Sourdough Discard Brownie Cookies

Rich, fudgy brownie-style cookies made with three types of chocolate and sourdough discard: melted dark chocolate and cocoa give a deep, gooey brownie interior while a hit of espresso amplifies the chocolate and the discard adds a subtle tang.

Ingredients

• 113g unsalted butter
• 28g espresso or strong brewed coffee
• 50g dark chocolate, chopped
• 150g brown sugar
• 50g white sugar
• 56g sourdough discard
• 1 egg
• 14g vanilla
• 180g all-purpose flour
• 10g baking powder
• 6g salt
• 25g cocoa powder (Dutch-processed)
• 172g chocolate chips

Directions

Key ingredients

Baking Soda & Baking Powder

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Place the chopped dark chocolate in a mixing bowl, then pour the hot butter and espresso over the chocolate and stir until melted. Cool for 5 minutes.
2. Whisk the brown sugar and white sugar into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth and thickened.
3. Add the sourdough discard, egg, vanilla, flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Stir until combined.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
5. Refrigerate the dough 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment.
6. Portion the dough with a cookie scoop into 50g portions. Arrange 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
7. Bake 8-10 minutes, until the tops look dry and the edges are set.
8. Cool completely on the baking sheet.

Notes

For the fudgiest brownie-cookie texture, melting the chocolate (rather than relying on cocoa alone) is key, and letting the melted butter/chocolate cool completely before adding the sugars prevents excess spreading. Whisking the sugar thoroughly into the warm chocolate helps develop that thin, shiny crackled brownie crust as the cookies bake. Use Dutch-processed cocoa, not natural cocoa, which is acidic and makes the cookies too puffy. Sourdough discard can be used straight from the fridge with no activation needed; unfed discard gives the mildest tang. Do not overbake or the cookies turn chalky and dull, pull them while the centers still look soft for a gooey brownie middle. Store in an airtight container up to 7 days; the dough refrigerates well up to 1 week but does not freeze well. Adapted from Make It Dough’s Soft and Fudgy Sourdough Discard Chocolate Cookies.