Easy Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Last Updated on July 2, 2026 by Jamie Saechao
Jump to RecipeThese easy sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies bars are thick, chewy and delicious! This one-bowl recipe is the perfect quick dessert for warm summer nights, weekend gatherings, or holiday parties.
My popular sourdough chocolate chip cookies are the #1 recipe on my site, and I wanted to see if I could create the best sourdough bars to live in the recipe index beside them.
I was inspired by these extra soft and chewy bars from Melissa at Design Eat Repeat. I experimented with a few variations and added my signature sourdough tang, and these delicious chocolate chip sourdough bars are the result!
My kids, husband, and neighbors gobbled up in these bars in time flat.
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More discard recipes: sourdough brownie bars, sourdough oatmeal raisin cookies, sourdough strawberry bars, sourdough peanut butter cookies.
Why You’ll Love Them
- Sourdough chocolate chip cookie bars are very quick and easy to make- whip up the cookie dough in one bowl, chill, and then bake!
- These ooey gooey bars are the perfect treat to share with friends and family for special occasions
- You can quickly customize these sourdough treats by adding walnuts or pecans, chocolate chunks, or m+ms’s
Ingredients
- Butter- We’ll melt the butter in the first step for extra chewy bars
- All purpose flour – I use unbleached, organic flour in this recipe
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Egg
- Egg yolk- adds a thicker, chewier texture to the bars
- Sourdough discard: I like to use flat, runny starter that is about a day old for this recipe. The older the starter, the tangier the cookies will be!
- Light brown sugar
- Sugar
- Vanilla- I like to add in 2 teaspoons for extra flavor
- Chocolate chips- I use a combination of mini chocolate chips and regular chocolate chips, plus sprinkle some on top for good measure!
Learn how to make a sourdough starter here and get lots of ideas for sourdough discard recipes here!
How To Make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Line a 9×11 inch metal pan with parchment paper.
Melt the butter in a large, microwave safe bowl for about 20 seconds at a time, stirring as you go. If the butter is very hot, let it cool for a few minutes.
Add the eggs, egg yolk, brown sugar, sugar, vanilla, and sourdough discard to the melted butter and mix with a spatula.
Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 72 hours.
Add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder) to the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the edges are just turning golden brown. Let the whole pan cool on a cookie rack, then slice + enjoy!
Baking Tips
- Weigh your flour: Did you know that the volume of one cup of flour can vary from 120-150 grams, depending on how you scoop your flour? I have recorded the exact weight, in grams, for you to use in this recipe, so you can bake it exactly as tested. You just need a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients in grams.
- Sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top of the dough to make the bars extra pretty!
- Watch the bake time: the edges of the cookies should be just golden brown, and the middle still soft. The bars will continue to set up as they cool.
To store: let the bars cool completely and transfer to an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. To freeze, double wrap the bars with aluminum foil and wrap in plastic wrap before placing in freezer.
Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Equipment
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 9×11 aluminum baking pan
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup melted butter 165 grams
- 3/4 cup brown sugar 134 grams
- 1/2 cup sugar 100 grams
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk optional, see notes
- 2 tsp vanilla 8 grams
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard 110 grams
- 2 cups flour 280 grams
- 1 tsp baking soda 6 grams
- 1 tsp salt 7 grams
- 1.5 cups chocolate chips I use a mix of mini chocolate chips and regular sized semi sweet
Instructions
- Line a 9×11 inch metal pan with parchment paper.Melt the butter in a large, microwave safe bowl for about 20 seconds at a time, stirring as you go. If the butter is very hot, let it cool for a few minutes.
- Add the brown sugar, sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to the melted butter and mix well with a spatula. Stir in the sourdough discard.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients and mix with spatula. Stir in the chocolate chips until just combined.
- Spread the dough evenly throughout the parchment lined pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake the bars for 18-22 minutes, or until the edges are just slightly brown. The middle will look under baked but will firm up when cooling.
- Cool the entire pan on a wire cookie rack, then slice and enjoy! Makes 24 bars.
Notes
- For the best results measure your flour with a kitchen scale.Â
- An extra egg yolk makes these bars chewy and thick – omit if you must, but it does help the texture!
- Melt the butter at 15 second intervals, stirring between each time, to avoid over heating the butter.Â
- If the butter is very hot let it cool before adding in the eggs.
- I used sourdough discard that was about 18 hours old for this recipe. You can substitute active starter if needed, just stir it down.Â
- Ferment the dough for up to 72 hours in the fridge.Â
- To store: let the bars cool completely and transfer to an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. Â
