Discard Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you’re a sourdough enthusiast, you probably know the struggle of dealing with starter discard. Instead of tossing it out, why not turn it into something delicious? These discard brown butter chocolate chip cookies are a perfect solution. With the nutty richness of brown butter and the comforting sweetness of chocolate chips, these cookies are a treat you won’t want to miss!
What is Brown Butter?
Brown butter, or beurre noisette, is simply butter that has been melted and cooked until the milk solids turn a deep golden brown. This process enhances the flavor, giving it a rich, nutty taste that can elevate both sweet and savory dishes.
How to make Brown Butter
Start with Unsalted Butter: Use unsalted butter for better control over seasoning.
Melt the Butter: Place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Watch for Color Changes: As it melts, it will foam. Keep stirring gently, watching closely as the color changes from yellow to golden brown.
Smell the Nutty Aroma: When it reaches a nutty fragrance and a brown color, remove it from the heat to prevent burning.
Strain if Desired: You can strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the browned solids, or leave them in for added flavor.
Tips:
Keep an Eye on It: Brown butter can go from perfect to burnt very quickly, so stay attentive.
Storage: Store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Brown butter is a simple yet transformative ingredient that can take your cooking and baking to the next level!
What You’ll Need
Ingredients:
Sourdough Discard: 100g
Unsalted Butter: 140g
Granulated Sugar: 140g
Brown Sugar: 140g
Vanilla Extract: 8g
Baking Soda: 6g
Baking Powder: 6g
Salt: 3g
Chocolate Chips: 215g
All-Purpose Flour: 285g
Equipment:
Kitchen Scale
Sauce Pan
Stand Mixer
Baking Sheets
Parchment Paper
Cooling Rack
Step-by-Step Instructions
Brown your Butter
Place butter into saucepan and melt on the stove. Please see paragraph above on how to brown butter without burning it.
Mix Ingredients
Add the browned butter to the bowl of your stand mixer and allow it to cool slightly.
Add both sugars and mix well.
Add vanilla extract and discard, mix until smooth.
Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips. Mix to incorporate.
Add flour and mix until well combined.
Scoop Cookies
Scoop batter onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Cover and refrigerate for 2-24 hours; the longer you refrigerate the more intense the sourdough flavor will become.
I tried to skip this step and refrigerated the batter in my mixing bowl - do not do this. The batter was too hard to portion out and when I scooped the batter it just crumbled. I had to wait for the butter in the batter to warm so I could form the balls. (insert forehead slap here)
Bake
Preheat oven to 350°F
Bake cookies 10-14 minutes, or until the edges just barely start to brown - Large cookies will need to bake longer, smaller cookies will take less time.
Top with flakey or coarse sea salt as soon as they come out of the oven.
Cool & Enjoy
Carefully move cookies to a cooling rack.
Enjoy warm or store them in an airtight container for up to a week.
Tips & Notes
If you do not have a cookie scoop you can use a measuring cup and roll the cookies into a ball with your hand
Easily make these cookies completely vegan but using a plant based butter
Since these cookies do not have eggs, they will not spread much. I use a solid stainless steel pastry spatula to lightly smash the top of the cookies when there is about 1-2 minutes of baking time left
Conclusion
These discard brown butter chocolate chip cookies are a delightful way to use sourdough starter discard while indulging in a classic treat. With the rich flavor of brown butter and gooey chocolate, these cookies are sure to become a favorite in your home. So next time you have some discard on hand, don’t throw it away—turn it into something sweet! Happy baking!
Discard Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- Sourdough Discard: 100g
- Unsalted Butter: 140g
- Granulated Sugar: 140g
- Brown Sugar: 140g
- Vanilla Extract: 8g
- Baking Soda: 6g
- Baking Powder: 6g
- Salt: 3g
- Chocolate Chips: 215g
- All-Purpose Flour: 285g
Instructions
- Place butter into saucepan and melt on the stove.
- If you need help on making brown butter read my blog post on this recipe!
- Add the browned butter to the bowl of your stand mixer and allow it to cool slightly.
- Add both sugars and mix well.
- Add vanilla extract and discard, mix until smooth.
- Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips. Mix to incorporate.
- Add flour and mix until well combined.
- Scoop batter onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2-24 hours; the longer you refrigerate the more intense the sourdough flavor will become.
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Bake cookies 10-14 minutes, or until the edges just barely start to brown - Large cookies will need to bake longer, smaller cookies will take less time.
- Top with flakey or coarse sea salt as soon as they come out of the oven.
- Carefully move cookies to a cooling rack.
- Enjoy warm or store them in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
- If you do not have a cookie scoop you can use a measuring cup and roll the cookies into a ball with your hand
- Easily make these cookies completely vegan but using a plant based butter
- Since these cookies do not have eggs, they will not spread much. I use a solid stainless steel pastry spatula to lightly smash the top of the cookies when there is about 1-2 minutes of baking time left
