Today is #NationalCookieDay, and as the classic Elf meme says, “I like to bake cookies. Baking cookies is my favorite,” which means it is time to make, bake, and give! And what could be better than Sourdough Chocolate Chip cookies made with your extra discard? Santa and his elves love them, and you will too. December is the perfect time to share the love during our #12DaysOfSourdoughCookies celebration. Let’s warm up those ovens and take this national day to a new level.

Join the Fun: Be sure to share your best recipes on the Abigail’s Oven Facebook page
for our bign #ChristmasCookieExchange.

Martha Levie—Chief Baker, Abigail’s Oven

A Little Cookie History

Before we dive into the dough, let’s look at the history of #NationalCookieDay.

Biscuits (as they are known outside North America) have a long history dating back to 7th-century Persia. When sugar became common in the region, these sweetened hard biscuits became the perfect “energy bar” for travelers.

By the 14th century, cookies had spread across Europe, from royal courts to common kitchens. The Dutch eventually brought the concept to the Americas in the 17th century. In fact, we have the Dutch to thank for the name: koekie means “little cake.” Today, there are thousands of variations, making the choice of which to bake a daunting task—but I guess that’s just how the cookie crumbles!

The Rise of a Classic

The iconic chocolate chip cookie was invented in the 1930s by Ruth Graves Wakefield, a college-educated dietitian who owned the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts.

While popular legend often describes the invention as a “happy accident”—suggesting Ruth ran out of baker’s chocolate and hoped chopped-up Nestlé semi-sweet chunks would melt into the dough—most food historians and Ruth herself maintained it was a deliberate experiment. She wanted to offer guests something different than the thin butterscotch nut cookies she usually served with ice cream.

  • The Original Name: Ruth first called her creation the “Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie.”
  • The Deal of a Lifetime: As the recipe’s popularity exploded, Nestlé struck a deal with Wakefield in 1939. In exchange for the rights to print her recipe on their packaging, Ruth reportedly received $1.00, a consulting deal, and a lifetime supply of Nestlé chocolate.
  • The Invention of the “Chip”: Originally, bakers had to use an ice pick to chop semi-sweet bars. To make the process easier for fans of Ruth’s recipe, Nestlé began selling pre-scored bars and eventually introduced the teardrop-shaped “morsels” (chocolate chips) we use today.

Martha’s Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

A chewy, tangy twist on the classic favorite.

1. Build Up the Starter

The day before you plan to make the dough, build up your starter:

  • Mix ¼ cup (60g) starter with ½ cup (120g) filtered water and ¾ cup (120g) flour.
  • Let this sit loosely covered overnight until it is bubbly, thick, and smells sweet (approximately 6–8 hours).
  • Pro Tip: Your starter is ready when a teaspoon of it floats in water.

2. Mix the Dough

  1. Cream: Beat 1 cup (225g) butter, 1 cup (200g) brown sugar, and ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Eggs: Add 2 large eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
  3. Liquids: Mix in 2 tbsp (30ml) coconut oil, ½ cup (125g) sourdough starter, 1 tbsp (15ml) milk, and 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla. Scrape down the sides of your bowl as needed.
  4. Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp (5g) baking powder, 1 tsp (5g) baking soda, and ½ tsp (3g) salt.
  5. Combine: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture about ½ cup (60g) at a time on low speed until just combined.
  6. Fold: Hand-fold in 2 cups (340g) chocolate chips. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
  7. Chill: Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. (The cold rest improves the flavor and texture!)

3. Bake

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Set the oven rack to the upper third.
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Using a cookie scoop, divide the dough into about 30 equal portions (approx. 45g–50g each). Roll into rounded balls.
  4. Place on the sheet about 2 inches (5cm) apart.
  5. Bake one pan at a time for 11–12 minutes. They should be light golden brown; do not overbake to keep them chewy.
  6. Cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes to set, then transfer to a wire rack.

Tips for the Best Sourdough Cookies

While bakers everywhere are prepping for traditional holiday treats, we recommend doubling your sourdough starter now. You’ll want plenty of discard on hand for the recipes we have planned.

As baker Edd Kimber notes, most cookies don’t include liquid, so using discard requires a bit of creativity. One pro tip is to “remove” the water from your butter by browning it. By weighing your butter after browning, you can ensure the hydration of your dough stays perfectly balanced.

o make your Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies truly stand out, you can lean into the science of how the starter interacts with the dough. Based on the post you are working on and general sourdough expertise, here are a few pro tips:

1. The “Brown Butter” Hack

Browning the butter is a game-changer.

  • The Science: Sourdough discard is roughly 50% water. If you don’t account for that extra liquid, your cookies might turn out more “cake-like” than chewy.
  • The Trick: When you brown your butter, you cook off its water content. This creates room for the liquid in the sourdough starter without making the dough too runny. Plus, it adds a toasted, nutty flavor that complements the sourdough’s tang.

2. Extend the “Cold Cure”

Our recipes recommends an 8-hour chill, but for the best results, aim for 24 to 48 hours.

  • The Benefit: A longer cold ferment allows the enzymes in the flour and starter to break down starches into simpler sugars. This leads to better Maillard reaction (browning) and a much deeper, more complex “toffee” flavor profile.

3. Use Active Starter Instead of Discard

If you want a puffier, thicker cookie rather than a thin, chewy one:

  • The Trick: Use “fed” (active) starter rather than old discard. The active yeast will provide a tiny bit of extra lift alongside the baking soda, resulting in a loftier cookie with a softer crumb.

4. Optimize Your Chocolate

  • The Tip: Instead of standard chips, use chopped chocolate bars or “fèves.”
  • Why: Chips contain stabilizers to help them keep their shape. Chopped chocolate melts into “pools,” creating layers of chocolate throughout the cookie. Sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top immediately after baking to balance the sweetness and highlight the sourdough tang.

5. Manage the Tang

  • Mild Flavor: Use fresh sourdough discard (only 1–2 days old) or active starter.
  • Bold Tang: Use “mature” discard that has been in the fridge for a week. The increased acidity will react more vigorously with the baking soda, giving you a slightly more aerated texture and a sharper flavor that cuts through the rich butter.

6. The “Pan Bang” Technique

About 2 minutes before the cookies are done, lift the baking sheet an inch off the oven rack and drop it.

  • The Result: This collapses the air pockets created by the sourdough/leavening agents, creating those beautiful, ripple-edged rings and a denser, fudgier center.
 
 
 

Here are a few recipe ideas from various sites, including ours, that we have curated for you for National Cookie Day :

PB&J Sourdough Cookies

This recipe, tested during the #SourdoughChallenge last Spring, follows a very traditional mix with butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar, mixed with a sourdough starter to make a puffy cookie that is easily filled with jam after pressing a thumbprint into each warm cookie.

But just as good, you can push a chocolate kiss, or my favorite, a ROLO Creamy Caramel Chocolate Candy, into the warm cookie after baking. Then return the cookies to the cooling, but still warm, oven for five minutes for the best gooey treat ever. 

Soft Sourdough Cookies

This recipe from Cultures for Health promises this is an “easy soft sugar cookie” which, of course, is “a great way to use up extra or discarded sourdough starter. Add cinnamon or any other spices to the topping, for a variety of flavors,” they suggest, which clearly makes this one a sourdough snickerdoodle recipe.

Sourdough Key Lime Ricotta Cookies: Emile Raffa writes, “My best friend makes the best ricotta cookies. We’ve been eating them since we were kids, sneaking as many as we could from her mom’s Christmas cookie tin. I have adapted her original recipe to make them sourdough-friendly, which happens to be the perfect complement to citrusy lime. The texture is delightfully soft, almost cake-like, and sweetened with a quick-and-easy lime glaze. These cookies make great holiday gifts.”

Sweet SourdoughCookies: according to AllRecipes, “these are soft sugar-type cookies made with a sourdough starter to give them a little extra tang.”

You can also use this Sourdough brownie recipe to make cookies.

Now that we have shared some of our favorites, please share your favorite on our #ChristmasCookieExchange for #NationalCookieDay and for the #12DayOfSourdoughCookies?