Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies: Cinnamon Spiced & Salted

Imagine ooey-gooey, chewy, dark chocolate chip cookies… with a dash of snickerdoodle lovin’. And a hint of warm gingerbread spice. How about a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top? Forget about it! Sounds too good to be true, right?! But that’s what you’re going to get with these drool-worthy spiced sourdough chocolate chip cookies.

If you prefer your cookies classic and don’t want the added spice, it’s all good. You can easily omit some optional ingredients and keep them as simple as you’d like. Yet if you stick to our recipe, these just might be the best sourdough chocolate chip cookies ever! You know… sugar and spice and everything nice.

Are you in need of a sourdough starter? You can either learn how to make one from scratch here, or pick up a dry sourdough starter from our shop – it’s 100% organic, alive, and essentially fool-proof to get going!

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Can I bake my sourdough cookies the next day?

Like most sourdough baking, this sourdough chocolate chip cookie recipe is very flexible when it comes to timing! You can bake the cookies an hour after you mix the dough, several hours later, or the next day. Truth be told, you could even refrigerate the dough for two to three days before baking – though we’ve never waited quite that long, so I can’t personally vouch for how it may impact the texture. 

The longer the dough is allowed to rest and thereby ferment, the healthier it is! The fermentation process helps to break down gluten, reduce the glycemic index of the sourdough cookies (or bread), and enhance nutritional value. (If this is news to you, check out this article.) Therefore, if you have mild gluten sensitivities and rely on the fermentation process of sourdough to make baked goods easier to digest, I suggest allowing the dough to chill overnight before baking your spiced sourdough chocolate chip cookies. The added cinnamon also helps to reduce the glycemic response too!

Should I use active sourdough starter, or discarded starter in my sourdough chocolate chip cookies?

Either way! You can absolutely use unfed sourdough starter discard (the portion you remove when routinely feeding your starter culture) as a great way to reduce waste. Or, feed your starter and allow it to reach peak activity (at least doubling in size) – just like you would to make bread. Yet for the best results, use a sourdough starter that is at 100% hydration. Meaning, one that has been fed equal parts water and flour by weight. The instructions we commonly provide to feed a starter meets this requirement (feeding 1 scant cup flour and ½ cup water). It should have the consistency of thick pancake batter. 

Spiced Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients

*Makes approximately 30 cookies* (2 to 3 dozen, depending on the size cookie balls you make)

• 1 ¾ cup flour (all-purpose or bread flour, see flour notes below)
• ¾ cup sourdough starter, discard or active 
• ½ cup granulated white cane sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar. We love to use dark brown sugar for its deeper, robust molasses flavor! If you use light brown sugar instead, add an additional tsp of vanilla extract (use a full Tbsp instead of 2 tsp vanilla)
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 13 Tbsp butter, unsalted and softened
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups (16 ounces) of chocolate chips. We’re huge dark chocolate lovers, and prefer to use chocolate chips that are in the 63-75% cocoa content range. 

Optional, but highly recommended. This is what makes them spiced sourdough chocolate chip cookies, after all!

• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• .5 to 1 tsp ground ginger (sliding scale based on your affinity for ginger)
• A pinch of nutmeg
• Coarse sea salt to sprinkle on top

What is the difference between using bread flour or all-purpose flour to make sourdough chocolate chip cookies?

Either all-purpose flour or bread flour work great for this cookie recipe! If you happen to have both, I suggest using 1 cup all-purpose and ¾ cup bread flour. Comparison baking trials show that using all-purpose flour will result in a slightly flatter cookie with a soft, chewy center and crisp outer edges. Bread flour creates a taller, fluffier, more chewy and cake-like cookie with less spread and crunch.

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix Dough

1. First combine both types of sugar and the softened butter in a bowl. For the best results, use butter that has softened at room temperature or is otherwise is barely melted, but not liquid. Mix well.
   
   
2. In a small separate bowl, whisk the egg. Then add the egg and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat until thoroughly combined.
   
   
3. Add the sourdough starter to the wet ingredients and mix well.
   
   
4. In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients: the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Mix well.
   
   
5. Next, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl. Fold and stir until everything is just incorporated, but do not over mix!
   
   
6. Finally, mix in the chocolate chips.
   
   
7. Now, chill your spiced sourdough chocolate chip cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour, or until the next day. If you plan to let it chill for more than an hour, I suggest covering the bowl to prevent the dough from drying out – such as with a damp tea towel, beeswax wrap, or plastic wrap. Also, allow dough that has chilled for several hours or longer to sit out at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes before dividing into individual cookies and baking (sliding scale depending on how warm your house is).

Bake 

8. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
   
9. Scoop or pinch about 2 to 3 tablespoons of cookie dough and roughly form into balls. I don’t measure, but shoot for ping pong ball to golf ball size. Place them 2 to 3 inches apart on an un-greased baking sheet, or one lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Do not grease your baking sheet!
   
   
10. Sprinkle a pinch of coarse flaky sea salt on the top of each raw cookie before they go into the oven. The salt will spread out as the cookie does too.
    
    
11. Bake for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, or until the top has set and they turn golden brown around the edges. You could also bake for a shorter time (8-9 minutes) for extra soft, gooey spiced sourdough chocolate chip cookies. The longer they bake, the more fluffy and cake-like they will become. If the cookies look a tad gooey right out of the oven, keep in mind they will continue to cook and set up slightly on the pan even after they come out of the oven.
    
    
12. Allow the cookies to cool for several minutes on the baking pan, and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack. 

Enjoy!

Now, all that is left to do is dig in and enjoy your delicious spiced sourdough chocolate chip cookies. Store leftover cookies that you plan to eat within a few days at room temperature in an airtight container, such as a glass food storage container with lid. Otherwise, you could also freeze excess cookies to enjoy within a few months. The Kitchn shares some great tips on freezing raw cookie dough and whole baked cookies.

I hope you love this spiced sourdough chocolate chip cookie recipe as much we do, and I can’t wait to see y’all make your own! Please come back to leave a review, and tag me on Instagram (@deannacat3) to share your creations. Let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to spread the cookie love by sharing or pinning this article. Thanks for tuning in!

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• Simple Sourdough Focaccia Bread
• Sourdough Cornbread Recipe (vegan and GF options)
• Whole Wheat and Herb Sourdough Discard Crackers
• Simple No-Knead Sourdough Bread Recipe
• Cast Iron Whole Wheat Sourdough Pizza Crust