I’ve been tinkering with a chocolate chip cookie recipe for years, looking for the one. This is it — a bakery-style cookie with rippled edges and deep pools of dark chocolate. Brown butter gives it warmth, and a touch of sourdough discard keeps the centers soft and pillowy.
Bakers Notes
• Rest the dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking. This lets the flour fully hydrate and the flavors deepen — the cookies bake thicker, with rippled edges and a soft interior.
• Use unfed sourdough discard at 100% hydration (equal parts flour and water). A small amount keeps the cookies soft and tender.
• Use the best dark chocolate you can find. Valrhona 70% fèves are beautiful here.
Sourdough Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Description
Makes about 10 large bakery-style cookies
Ingredients
⅔ cup (140 g) packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (90 g) granulated sugar
10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons (40 g) unsalted butter, very soft
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk
Scant ¼ cup (40 g) sourdough discard, 100% hydration, unfed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups + 2 tablespoons (260 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
8½ ounces (240 g) high-quality dark chocolate (60–72%), roughly chopped, divided
Instructions
- Brown the 10 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan until deeply golden and nutty. Immediately scrape into a heatproof bowl and let cool until fluid but no longer hot. Whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons soft butter until smooth and glossy.
- Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk until fully combined. The mixture should look thick and cohesive, not greasy.
- Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, sourdough discard, and vanilla until smooth and emulsified.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the dough and fold just until no dry pockets remain.
- Set aside a small handful of the chopped chocolate for topping. Fold the remaining chocolate into the dough, keeping the pieces uneven.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30–60 minutes, just until the dough is cool and scoopable.
- Scoop the dough into 90–100 g mounds (about ⅓ cup or a heaping large cookie scoop) and place on a parchment-lined tray. Keep the mounds tall and rustic; do not roll smooth. Gently press a few pieces of the reserved chocolate into the tops. Any remaining dough can be baked as a smaller cookie.
- Cover well and refrigerate the scooped dough for 12–24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the chilled dough mounds on the prepared sheet, spacing well apart.
- Bake for 13–15 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden, the tops are softly cracked, and the centers look just set.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. The cookies will finish setting as they cool.
Leave a Reply