These Burnt Butter Sourdough Discard cookies are so melt-in-your-mouth, you would never think they were secretly better-for-you. Fermented for 24 hours, these cookies have less nasties – and are absolutely irresistible!
Why Burn the Butter?
“Burn” is a bit of=putting, I’ll admit. But believe me, once you burn the butter for your cookies, you will never go back to the old way of creaming it white.
Why? “Burning” the butter caramelises it, and intensifies that rich, buttery flavour. It achieves that butterscotchy flavour without having to add brown sugar. This is especially useful if you want to make the cookies that are slightly better for you, but still give you the cookie dopamine.
Burnt Butter Cookies: To sugar or not to sugar?
It’s going to be a fairly risky job to make cookies without traditional sugar. Sugar is the key ingredient that gives cookies that distinctive crunch and chewiness. I went the bold, and made a batch using Truvia, and then another batch using normal caster sugar (we had to use it up, ok?).
The texture of the caster sugar cookies was definitely crispier and chewier, as expected. The flavour, however, was a bit TOO sweet, and not because my tastebuds have acclimatised to not having sugar (they don’t have a chance to).
The Truvia cookies were a bit softer, yes, but stored in the fridge, they became firm and the flavour was still the same – delicious. The cookies weren’t too sweet, which meant the caramelly burnt butter taste could truly sing. So if you don’t mind a softer textured cookie, go for this healthier option.
Why use Sourdough Discard in cookies?
Sourdough Discard is ever-present in a sourdough-queen’s kitchen. Every time you make bread, there is the discard.
So a Sourdough Queen has learnt the art of weaseling that discard into any and every recipe. Heck, I’ve even put it in Dumplings!
You may wonder if Sourdough Discard affects the taste and texture of cookies. I definitely wondered it myself! And, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it does not alter any of these. At all!
So I always make my cookies this way, now!
The beauty of using discard in this recipe, means that if you have run out of eggs, you can still have your cookie! The sourdough discard acts as an egg replacer. It lends a lightness to the cookies.
Plus, with overnight fermentation, the sourdough discard is working to break down the phytates in the flour. This makes these cookies easier on your digestive system.
Ingredients you will need for the Burnt Butter Sourdough Discard Cookies:
- Butter
- Truvia or Caster Sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Sourdough discard
- Vanilla
- Chocolate (sugar free if preferred)
- Flour
Flavour Variations for the Burnt Butter Sourdough Discard Cookies:
Flavours I have tried:
- Milk Chocolate, which is a classic and you cannot beat a classic!
- Sugar-free dark Chocolate. In my honest opinion, not as nice as the sugar-laden stuff. But still delicious!
- As you will see in the YouTube Video, I subbed some of the chocolate chunks for dates, just to spread the chocolate out further. The Dates were a wonderful addition (I added them to the browning butter), as they intensified that caramel flavour, and gave the cookies a deeper brown colour. They did harden when I added them to the butter so I had to blitz them, but the end product was lovely! Because I blitzed them, your mouth does not actually interact with date.
- I have used purely Caramel White chocolate chunks, which endorse that burnt butter flavour really nicely.
Other flavour variations that would work:
- Dark Chocolate and Dried Apricot
- White Chocolate and Cranberry
- Maple Essence, Walnuts and White Chocolate
- Chop in Hokey Pokey Chocolate for the chocolate chunks.
- Honey roasted peanuts and Milk Chocolate
How Many Cookies does this Burnt Butter Sourdough Discard Cookies Recipe make?
This recipe makes a massive batch of cookies. Every time I make it, I can roll out at least 40 palm-sized cookies.
This is great, because they do keep well, and will last a whole week, if not more. I made a batch for our summer road trip. I kept it in an airtight container, and the whole batch punctuated our snack times for about a week! It was so nice to have a supply of something that was delicious, comforting and filling.
Although, cookies ARE something I could just keep eating. And Eating. And Eating!
Timeline for the Burnt Butter Sourdough Discard Cookies:
You will need to start making the cookies the day before baking. I know, I know. Cookies are meant to be a quick fix, right? Trust me, these ones are worth it.
The first thing to do is to brown the butter. On a medium-high heat, this should take about 10 minutes. Brown the butter in a saucepan on a medium-high heat. Then chill in the fridge for ½ an hour. I just put the pot straight in the fridge on a folded tea-towel, but if you would prefer to transfer to a mixing bowl, that would be best. I just get lazy and like to save dishes, yannow?
Before the 1/2 hr is up, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and set aside.
The butter will be solid by the time you take it out of the fridge. To cream the chilled butter and the sugar you will need to set the pot in a sink of warm water so the mixture can soften and become cream-able.
When you add the discard and vanilla the mixture will become smoother – like the consistency of cake batter. Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips and mix until you cannot see any flour bits.
Leave in the fridge for 24 hours, and set timer so that you start forming them at the right time!
The next day is simple. All you need to do is preheat the oven, roll and bake!
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Using a dessertspoon, roll into balls and flatten into cookies. Bake for 15 minutes or until nicely browned.
Try not to eat them all at once!
Burnt Butter Sourdough Cookies
These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are so delicious, you would never think they were secretly healthy. Fermented for 24 hours, these cookies are better for you - and irresistible!
Ingredients
- 250 g butter
- 100g Truvia or 300g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 270g sourdough discard
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 300g chocolate (sugar-free if preferred)
- 380g flour
Instructions
The Day Before:
- Brown the butter in a saucepan on a medium-high heat. Take it as far as it will go without burning.
- Place pot in the fridge (I put it on a folded tea towel as we have glass shelves), and chill for ½ an hour.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and set aside.
- Cream the chilled butter and the sugar (I find I have to allow the butter to come to room temperature so that I can beat it).
- Add discard and vanilla and mix until smooth and creamy – it should have the consistency of cake batter.
- Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips and mix until you cannot see any flour bits.
- Leave in fridge for 24 hours
The Next Day
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Using a dessertspoon, roll into balls and flatten into cookie shapes (they will spread slightly when baking so give them space on the oven tray).
- Bake for 15 minutes or until nicely browned.
Notes
- Don't be afraid to take the butter quite far. The more it browns, the more caramelly the cookies will taste. I actually did burn the butter in the second batch I made, but it gave the cookies a lovely aromatic flavour.
- I have changed things up a bit and subbed some of the chocolate chunks for Dates (as you will see in the YouTube Video). These were a wonderful addition (I added them to the browning butter), as they intensified that caramel flavour and gave the cookies that deep brown colour. They did harden when I added them to the butter so I had to blitz them, but the end product was lovely!
- These cookies harden as they cool, so do not worry if they seem soft when you pull them out of the oven.
- They keep well in an air tight container, either in the fridge, or not.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 40 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 167Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 184mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 2g
