Sourdough Cookie Bars
December has felt so busy! I am trying to get all my ducks in a row before Christmas so I can take some time off and enjoy time with the family. One son has finished his first year of college/high school and the other will finish his last day of primary school tomorrow, and then he’s off to college next year too. They go to the college I went to which is pretty cool but also a bit strange because I swear it feels like I was just there! Amidst all the busyness I’m sharing an easy recipe from my Baking with Butter blog that uses sourdough discard starter, in the form of sourdough cookie bars.
I don’t often have discard starter myself because of the way I feed my sourdough starter. I keep things small by only feeding what I need. But I know lots of you feed your starters differently and can end up with discard tucked away in the fridge. So, I like to create some discard recipes so that any excess starter can be made into something delicious!
These bars are thick and chewy, with browned butter and plenty of chocolate. It’s everything you love about sourdough cookies, but without the hassle of rolling out individual dough balls. You just press the dough into a pan and bake. The dough is chilled for at least 2 hours, but overnight is best. Chilling lets the flavors develop more and the flour hydrate fully. I use a sourdough discard starter at 100% hydration that hasn’t been fed in a while but if you’ve got leftover active starter you can use that too! I finish the baked cookie bars off with a sprinkle of flaky salt – it balances the sweetness beautifully.
Sourdough Cookie Bars
Ingredients
140 g (10 Tbsp) unsalted butter
100 g (1/2 cup) soft brown sugar
100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
100 g (1/2 cup) discard sourdough starter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
190 g (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
170 g (1 cup)semi-sweet chocolate chips
Flaky salt to serve
Method
Let the butter melt in a saucepan. Once melted, let it cook further for around 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the milk solids have caramelized and the butter smells nutty. Pour the browned butter and all those browned solids into a large heat-proof bowl and allow it to cool down for around 10 minutes. It will be about 112-115g of browned butter.
Once the butter has cooled, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, sourdough starter, egg, and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the baking soda and salt until well combined.
Add the flour and mix until almost combined, with a few dry streaks remaining. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine. It will be a sticky and wet cookie dough
Line an 8×8-inch (20x20cm) baking pan with parchment paper and scoop the cookie dough into it. Smooth it out with the back of a spoon or offset spatula.
Cover the pan and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake the cookie bars for around 30-35 minutes until the top is set and golden brown.
Let the cookie bar cool in the tin for an hour before removing and letting it cool completely on a wire rack. The cookie will be pretty soft while still warm but will firm up as it cools to room temperature.
To serve, slice into individual cookies with a sharp knife.
Happy baking!