Gluten Free Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies are a perfect way to use up some extra discard. These cookies have a soft-baked and fluffy interior with a chewy, golden brown exterior and a generous disbursement of chocolate chips. For a slight sourdough tang, use discard up to two weeks old.

You will need gluten-free sourdough starter discard to make these cookies, and preferably from a superfine brown rice flour or sorghum flour starter. If you don't have a gluten-free sourdough starter, you will first need to make one and can find out how with my guide on How to Make a Gluten Free Sourdough Starter.

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Gluten Free Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

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What is sourdough discard?

Sourdough discard is the inactive portion of starter you remove before every feeding. Remember, you don't actually throw this portion away but store it in a jar in the fridge. The discarded portion of starter is considered inactive. This is because the wild yeast and bacteria have already consumed all of the energy - the flour and water - and no new energy is added to it. Because the discard is no longer active, it can be used in recipes that don't need yeast to leaven them. Think of all the baked goods you can make that don't need rise time - brownies, cookies, banana bread and other quick-breads, crackers, etc.

What are the benefits of eating gluten free sourdough?

Sourdough is known and loved for its health benefits. While sourdough does contain the gut-friendly bacteria lactobacillus, these probiotics are killed off in baking so it doesn't translate to probiotic absorption. However, sourdough is still a fermented food, meaning the bacteria and wild yeast living within the starter predigest the starches in the flour, making the food easier to digest for you as well as potentially keep your blood sugar more stable. For these reasons, it is believed that sourdough can improve or help ease the gut.

For those living with Celiac Disease (like myself), we tend to ingest a lot of rice in many different ways and forms. Sourdough can give you the opportunity to ingest more different types of grains, including sorghum, millet, or buckwheat.

Ingredients for Gluten Free Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Gluten-free sourdough discard (the unfed portion removed from the starter, up to two weeks old)
High quality gluten-free all purpose flour containing xanthan gum. I used Bob's Red Mill GF 1:1 Baking Flour (the blue bag).
Unsalted butter. You can also swap for dairy-free butter such as Earth Balance.
Granulated sugar
Light brown sugar
Baking soda
Baking powder
Eggs
Pure vanilla extract
Salt
Semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can also use half chopped nuts and half chocolate chips.

How to Make Gluten Free Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Prepare a large cookie sheet (or two small cookie sheets) by greasing with cooking spray, a sheet of parchment paper, or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add in gluten-free sourdough discard, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix until well-distributed.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the GF flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet in intervals, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Be careful to not over-mix.

Fold/stir in the chocolate chips.
Scoop the cookie dough (about 2 tablespoons per cookie) and roll into balls. Space them 2-inches apart on a cookie sheet. Tip: If the cookie sheet doesn't fit in the fridge, place the balls on a platter.

Chill the cookie balls in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Chilling the dough helps prevent the cookies from spreading when baked, and it gives the batter a chance to rest which can reduce any grittiness from gluten-free flours.
About halfway through the chilling time, preheat the oven to 375 F.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the middles are set and the edges are golden brown. Allow to cool five minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack. Repeat with any remaining batches.
Enjoy!

Equipment

Making Gluten Free Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies requires no special equipment. As long as you have basic mixing bowls and a cookie sheet, you'll be good to go!

Parchment paper or a silicone baking mat is preferred for easier clean-up.
I also recommend using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop because it's so much faster and makes the perfect shaped cookies.
A wire cookie rack helps cookies cool quickly and prevent soggy/greasy bottoms.

Don't want to make a starter from scratch? This Sourdough Starter Culture packet gives you a head start with a dehydrated gluten-free sourdough starter culture and directions to follow to maintain it for years to come. I love this website because there's also cheesemaking, yogurt, kombucha, and fermented vegetable kits. (Use the code WONDERS15X on Cultures For Health's website to get 15% off!) The GF starter is also available for purchase on Amazon here.

How to Store Gluten Free Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature. Best eaten within 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze these cookies. Simply let them come to room temp before enjoying.

Notes on Gluten Free Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies:

For more of that classic sourdough tang, you can ferment the dough (chill) these cookies between 12 to 24 hours.
Semi-sweet chocolate is best. Use either chocolate chips or chunks, your choice. Additionally, you can replace half of the chocolate with chopped nuts or dried fruit.

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