Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Set oven rack in center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit (177 Celsius). Line a sheet pan or pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

Mix the Cookies:

• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a small sauce pot, heat the butter on low until melted. Set aside.
• Into a large mixing bowl, transfer the melted butter. It should be warm to the touch. To the butter, add the brown sugar and cane sugar. Whisk until incorporated. To the butter mixture, add the vanilla and sourdough discard. Whisk until incorporated. Crack the egg into the batter. Whisk until smooth.
• To the butter mixture, add the flour mixture all at once. Use a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients, folding and pressing the dough until there are no dry bits left. The cookie dough should be stiff.
• To the batter, add the chips and chunks. Tip: if you'd like puddles of chocolate on the top of your cookies, hold 1/4 of the chunks out and place a chunk on top of the cookie ball after scooping. Mix until the chocolate is evenly distributed.

  Optional: For More Sourdough Flavor rest cookies in the fridge for up to three days. This can be done right in the mixing bowl, covered, before scooping. Or, scoop (see below), then store cookies between sheets of parchment paper in a lidded container. Bring to room temperature before baking.

Scoop:

• Scoop cookies using a number 40 ice cream/cookie scoop and transfer to prepared pan spacing cookies at about 2 inches (5 centimeters) apart. Or portion to 1 1/2 tablespoons each, then roll into a ball.

  To Freeze (optional): At this point the cookies can be frozen. Freeze cookies on a parchment lined sheet pan. Once frozen, transfer to a storage container and freeze for up to three weeks. When ready to bake, thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Bake.

Bake:

• Bake cookies at 350 Fahrenheit (177 Celsius) for 10-13 minutes OR when the cookies are just turning golden around the edges and the bottom is golden.

  Remove sheet pan from oven and set on cooling rack. Optional Tip: to fix any wonky edges or to force your cookie into a more rounded shape, when the cookies are just out of the oven, place a large round biscuit or cookie cutter over the cookie on the sheet pan (the cookie should fit within the cutter). Gently, use your hand to swirl the cookie cutter in a circle to force the cookie into a round shape (see blog post picture above).

  Allow cookies to cool on the pan for about 5 minutes. Optional: A sprinkle of flaky sea salt is quite nice on these cookies. Just a pinch goes a long way.
• To Store: Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before placing in a cookie jar or other lidded container. Add a small slice of bread to the cookie jar to keep the cookies fresh and tender for about three to four days.