Fresh-Milled Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Made with Sourdough
A classic treat, with a wholesome twist!
Equipment
- 1 grain mill
- 1 Stand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- 1 Whisk
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 silicone liner or parchment paper
- 1 Kitchen Scale optional
- 1 Cooling rack optional
- 1 sauce pan
Ingredients
- 227 grams butter (1 cup or 2 sticks)
- 380 grams fresh milled soft white wheat flour (3 ½ cups)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 100 grams sugar (½ cup)
- 110 grams brown sugar (½ cup)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 120 grams sourdough starter or discard (½ cup)
- 170 grams chocolate chips (1 cup)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. As it cooks, it will bubble and then foam, this happens quickly, so don’t walk away. Stir frequently and watch closely. Once the milk solids at the bottom turn a golden brown and it smells nutty, immediately remove the pan from the heat. Pour the browned butter into your mixing bowl to stop the cooking process and let it cool to below 110°F.
- While the butter cools, mill your soft white wheat berries to yield your fresh flour.
- To your freshly milled flour, add: ½ tsp fine sea salt, 1 tsp baking soda and 2 tsp baking powder. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- Once the browned butter has cooled slightly (but is still liquid), add it to the bowl of a stand mixer with: 100g (½ cup) cane sugar and 110g (½ cup) brown sugar. Beat together on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until fully combined and slightly creamy.
- Add 2 eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Then beat the mixture for 3 minutes on medium-high. It may look a bit greasy, this is normal and will come together in the next steps.
- Add ½ cup sourdough starter (active or discard, either works) and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes, until smooth and slightly fluffy. The batter should resemble a thick cake batter at this stage.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry flour mixture. Mix just until combined, don’t overmix.
- Stir in 1 to 1½ cups of chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) by hand or with the mixer on low, just until evenly distributed.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours to develop flavor and give the sourdough time to ferment.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Scoop dough with a cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons per cookie), spacing them a few inches apart. Bake for 9–11 minutes, or until the edges are set and just golden. The centers will look slightly underbaked—this gives a soft, chewy texture once cooled.
Notes
The cookie dough freezes quite well. To freeze before baking, scoop dough with a cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons per cookie) and freeze in ziplock bags.