Author Notes: This recipe takes two days to make but it’s totally worth it! You begin by making a fake-out sourdough starter to give the cookies that sourdough tanginess. A little white vinegar is added into the dough just to reinforce the pungent flavor and give the cookies a little lift and a soft texture.
—Grant Melton
Makes: 2 dozen cookies
Prep time: 48 hrs
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients
-
1/2
cup dark rye flour
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1/4
cup warm water
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3/4
cup unsalted butter
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2
cups all-purpose flour
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1
teaspoon kosher salt
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1/2
teaspoon baking soda
-
1/2
cup sugar
-
1/2
cup dark brown sugar
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1
egg
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2
teaspoons white vinegar
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1
10-ounce bag dark chocolate chips
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Flaky sea salt, for topping
Directions
- Place the warm water and dark rye flour into a 16-ounce glass jar and, using a fork, mix well to combine until a little sticky dough ball has formed. Once combined, place a lid on top of the jar but do not tighten. The dough may look a bit small for the jar but, it’ll need some room to grow. Leave the jar in a cool, dark place with a fairly constant temperature for two days. After day one, the mixture will look fairly similar what it looked like on the previous day. By day two, the dough should nearly double in size, have many large bubbles throughout and a pungent, sour scent. Once you’ve made your “starter,” you’re ready to make the cookie dough.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Add the butter and all of the “sourdough starter” mixture into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On a low speed, mix the softened butter with the sourdough until combined. Next, add in both sugars and cream together. Add in the egg and mix for a minute more. The mixture should look a bit more loose compared to most cookie doughs, that’s fine. Add in the vinegar and then the dry mixture little at a time until fully combined. Once a light, fluffy dough has formed, add in the chocolate chips and mix by hand with a rubber spatula.
- Using a one-ounce sized scoop, scoop the cookie dough onto a parchment lined sheet tray, leaving a few inches between each cookie. Bake for 6 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet, and bake for 6 minutes more. Remove from oven and top with a pinch of flaky salt. Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough, or freeze the cookie dough balls to bake later.
Photo by Bobbi Lin