Peanut Butter Cookies are a delicious twist on an old American Favorite cookie. Including sourdough starter adds a deeper flavor with a bit of tang.
Add Chocolate Chips or other varieties of baking chips for Bursts of sweet yummies in these flavorful peanut butter cookies. That adds even more flavor to these delicious desserts.
If you are a sourdough baker you know the sourdough discard can become a problem. Who wants to throw it out?? Not me. That is Money and good ingredients going down the drain.
And you have to wash that starter down the drain with a LOT of water. If you don’t your pipes might get full of a gooey floury cement over time.
Since animals LOVE sourdough starter I really don’t think it belongs in the compost pile either. It attracts pests. Who needs that?
My solution is finding easy yummy recipes that use up sourdough discard in all it’s many phases.
When you feed sourdough it goes through stages. So does the discard. Always check and see if your recipe requires an inactive or active starter for best results. These cookies have the advantage of using starter fed or unfed.
Looking for more sourdough recipe inspiration? Check out all of our sourdough breads and sourdough discard recipes Here.
I made sourdough White Chocolate Cookies. They were a huge win. The family and office friends were all about those cookies. Our Soft Sourdough Molasses cookies are an AMAZINGLY flavorful sourdough discard cookie recipe. And just recently I created Peanut Butter OATMEAL cookies with sourdough discard. Boy are they Delicious.
Sourdough discard dessert recipes are usually pretty popular. The sourdough adds an intensity of flavor and a touch of tanginess that benefits sweet recipes.
These easy peanut butter cookies with sourdough are a big hit. I’ve made them in a couple of different ways now. So far they are good in all the variations I’ve tried.
Stay tuned. I have my eye on several more sourdough recipes for dessert. I need to use up that constantly growing sourdough discard. And we love dessert 🙂
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies With Sourdough Recipe:
This is an easy dessert recipe. That’s why I enjoy these cookies so much. This recipe is easy for me and popular with the family.
…And I can use up sourdough starter in almost any stage. That said. Your starter stage of development will affect the flavor of these cookies.
NOTES:
- Fully active starter will certainly puff the cookies up more. If your using starter that’s been unfed in your fridge several weeks don’t expect much puffing up. But you WILL have a lot of strong tangy sourdough flavor in your cookies. So if you want more flavor use an older unfed starter.
- That’s where the baking chips come in. HINT: They work really well with tangy flavored starter.
- However, This is a basic recipe that you can choose to tweak if you prefer. Use the baking chips. Or not. Your choice.
- I use creamy peanut butter. I just do. You can use chunky peanut butter if you love it. Up to you. I do recommend a sweet peanut butter. If you don’t use sweet peanut butter the cookies may taste bland. Try adding more sugar to your recipe.
- I do use granulated sugar in this recipe. For the dipping of the dough balls and criss cross pattern dipping in sugar works best for me.
Cookie dough bakes best when it is evenly sized and placed evenly apart on your baking sheet. I recommend these steps to control the size and separation of your cookies.
- line your baking sheets. I use silicone matts. I really like the ones with the cookie spacing marked on them. My cookies are much more evenly baked now. I can easily see if the cookie size and spacing are correct.
- Use the correct sized cookie scoop. Using a spoon or other utensil may work to make cookies. But for the BEST cookies that are evenly baked. Please use a cookie dough scoop. they are SO worth it.
I chose to make these without the chocolate chips this time. That’s why your not seeing any chips in the cookies. The chocolate chips are optional.
These cookies are great plain or with chocolate chips. They are ALSO good with white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips. And they may taste great with other chips as well.
Please let us know how you make this recipe. Comment in the comment section and rate this recipe. How did it go for you? What did you do with it?
Yield: This cookie recipe makes about 50 cookies. UNLESS you add the chocolate chips. Then add another dozen cookies to the count. If you don’t need that many you can divide the recipe in half.
Stored in an airtight jar these cookies will stay fresh several days to up to a week.
- Place your extra COOLED and set cookies into a heavy duty freezer ziplock bag.
- SUCK out all the air with a straw. Or suck it out through the uncompleted seal and then seal it fast.
- Label the bag with the recipe name and date.
- Freeze for up to two months.
Your Printable Recipe:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are a delicious twist on an old American Favorite cookie. Including sourdough starter adds a deeper flavor with a bit of tang. Bursts of sweet chocolate in these flavorful peanut butter cookies make a good cookie great.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter -240 grams
- 1 cup peanut butter - 255 grams
- 1/2 cup organic coconut oil (or butter)-softened - 112 grams
- 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)- 175 grams
- 2 eggs - 103 grams
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract - 4 grams
- 2 cups flour 256 grams
- 1 tsp. baking powder - 5 grams
- 1 tsp. baking soda- 6 grams
- 1/2 tsp. salt -3 grams
OPTIONAL:
- 1 cup (165 grams)to 2 cups (315 grams) flavored baking chips (optional-choose any kind you like)
Instructions
Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl: Mix together the brown sugar, peanut butter, vanilla and softened coconut oil.
Add in the sourdough starter, and eggs. Mix Gently until combined.
In a smaller mixing bowl Sift together the dry ingredients (except the chips).
Add the dry ingredients into the wet in thirds, mixing after each addition.
Finally add the baking chips (if using) and mix by hand until dispersed into the dough.
Roll the dough into one inch balls.
OPTIONAL: For more sweet roll the cookie balls in sugar now.
Place each ball 2 to three inches apart on your lined baking sheet. They will expand and need room on the sheet.
Using a fork dipped in sugar gently press the fork into the dough balls and criss cross the dough balls as shown.
Bake 9 to 10 minutes until the cookies are LIGHTLY browned. Notice the increase in cookie size when baked. 
Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes.
Remove to cooling racks. Serve.
Notes
The stage of your starter Matters:
- A fully fed and active starter with a mild fruity smell will offer a less intensely flavored cookie that puff more.
- An unfed or tangy starter will enhance the flavor of these cookies but the cookies will not be as cake like.
The AMOUNT of your starter matters too.
I've made this recipe with only half the starter amount called for and the cookies turned out great. They DO have less puff and a bit more peanut butter flavor if that is what your after.
I have yet to make these (and I make them all the time) and turn out what WE think is a bad cookie.
That's why you see so many notes. Sourdough personalizes this and other recipes. Your starter is different than mine. Do what works for you.
Eliminate the baking powder and baking soda. The starter will still give some leavening.
- Use a freshly fed or recently fed starter
- Add 1/4 to 1/2 Cup granulated sugar to taste
- Use a sweetened peanut butter
The chocolate chips are optional.
They may be omitted or replaced with other baking chips you may prefer. Some good choices are white chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
50Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 106Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 7mgSodium 99mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 1gSugar 4gProtein 2g
Louise
Friday 9th of April 2021
I made these cookies using unfed starter but had to top up with flour and water as I had about 150 grams of starter. I added a bit of rolled oats, about 60 grams and 200 grams of flour. I used 3/4 parts sugar and 1/4 part stevia. I also added baking powder and soda. They did rise. I baked them for 11 minutes. They are more of a cake cookie than a crisp cooke. BUT they are really good. They don't have a very strong peanut butter flavour as compared to some other cookies and next time I might add some powdered peanut butter. I didn't add any chocolate chips as I know the dog will want to sample these cookies with me. I will definitely make these cookies again.
Diane
Friday 9th of April 2021
Thanks Louise for the great review and sharing what you did. have a wonderful day!
Tonya
Friday 19th of March 2021
I tried this recipe last night. It was wonderful! Being new to baking with sourdough starter, I was a bit unsure. I’m so glad I went for it. About halfway through, I added chocolate chips to the batter. My husband is already planning for our Christmas baking.
Diane
Friday 19th of March 2021
Hi Tonya, Thanks so much for the great feedback and review. We are so happy you love this sourdough peanut butter cookie recipe. Yes they would make excellent Christmas cookies! Have a wonderful day.
Charlotte
Friday 26th of February 2021
I don't normally like peanutbutter cookies.. too dry and crumbly. But when I saw this recipe I just had to try it.. and it was delish! Sourdough and peanutbutter just go really well together, and I like that this recipe uses oil instead of butter.
I made a few changes to make it more gooey:
I did 2/3 cup of oil instead of 1/2 cup. (Next time I may do 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) I did 2 1/3 cup of flour. I omitted the baking powder. Baked for 11 mins.
When warm, they are so soft and gooey they will almost break; when cooled down they are perfectly gooey. Absolutely amazing flavor.
Sydney
Sunday 4th of October 2020
The flavor of these cookies is incredible! Is there any way to make them more chewy! We’re not a huge fan of cakey cookies.
Kayti Lavergne
Sunday 4th of October 2020
Hi Sydney, To make them less cakey you can omit the baking powder or use a starved starter. (this means a starter not fed at LEAST a week. If it separates just stir the starter and use it. This will also increase the tangy flavor). Also I undebake mine since I also love the flatter chewier cookies. Hope this helps. Thanks for the feedback and question.
Sara T
Tuesday 4th of August 2020
These cookies look so yummy! I was wondering how they would hold up doing a 72 hour cold ferment, so all the flour is able to be fermented by the wild yeast. I have not been able to find many recipes that do a do a long ferment with active starter. Thanks, Sara
Sara T.
Tuesday 5th of January 2021
@Diane, Hi, Diane. I used bubbly fed starter, 1 cup, and omitted the baking powder and soda. I didn't add the suggested extra sugar but i did add about a half cup of powdered PB (PBFit). In my experience fermented cookies are puffy and cakey so I pressed them thinner than I would normally.
The way I made this recipe the cookies tasted more like a lightly sweetened PB biscuit to eat with coffee or tea. The PB flavor wasn't strong.
Because the starter was soo bubbly and I used the full amount. I fermented the dough for 48 hours instead of 72 hours. out of the fridge i cooked them for 17 min.
Thanks! I'm going to keep experimenting with it.
Diane
Tuesday 4th of August 2020
Hi Sara T, I've never long cold raised this dough. Sourdough discard recipes don't usually do that. HOWEVER. I think you can. But reduce the sourdough starter by half. (at least a third) It will more than likely ferment into mini breads if you don't. :) And use UNFED starter so they don't get too puffy. Please let me know how it goes.