Egg Free Chocolate Chip Cookies With a Sourdough Twist

Closeup of cooling chocolate chip cookies with sourdough discard flax egg
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No taste testers have detected that these chocolate chip cookies contain a sourdough discard flax egg. They just ask if they can have another cookie (or two). Even if you aren’t vegan or if the high price of eggs continues to fall, you’ll want to bake with these egg replacers because a) they work amazingly well in cookies and b) you no doubt have run out of eggs just as you’ve begun to bake cookies.

One more sourdough discard recipe for your repertoire

When you keep a sourdough pet, you remove most of the starter at each feeding and stir in more flour and water. Hang onto that discard! That more easily digestible, fermented flour makes delicious biscuits, pancakes, focaccia, pizza, pita bread and more.

These chocolate chip cookies contain only a smidgeon of sourdough—three tablespoons (six if you double the recipe)—but that small amount helps keep your jar of discard manageable. If you’re unsure about the bake-ability of your discard, read these FAQs.

The sourdough discard flax meal “egg”

The egg replacer calls for only sourdough discard (you could also use active starter) and finely ground flaxseed (i.e., flaxseed meal). Either gold or brown flaxseed meal will work.

If you run out of flaxseed meal, with the right tool, you can grind up flaxseeds to make your own. Upon grinding mine, I discovered that my hand-cranked grain mill cannot grind such small seeds. Because flaxseed contains so much oil, in my electric grain mill, the flaxseed began to clump up as seeds do on their way to becoming seed butter. The third attempt worked well with a Nutribullet. I don’t have a Vitamix but I imagine this would also work well.

a closeup of a small jar of ground brown flaxseed, or flaxseed meal
Ground brown flaxseed

Don’t have a sourdough starter? Go here to start one.

Chocolate chip cookies with sourdough discard flax egg cool on a silver wire rack on a wooden background
Wait a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack
Closeup of cooling chocolate chip cookies with sourdough discard flax egg
Cooling chocolate chip cookies
closeup of chocolate chip cookies with sourdough discard flax egg cooling on a wire rack
closeup of chocolate chip cookies with sourdough discard flax egg cooling on a wire rack
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5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sourdough Discard Flax Egg Replacer

These classic chocolate chip cookies call for a combination of flaxseed meal and a small amount of sourdough discard to replace an egg
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time12 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 cookies

Equipment

  • 1 hand mixer or stand mixer

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unfed sourdough discard, 100 percent hydration* (see note) straight from the refrigerator
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed brown or golden, finely ground
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon butter, softened dairy or vegan
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar golden or dark
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chip pieces
  • ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional

Instructions

  • Make a sourdough discard flax egg by combining the sourdough discard and flaxseed meal in a small bowl. Set aside to thicken for 10 to 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • In a medium-size bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
  • In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter with a hand mixer on high speed until creamy, about a minute. Add the sugars and beat until creamy. Beat in the sourdough discard flax egg and vanilla.
  • Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix in the chocolate chips and if adding, the chopped nuts.
  • Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until the cookies are golden and the edges have just very slightly browned, rotating the trays halfway through baking.
  • Allow to cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool. Store in a container for a week or the freezer for up to six months.

Notes

This recipe calls for discard from a 100 percent hydration starter. That means the starter contains equal amounts of flour and water by weight. If your starter is, say, at 85 percent hydration, the dough may be slightly drier. If the dough is dry and does not come together, add a splash of liquid (water or milk of choice).  

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2 Replies to “Egg Free Chocolate Chip Cookies With a Sourdough Twist”

  1. These look amazing!

  2. Can this be frozen? And how to bake once frozen?

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