Rich & Nutty Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Rich & Nutty Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sourdough Discard Delight: Deeply Flavorful Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
If you’ve been baking sourdough lately, you might have some starter discard to use up! This recipe is wonderfully easy because it uses hazelnut-infused brown butter. It’s a simple mix-and-bake recipe for a deliciously sweet chocolate chip cookie. Let’s get baking!
Ingredients (Yields about 18-19 cookies)- 226g unsalted butter, softened (for 180g brown butter)
- 100g granulated sugar
- 180g muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
- 200g sourdough starter discard (refrigerated is fine)
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 355g all-purpose flour (we recommend Korean ‘Baekmil’ if available)
- 6g baking soda
- 4g baking powder
- 3g salt
- 170g dark chocolate chips
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s make brown butter (nutty butter) to enhance the cookie’s flavor. Dice the butter and place it in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Gently cook it, stirring occasionally.
Step 2
As the butter melts, it will begin to sizzle and foam. Watch closely as the milk solids at the bottom start to toast.
Step 3
The butter will turn a beautiful amber or brown color, smelling wonderfully nutty. Once it reaches this stage, immediately remove it from the heat. To stop the cooking process, you can plunge the bottom of the saucepan into an ice bath. This prevents it from burning.
Step 4
Measure out 180g of the cooled brown butter and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Allow it to cool to room temperature, aiming for around 24-26°C (75-79°F). It should be warm but not hot to the touch.
Step 5
Once the brown butter has cooled to room temperature, add the granulated sugar and muscovado sugar (for a deeper caramel note), and the vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.
Step 6
Add the two egg yolks to the mixture and whisk again until the ingredients are smoothly incorporated.
Step 7
Now, add the sourdough starter discard. Whisk until everything is evenly mixed. The starter adds a wonderful subtle tang and chewiness to the cookies.
Step 8
Don’t worry if your sourdough starter is straight from the refrigerator; it’s perfectly fine to use it cold.
Step 9
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Lightly mix them to ensure even distribution. Add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients in two additions, sifting it if possible. Use a spatula to gently fold the ingredients together until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Overmixing can lead to tough cookies.
Step 10
When the flour is mostly incorporated but a few streaks remain, gently fold in the dark chocolate chips. Distribute them evenly throughout the dough.
Step 11
Divide the cookie dough into portions of about 70g each. Roll each portion into a smooth ball. You can adjust the size based on your preference.
Step 12
Place the formed dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover them with plastic wrap or place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. For the best flavor development from the sourdough, chilling overnight is highly recommended. This allows the flavors to meld beautifully.
Step 13
After chilling for at least 2 hours, I took the dough balls out, arranged them on my baking pan with sufficient spacing, and prepared them for baking.
Step 14
Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C (375°F) for about 13 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. For these cookies, I adjusted the temperature down to 170°C (340°F) after preheating. Around the 9-10 minute mark, I gently pressed down on the cookies with a spatula to encourage them to spread slightly. Once baked, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This prevents them from breaking. While they are still warm on the baking sheet, you can gently reshape them with a spatula or a round cookie cutter for a perfectly uniform look. Enjoy your delicious, homemade chocolate chip cookies!
