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These Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are an easy and delicious way to use sourdough discard. Soft, chewy, and packed with gooey chocolate, they’re the perfect dessert cookie bar—no scooping or shaping required. Just press the dough into a pan, bake, and slice into bars.
I love making these for a quick family dessert, though we have the hardest time waiting for them to cool and often dig in while they’re still warm with a big scoop of ice cream on top. Whether you’re baking for a crowd or just want something sweet and simple, these cookie bars are always a favorite.
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Why You’ll Love Sourdough Cookie Bars
- Discard Recipe – I love adding sourdough discard to cookie recipes for a unique take on classic flavors. This recipe is based on my original non-sourdough recipe, so if you don’t have any discard on hand, you can try the original Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars instead.
- Quick and Easy – Just when you thought my Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies couldn’t get any easier to make, these cookie bars have arrived. There’s no easier sourdough dessert than pressing cookie dough into a pan—no shaping required for these cookies!
- Switch it Up – These sourdough discard cookie bars are so versatile. Use milk chocolate chips, M&Ms or even toss in some toffee chunks like I do in my Sourdough Blondies. Whatever you choose to add to this cookie dough, it’s going to be yummy!
Sourdough Discard Tip: I keep a jar in my fridge that I continually add sourdough discard to. Discard is a by-product of your sourdough starter and there is no reason to throw it away. Instead, use it in incredible sourdough discard recipes where it adds moisture and great flavor. Use older, more tangy discard in savory recipes like my favorite Pretzel Bites with Sourdough Discard, and young/fresh discard in sweeter recipes like these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Sourdough Cookies.
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Discard – To keep the sourdough flavor mild, use fresh discard or discard that’s no more than a day or two old. Want more tang? Try using discard that’s been in the fridge for a few days. I always use 100% hydration sourdough discard for this recipe. If your discard is extra runny, you may need to add a bit more flour to get the right dough consistency.
- Unsalted Butter: I bake a lot of cookies and always use unsalted butter. It gives you better control over the final flavor. Salt levels can vary between brands of salted butter, which can lead to overly salty cookies. If you only have salted butter, reduce the added salt in the recipe slightly.
- Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: A combination of brown sugar and granulated white sugar are used in this recipe for flavor and texture.
- Chocolate Chips: I love semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe, but you can substitue any chocolate chips you prefer.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions
- Chocolate Chips: Choose whatever chocolate chips you like, but a combination of milk and semi-sweet would be delicious too. You could also add M&Ms, chocolate chunks or any other favorite mix-ins.
- Whole Wheat Flour: You can substitute whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour in equal weights. I love using soft white freshly milled whole wheat flour for a lighter texture and mild flavor, but any whole wheat flour will work.
- Sourdough Discard: Bubbly sourdough starter can be substituted for the discard in this recipe.
How to Make Sourdough Cookie Bars
Mix The Cookie Dough
Step 1: Use a spoon or dough whisk to combine melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a small bowl.
Step 2: Add sourdough discard, eggs, and vanilla to the butter and sugar. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until combined. Add chocolate chips and mix.
Make-Ahead Tip: At this point, the cookie bar dough can be refrigerated and long-fermented for 2-3 days. This can help develop deeper flavor and improve texture, plus it’s a great way to prep ahead, making these bars a super quick sourdough recipe. The dough can also be frozen for up to a couple of months before being baked.
Press Dough Into the Pan
Step 4: Press the dough into a parchment lined baking pan.
Step 5: Make sure the dough is evenly pressed into pan and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Note: I like to line my baking pan with parchment paper. When cookie bars are baked, you can grab the parchment paper and lift them out. Then once they have cooled you can slice them easily out of the pan. You could even lift sliced bars back into the pan if you needed to easily transport them too!
Bake The cookie Bars
Step 6: Bake cookie bars for 25-30 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit until the edges have set and the middle doesn’t jiggle. Pull the bars out to a wire rack and let cool for 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Amy’s Tip: Every oven bakes a little bit differently. If you prefer a less-gooey cookie bar, bake the bars for a little bit longer. I like to just slightly underbake the bars so they set up chewy while they are cooling.
How to Store Leftovers
Once bars have been cooled completely and sliced, I put them in an airtight container or ziplock bag and freeze them. I actually love eating these straight from the freezer (or chilled), but they defrost quickly and are delicious either way. Warm them up and top with ice cream for a delicious dessert.
Amy’s Recipe Tip
For even more great flavor, I love browning the butter in this recipe and substituting it for the melted butter. This gives the chocolate chip cookie bars a nutty, golden flavor that is delicious!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can do this, but I would recommend using my Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe instead.
I love adding sourdough discard to many recipes. Some recipes it enhances the flavor. Some recipes I use it for the moisture and the benefits of fermented flour. And some recipes I just want to use up some of my discard and not let it go to waste. For these cookies, I prefer using a fresh or young discard so I don’t get any sour flavor.
Yes! This recipe is adapted from my original Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, which don’t require any sourdough discard. If you’re out of discard or don’t bake sourdough regularly, try that version instead.
You can try using a 1:1 gluten-free flour substitute, though I haven’t tested it myself. Let me know in the comments if you do!
Yes. After mixing the dough, press it into your baking pan, cover tightly, and freeze. When ready to bake, allow to thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake as directed for best results.
Sourdough Cookie Recipes
If you tried these Chocolate Chip Sourdough Cookie Bars or any other recipe on my website leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Happy Baking!
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
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Equipment
- 9 by 13 baking pan I prefer metal for even baking
Ingredients
- 170 grams unsalted butter, melted, about 3/4 cup
- 220 grams brown sugar, about 1 cup
- 100 grams granulated sugar, about 1/2 cup
- 1 large egg, about 50 grams
- 100 grams sourdough discard, scant 1/2 cup
- 8 grams vanilla extract, about 2 teaspoons
- 7 grams salt, about 1 teaspoon
- 5 grams baking soda, about 1 teaspoon
- 285 grams all-purpose flour, see recipe notes, about 2 cups
- 340 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips, about 2 cups
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9 by 13 metal pan, lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- To a bowl add melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix the sugars and butter together with a mixing spoon. Add sourdough discard, eggs and vanilla and mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated and smooth.
- To a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking soda. Fluff together with a fork until dispersed. Add the flour mixture to the center of the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Pour in the chocolate chips and mix. Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake fabout 25-30 minutes until crispy around the edges but still a little gooey in the middle. Let sit for 20-30 minutes in the pan before lifting out with the parchment paper. Cool before cutting into 24 bars. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
OMG….these are sooooo good! Crispy edges. Chewy centers. I used chopped up leftover Halloween candy instead of chocolate chips. I can’t stop eating them!! I used fresh discard and there is no sour taste at all.
Yum! Thanks for the review.
This recipe is perfect for team snacks or bringing cookies to work! Or to the school for staff. The taste amazing and are so easy. I melt (or brown) the butter in a larger saucepan and then just use it as the bowl to mix the rest in. To really cut down on dishes, I’ll put a paper towel or plate on the scale and top it with my sifter and just weigh out my dry ingredients into the sifter. Then sift over the wet and mix. When I bring them to the office, there are no leftovers to bring home. Sometimes I do a mix of chocolate and butterscotch chips.
Agreed – this is a great recipe for team snacks or feeding a crowd! Thanks for the review and feedback.
Easy and delicious
Agreed! Thanks for the review.
I make gluten free desserts for our church because several people, including our Pastor, are Gluten Free. Do you think that 1:1 Gluten Free Flour would work in this recipe? I’m still getting my feet wet with sourdough, so I thought I would ask before I attempted!!
Thank you!!
You can definitely try! I’ve had good luck using Cup 4 Cup and Measure For Measure flour with gluten free chocolate chip cookies, but the texture is definitely different. Keep in mind that your starter/discard would also need to be gluten-free if you are including it, otherwise you would want to leave the discard out.
I have made these bars multiple times! They are always a hit and so easy to make.
So glad they are a hit! Thanks for your review.
These are delicious. I made a batch and left part home, brought part to the office. Everyone loved them.
Thanks for the review – so glad this recipe was a hit.
Made four batches for an event, they came out absolutely PERFECT. my discard was a little older, but they were still delicious! Thanks for the tip about the metal vs ceramic pan, 30 minutes on the nose in the metal pan. This one is a keeper!!!
So glad you love the recipe – thanks for your review.
First time making these and they are delicious! I will be making these again and again.
So glad you love the recipe – thanks for your review!
So good! The brown sugar makes them have a caramel flavour to them. My son loves them
I’m so glad you love them – thanks for the review.
Excellent recipe!!! I’ve made this many times. They always disappear. It is a favorite in our house!
I’m glad you love the recipe – thanks for the review.