These brown butter sourdough chocolate chip cookies are chewy, rich, and make a big batch — perfect for gifting or freezing! Made with brown butter, sourdough discard, and vanilla pudding for the softest cookies you’ll ever bake.
If I had to pick one cookie recipe to be my signature cookie, this is it. These Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies check every box — chewy centers, crisp edges, and that deep, nutty flavor you only get from browned butter.
They make a big batch (3–4 dozen!) which means you can keep some for yourself and share the rest with friends, neighbors, or anyone who could use a little homemade love. Around here, they’re a staple during harvest, Christmas cookie season, and just about any week I feel like baking ahead.
Why This Recipe Works
- Soft for days: The instant pudding mix keeps the cookies soft and chewy long after baking — no hard-as-rock leftovers here.
- Uses sourdough discard: It adds a subtle tang and if you're like me, I'm always looking for sourdough discard recipes. I may not slay sourdough, but I rock the discard!
- Freezer-friendly: Scoop and freeze dough balls to bake fresh anytime — no need to thaw first!
If you love chocolate chip cookies, also try my cream cheese chocolate chip cookies.
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🛒 Ingredients (and Why They Work)
- Butter: Melted, browned, and cooled — this adds nutty depth and a hint of caramel flavor. Don't let it intimidate you - brown butter is easy to make.
- Brown and white sugar: The mix gives the perfect chewy texture and balanced sweetness.
- Sourdough discard: Adds moisture and that slight tangy note that makes these cookies unforgettable.
- Eggs and vanilla: The glue that brings it all together for structure and flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Your sturdy base for chewy yet soft cookies.
- Vanilla instant pudding mix: Secret ingredient! Keeps cookies soft and adds a hint of vanilla creaminess.
- Baking soda and salt: Classic balance for lift and flavor.
- Mini chocolate chips + chocolate chunks: The best of both worlds — melty pockets and bits in every bite.
- Sea salt: Optional, but a sprinkle on top takes the flavor up a notch.
See recipe card below for specific quantities and ingredient list.
Got discard? Try making sourdough discard banana muffins.
🥣 How to Make Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Before you get started, you'll need brown butter for these cookies.
How to Make Brown Butter (the Easy Way):
Brown butter is just regular butter that’s been melted and cooked a little longer to make it taste extra yummy and nutty. Here’s how to do it: Put your butter in a small pan and turn the stove on to medium heat.
It will melt first, then start to bubble and sizzle — that’s the water cooking off. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn! After a few minutes, you’ll see little brown specks at the bottom and it will start to smell like toasted nuts or caramel. That’s when it’s ready! Transfer it to a separate bowl and let it cool to lukewarm before using it in your cookies.
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- Step 1: Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, combine the browned butter, sugars, and sourdough discard.
- Step 2: Mix wet ingredients: Add eggs and vanilla; beat until smooth.
- Step 3: Mix dry ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together flour, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt.
Add to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Step 4: Add chocolate: Stir in the chocolate chips and chunks.
- Step 5: Scoop and bake: Drop dough by small cookie scoop onto a parchment-lined sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Step 6: Cool: Let sit on the sheet for 3 minutes before moving to a wire rack.
Helpful tip:
📋 Variations
Once you’ve made these Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies, you’ll want to play around with flavors!
Try adding caramel bits for a bakery-style cookie, swapping in toasted nuts for crunch, or freezing mini dough balls for grab-and-bake snacks. They’re as flexible as your week needs them to be.
Freezing & Make-Ahead Tips
These cookies are the ultimate make-ahead dessert. Here’s how to prep them for later:
- Freeze the dough: Scoop cookie dough onto a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container. Bake straight from frozen — just add 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
- Freeze the baked cookies: Cool completely, then store in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.
Storage
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. They stay soft thanks to that pudding mix — one of my favorite cookie secrets.
Farm Girl Tip
Big batch = perfect for gifting: Bake half now, freeze half for later, or drop off a few dozen in cute cellophane bags with a bow for easy homemade gifts.
Make Ahead Tips
FAQ
It’s the portion of sourdough starter you remove before feeding it. Don’t toss it — it’s perfect for recipes like these cookies, pancakes, or banana bread.
Nope. I’ve tried! Those two ingredients make all the difference in texture and flavor. Without them, you’ll miss that signature chew and flavor.
Yes, but I love the texture combination of mini chips and chunks.
Absolutely — they’re freezer all-stars. Scoop, freeze, and bake straight from frozen whenever you need a quick treat.
Tried these brown butter sourdough chocolate chip cookies? I’d love to hear how they turned out! ⭐ Drop a star rating and a quick comment below—it not only helps others but totally makes my day. 😊🍽️
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Recipe
Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 cup butter melted, browned, and cooled
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup sourdough discard
- 3 large eggs
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup chocolate chunks
- Sea salt for sprinkling (optional and oh-so-good!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Brown the butter: Melt 1 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until golden brown and nutty-smelling. Pour the browned butter into a bowl to cool (do not keep in the pan or it may burn). Cool before using.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the browned butter, 1 ¼ cups brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ⅓ cup sourdough discard until smooth.
- Add 3 large eggs and 3 teaspoons vanilla extract; mix well.
- In another bowl, whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, 3 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt. Gradually add to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Stir in 1 cup mini chocolate chips and 1 cup chocolate chunks.
- Using a small cookie scoop, portion dough onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Sprinkle with sea salt if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Brown butter is just regular butter that’s been melted and cooked a little longer to make it taste extra yummy and nutty. Here’s how to do it: Put your butter in a small pan and turn the stove on to medium heat. It will melt first, then start to bubble and sizzle — that’s the water cooking off. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn! After a few minutes, you’ll see little brown specks at the bottom and it will start to smell like toasted nuts or caramel. That’s when it’s ready! Take it off the heat and let it cool before using it in your cookies. Makes 3–4 dozen cookies, depending on size. For bakery-style cookies, use a large scoop and bake an extra 1–2 minutes.
Make Ahead Tips
- To freeze dough: Scoop dough onto a lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to bake time.
- To freeze baked cookies: Cool completely, then store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- Batch tip: Bake half now and freeze half — perfect for gifting or unexpected company!
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. Calories and other nutritional values vary depending on which brands were used.
