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Brown Butter Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown butter sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies with deep caramel flavor, chewy crinkled tops, and melty chocolate chunks. The dough chills for best texture, then bakes at 350°F until edges turn golden and centers stay soft.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
chilling 1 hour 1 minute
Total Time 1 hour 38 minutes
Servings: 18 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 270
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Unsalted butter
  • 1 cup unsalted butter For browning until golden and nutty.
Sugars
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed Packed brown sugar.
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
Wet ingredients
  • 1 large egg
  • 0.5 cup sourdough discard
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
  • 2.25 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
Chocolate
  • 2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks Use chunks for melty pockets.
Topping
  • 0.25 tsp flaky sea salt for topping Add right after baking for visible flakes.

Equipment

  • 1 saucepan
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Brown the butter
  1. Brown the butter in a saucepan for 5-6 minutes, stirring, until it turns golden and smells nutty. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes.
Mix the dough
  1. Whisk the cooled brown butter with both sugars until smooth. Whisk in the egg, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract.
  2. Stir in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined. Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chunks.
Chill and bake
  1. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour until firm. The surface should look slightly matte and scoopable.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line sheet pans with parchment. Scoop 3-tablespoon balls and space them apart.
  3. Bake at 350°F for 11-13 minutes, until edges are golden and centers are still soft. The cookies should look slightly underdone in the middle.
Finish
  1. Top the hot cookies with flaky sea salt. Cool for 10 minutes on the sheet until they set.

Notes

For thick, crinkly tops, chill the dough at least 1 hour and avoid over-baking—the centers should remain soft when you pull the tray. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature, or freeze for up to 2 months (thaw at room temp). If you want a lighter option, use 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour for the same method and keep an eye on baking time by 1-2 minutes.