These Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft, chewy, easy to make, and a delicious way to use extra gluten free sourdough discard.
Made with brown sugar, salted butter, chocolate chips, and your favorite gluten free flour blend, these cookies have rich chocolate chip cookie flavor, crisp edges, and soft centers with just a subtle sourdough note. If you have excess gluten free sourdough starter sitting in your refrigerator, this cookie recipe is a great way to turn that discard into homemade gluten free sourdough cookies your family will want to make again and again.
Looking for more gluten free sourdough discard recipes? Check out some of my readers favorites like these Gluten Free Sourdough Discard Pancakes, Gluten Free Sourdough Discard Waffles or Gluten Free Sourdough Skillet One Pot Healthy Meal.
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Why You Should Make these Gluten Free Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients for Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
Note:
Below are the key ingredients you’ll need. You can find the complete list with measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Main Ingredients for gluten-free sourdough discard cookies:
The full list of ingredients and measurements in both grams and volume can be found in the recipe card below.
- Gluten free flour blend: I tested this recipe using King Arthur’s measure for measure gluten free flour blend. Different gluten free flours can absorb moisture differently, so results may vary slightly depending on the blend you use.
- Gluten free sourdough discard: This recipe is a great way to use excess gluten free sourdough starter from your refrigerator. Your discard does not need to be freshly fed. It adds subtle sourdough flavor, moisture, and chewiness to the cookie dough from what would be excess sourdough starter.
- Salted butter: Softened butter creams easily with the sugars and helps create rich flavor and soft texture. If using unsalted butter, you may want to slightly increase the salt to taste.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar: The combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar helps create soft centers, crisp edges, and classic chocolate chip cookie flavor.
- Egg yolks: Using egg yolks instead of whole eggs helps make these cookies rich, chewy, and tender.
- Chocolate chips: Use semi sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or your favorite dairy free chocolate chips. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top after baking is optional but delicious.
- Optional substitutions: For a dairy free version, try vegan butter that is in stick form rather than in a tub and dairy free chocolate chips. If you regularly bake egg free, a flax egg may work, though I have not personally tested it in this cookie recipe.
How to Make Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies: Step By Step Instructions
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with exact ingredients will be in the recipe card below!
- Allow the butter to come to room temperature. It should feel soft when pressed with a finger but still hold its shape. Avoid melted butter, which can cause the cookies to spread too much.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for about 5 minutes. The mixture should look lighter in color, fluffy, and slightly increased in volume.
3. Add the egg yolks, gluten free sourdough discard, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and fully incorporated. The mixture should look creamy and uniform with no streaks of egg remaining.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
6. Scrap down the sides of the mixing bowl to ensure all ingredients are combined
7. Stir and fold in the chocolate chips. The cookie dough should be soft and thick enough to hold its shape when scooped.
8. The finished cookie dough should look thick, soft, and slightly sticky, but still hold its shape when scooped.
9. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. After chilling in the fridge, the dough should feel firmer and easier to scoop, rather than super sticky.
10. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough. Leave about 2 inches between each cookie to allow for spreading during baking.
11. Bake at 350°F for about 11 minutes on the parchment-lined baking sheet. The centers may still look slightly under baked, but the edges should be set and lightly golden.
For extra gooey centers, remove the cookies when the centers still look slightly soft. For crispier cookies that are great for dunking in milk, bake 1 to 2 minutes longer.
12. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They will continue to set as they cool.
Baking Tip
Different ovens and baking sheets can affect baking times. Dark colored baking sheets often bake faster and can create crispier bottoms, while lighter colored baking sheets may require slightly more time in the oven.
Expert Tips for the Best Gluten Free Sourdough Discard Cookies
- Use room temperature ingredients
Room temperature butter and egg yolks mix more evenly into the dough and create a smoother texture.
- Measure your flour by weight when possible
Using a kitchen scale and measuring in grams helps create consistent results every time. Gluten free flours can vary significantly when measured with cups.
- Don’t skip the chilling time
Resting the cookie dough in the refrigerator allows the gluten free flour blend to fully hydrate. This helps improve texture and reduces excessive spreading.
- Save a few chocolate chips for the tops
Pressing a few extra chocolate chips into the tops of the dough balls before baking creates bakery-style cookies.
- For perfectly round cookies
If your cookies spread unevenly, use a round cookie cutter or drinking glass to gently swirl around the cookies immediately after baking while they are still warm on the prepared baking sheet.
- Let the cookies cool completely
The cookies may seem slightly under baked when they first come out of the oven. They continue setting as they cool on the baking sheet and cooling rack.
- Customize the chocolate
Semi sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chunks, milk chocolate chips, or a combination all work well in this recipe.
- Add flaky sea salt
A light sprinkle of flaky sea salt on warm cookies helps balance the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor.
Storage Tips
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. To help keep them soft, you can place a small piece of bread in the container. The cookies will absorb moisture from the bread and stay softer longer.
For longer storage, place the cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw at room temperature before serving.
You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough. Scoop the dough into portions and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, then transfer the dough balls to a freezer safe container or bag. Bake directly from frozen, adding 1 to 2 extra minutes to the baking time as needed.
If you enjoy warm cookies, a few seconds in the microwave will soften the chocolate chips and refresh the texture after storage.
Easy Substitutions
- Dairy Free: Replace the salted butter with your favorite vegan butter and use dairy free chocolate chips.
- Unsalted Butter: If using unsalted butter, add an additional ¼ teaspoon salt to the dough.
- Chocolate Chips: Swap the semi sweet chocolate chips for dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or a combination of both.
- For Taller Cookies: If you prefer a thicker, slightly more cake like cookie, add ½ teaspoon (2g) baking powder to the dry ingredients.
Tools For This Recipe
Shop my Amazon Store Front here or check out my recommended tools for this recipe:
Digital Kitchen Scale: I highly recommend measuring ingredients in grams for the most consistent gluten free baking results.
Cookie Scoop: A small cookie scoop helps keep all the cookies the same size for even baking.
Dark Baking Sheets: I prefer to bake these cookies on a dark cookie sheet to get crispy edges where as a lighter colored pan keeps them softer and needs to bake longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
2-4 can use keywords as well as internal links if possible
Gluten free sourdough discard adds moisture, chewiness, and subtle flavor to cookie dough. It is also a great way to use excess starter instead of throwing it away.
Yes. This recipe works well with cold discard straight from the refrigerator. It does not need to be freshly fed before using.
Chilling allows the gluten free flour blend to fully hydrate, which improves texture and helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
Yes. Store baked cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough and bake directly from frozen.
Yes. Substitute vegan butter for the butter and use dairy free chocolate chips. Results may vary slightly depending on the products used but I often have good success with a stick version of vegan butter rather than a tub style.
I hope you love these gluten-free sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies as much as I do. If you try it, let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you!
Gluten Free Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together the 113 g salted butter, 150 g light brown sugar, and 56 g granulated sugar for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the 2 large egg yolks, 100 g gluten free sourdough discard, and 4 g vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the 180 g Gluten Free King Arthur's Measure for measure flour blend (with xanthan gum), 3 g baking soda, and 5 g salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and fold in the 150 to 180 g chocolate chips.
- Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes. The longer the dough can be in the fridge, the better texture they will have. (Up to 24 hours)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
- Bake for approximately 11 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just set.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Once cookies are cool enough to eat and not burn your mouth, enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
- For extra gooey centers, remove the cookies when the centers still look slightly under baked.
- For crispier cookies, bake an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- Dark colored baking sheets often bake faster than lighter colored baking sheets.
- For thicker, slightly more cake like cookies, add 2g (½ teaspoon) baking powder to the dry ingredients.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freeze baked cookies or unbaked cookie dough for up to 3 months.
Tried this recipe?
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It is always best practice to double-check your ingredient labels for hidden sources of allergens.
Also, please note the nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation. It may vary based on ingredient brands, portion sizes, and preparation methods. For specific dietary or medical needs, consult a healthcare professional or registered dietitian.
