Classic Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are not the thin, spread-out, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cookies you grew up with. They’re thick and cakey, and they hold their shape because the dough gets chilled twice and frozen before it ever sees the inside of an oven. This is also where my sourdough discard goes when the jar starts piling up. If you’re used to a sweeter, flatter cookie, this one’s going to surprise you.

Why You’ll Love It

• Thick, cakey cookies that hold a tall shape instead of spreading thin
• A genuinely good use for sourdough discard – active starter works too
• About a third of the sugar in a typical chocolate chip cookie recipe
• Make-ahead friendly – shape and freeze the dough until you’re ready to bake
• No special equipment beyond a stand mixer and an ice cream scoop

Ingredients & Equipment

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Volume measurements are included for convenience, but they’re approximate – a kitchen scale will always get you a more consistent cookie, especially for the flour.

• Cold unsalted butter, cubed (113 g / 1 stick): keep it cold, straight from the fridge – cold butter is what gives these cookies height instead of a flat spread
• Granulated sugar (75 g / ⅓ cup): creamed with the butter until light and fluffy – this recipe runs at roughly a third of the sugar in a typical chocolate chip cookie
• Honey (70 g / about 3 Tbsp): adds moisture and a light caramel note
• Vanilla extract (10 g / 1 Tbsp): mixed in with the honey
• Large egg (1): added after the honey and vanilla, binds the dough together
• Sourdough discard (120 g / ½ cup): unfed discard works perfectly here – active starter can be substituted if that’s what you have on hand
• Fine salt (½ tsp): mixed in with the baking soda and flour, not before
• Baking soda (1 tsp): helps give these cookies their rise
• Caputo Chef 00 flour (190 g / about 1¼ cups): a very fine Italian flour – mix it in just until it disappears into the dough, overmixing here is the most common reason these cookies won’t rise properly
• Chocolate chips (170 g / about 1 cup): folded in by hand at the very end, after the dough comes out of the mixer

Equipment

• Stand mixer: a KitchenAid with the paddle attachment creams the butter and mixes the dough
• Ice cream scoop: for portioning the dough into 12 even cookies
• Baking sheet and parchment paper: for chilling, freezing, and eventually baking the shaped cookies
• Freezer-safe bag: for storing the shaped, chilled cookies once they go into the freezer

Sample Schedule (3-Day)

Classic Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thick, cakey sourdough discard cookies that hold a tall shape instead of spreading thin – chilled and frozen before baking.

Print Recipe

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 17 minutes mins

Chill / Freeze Time 1 day d

Total Time 1 day d 37 minutes mins

Servings: 12 cookies

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Calories: 240

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Dough

• 113 g (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 75 g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
• 70 g (about 3 Tbsp) honey
• 10 g (1 Tbsp) vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 120 g (½ cup) sourdough discard
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 190 g (about 1¼ cups) Caputo Chef 00 flour
• 170 g (about 1 cup) chocolate chips

Heads up: Some of the links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Equipment

• Stand mixer
• Ice cream scoop
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Freezer-safe bag

Method

 

1. Cream the cold butter and sugar. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add it to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sugar and mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy and the sugar is fully incorporated. Keeping the butter cold here, rather than softened, is what gives these cookies their height.
2. Mix in the honey and vanilla. Add the honey (70 g / about 3 Tbsp) and vanilla extract (10 g / 1 Tbsp) to the bowl and mix again until well combined.
3. Add the egg and discard. Add the egg and the sourdough discard (120 g / ½ cup). Mix on medium speed until just combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients. Add the salt, baking soda, and flour (190 g / about 1¼ cups). Mix on low speed only until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough. Do not overmix – overmixing is the most common reason these cookies won’t rise properly.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the chocolate chips (170 g / about 1 cup) and fold them in by hand with a spatula, mixing as little as possible.
6. Scoop and chill. Using an ice cream scoop, portion the dough into 12 cookies and place them on a baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm.
7. Shape into towers. Once firm, shape each portion between your palms into a short, chunky tower rather than a flat ball. The taller the shape going into the oven, the less the cookies spread and the chunkier they bake up.
8. Freeze. Return the shaped cookies to the refrigerator overnight, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and freeze. Baking from frozen, rather than the same day, is what keeps them tall and thick instead of spread out.
9. Preheat the oven. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F and let it preheat fully for 30 to 40 minutes so the heat is even throughout.
10. Bake. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the frozen cookies at least 2 inches apart and bake for 16 to 18 minutes, keeping an eye on them near the end. If you prefer a slightly underbaked center, pull them a touch early – every oven runs a little differently.
11. Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Eat warm, or let them cool the rest of the way, your call.

Notes

I use sourdough discard here, not active starter. When discard is piling up in my fridge, cookies are where it goes. Active starter works fine too, if that’s what you’ve got on hand.

Keep that butter cold. Cold, cubed butter straight from the fridge is what gives these cookies their height instead of a flat spread.

When you shape the chilled dough, roll it into a short, chunky tower rather than a ball. The taller the shape going into the oven, the less it spreads and the chunkier the cookie bakes up.

How to Make It

Tips & Troubleshooting

• Cold butter matters: don’t let it soften before mixing – this is the biggest factor in how tall these cookies bake up.
• Don’t overmix once the flour goes in: mix only until the dough comes together, or the cookies won’t rise properly.
• Want a sweeter cookie: this recipe runs at roughly a third of the sugar in a standard recipe on purpose – add more sugar if you prefer the classic, sweeter, flatter style.
• Baking same-day: it will still work, but the cookies will spread more than they will from frozen.

How to Store

To store: baked cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days.

To freeze (my real recommendation): shaped, unbaked dough freezes beautifully. Keep it in a freezer-safe bag and bake straight from frozen whenever you want fresh cookies, no thawing needed.

Nutrition

Per cookie, based on a 12-cookie batch. Estimated from the ingredients used – provided for convenience and not a substitute for a precise calculation.