Ingredients
Method
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 450 g all-purpose flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, ¾ tsp baking soda, and 1 ½ tsp sea salt. Set aside.
- Add 225 g unsalted butter to a large frying pan or saucepan, preferably light-coloured so you can easily see when the milk solids start turning brown. If you're adding powdered milk, have 30 g powdered milk in a small bowl near the stove so it's ready to go as soon as you need it. Melt the butter over medium-low heat. As soon as it's melted, add all the powdered milk to the pan and stir immediately with a heatproof spatula so the powdered milk doesn't stick to the bottom and burn. Keep cooking the butter over medium-low heat while stirring and scraping the bottom constantly until you see lots of caramelized milk solids. Remove immediately from the stove so the butter doesn't burn.
- Pour the still-warm browned butter into a large mixing bowl. Add 220 g granulated sugar and 220 g brown sugar and stir to combine. Add 3 large egg yolks, 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract, and 240 g sourdough discard and stir to combine until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined (some dry flour remaining is fine). Add 500 g chocolate chips or whatever mix-ins you're using, and fold through the dough gently until evenly distributed.
- Use any cookie scoop size you like (or a couple spoons or ¼-cup measuring cup) to portion the dough out into balls on a lined baking sheet. The dough balls can be touching, there's no need to leave space between. Cover and chill for at least 1-2 hours until the dough firms up, or for 2–4 days to age the dough for improved flavour and texture.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). If baking one sheet at at a time, put one oven rack in the center. If you're baking two sheets at once, place one rack in the top third and a second in the bottom third of the oven. Arrange the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, leaving a few inches of space between so the cookies don't spread into each other.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes for average-sized cookies. Larger cookies will need more bake time. Turn the baking sheet about halfway through for even baking, and if you're baking two sheets at the same time switch their positions on the oven racks as well. Bake until the cookies have spread and puffed and are just starting to turn golden around the edges.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies are best enjoyed the day they're made, but will be delicious and soft for up to a week. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Have fun with the mix-ins! You can use any chocolate chips you like, or chop up some chocolate bars. Chopped pretzels, crushed potato chips, chopped up candy bars, or Skor bits would all be great, too! Any combo of mix-ins you like that add up to 500 grams should work great. Just bear in mind if you're including a lot of potato chips, you'll want to aim for far less than 500 grams because potato chips are so light and airy.