay fresh for at least a week.
Freezing: Flash-freeze cookie dough balls on a tray, then toss them in an airtight box. They'll last for at least 2 months in the freezer that way.
Baking Frozen Dough: No need to thaw! Space the frozen cookie dough balls evenly on the baking sheet, just like you would with fresh dough.
Cookies baked from frozen will generally need a little more time in the oven. Aim for 12-15 minutes at 350°F (180°C).
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End Notes
If something didn't go quite right or you hit a snag with the recipe, just drop a comment below. I'll do my best to help out! And if it all went smoothly, let me know how it turned out. I love hearing from you!
HAPPY BAKING!👩🏻🍳
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