Moist Sourdough Brownies
These fudgy sourdough brownies are a satisfying way to use up your sourdough discard. They’re rich, moist, and loaded with chocolate chips.
It also makes easy and family-friendly indulgent treats that everyone will adore. Plus, you can mix them up in just one bowl without a mixer, so they’re super quick to make.
Fudgy Sourdough Brownies
Equipment
- 9 x 13 Pan
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup cocoa
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup sourdough starter (unfed, discard)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips
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Instructions
- Prep. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Then, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with the rack in the center.
- Combine all ingredients. Mix the vegetable oil, cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, eggs, sourdough starter, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until smooth and shiny. You can use a spatula or a hand mixer. If you're using a mixer, add the chocolate chips last.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, then bake for 20-25 minutes. Don't forget to check for doneness at 20 minutes. The brownies are ready when you insert a toothpick in the center, and it comes out with large, moist crumbs but no wet batter. Even if they look slightly underdone, they will firm up as they cool.
- Serve. After taking the brownies out of the oven, let them cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes. Then, cut them into squares and serve them straight from the pan.
Notes
Nutrition
More Tips:
If you have a kitchen scale, use it for accurate measurements to make sure consistency and prevent the brownies from being too dry or gooey.
Oven temperatures can vary, so start checking your brownies at the 18-minute mark to avoid overbaking. Look for moist crumbs on a toothpick, not wet batter.
You can bake these in a 9 x 9 pan for extra thick brownies, but they’ll need 40-45 minutes to bake.
If you’d rather use butter, substitute 1 cup of butter. Melt it in a saucepan, let it cool slightly, and then continue with the recipe.
Line your baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal and clean-up, leaving some overhang to lift the brownies out of the pan.
If you live at a high altitude, you may need to adjust the baking time or temperature. Brownies may cook faster and require a slightly lower temperature.
Key Ingredients and Tools
To make these chewy sourdough brownies, you’ll need a few important tools and ingredients. Here are some that are essential for this recipe and why they’re necessary.
- Sourdough starter (discard): This gives a tangy flavor and helps reduce waste from your sourdough baking.
- Cocoa powder: Using high-quality cocoa powder ensures the best chocolate flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract gives a richer flavor than imitation vanilla.
- Parchment paper: Lining your baking dish with parchment paper makes removing the brownies easy without sticking.
Using these tools and ingredients will help you make the best brownies.
Here are some alternative ingredients you can use for this recipe.
- Vegetable oil: You can use melted butter instead.
- Granulated sugar: Replace it with brown sugar for a richer flavor (in the same amount).
- All-purpose flour: A gluten-free flour blend is a good alternative.
- Chocolate chips: Substituting them with chopped nuts or dried fruit works well, too.
These changes will alter the recipe’s outcome, but feel free to experiment with them for different variations.
These fudgy sourdough brownies are a simple, delicious way to use up sourdough discard and satisfy your sweet tooth. With minimal prep and cleanup, they’re perfect for any occasion.
Enjoy making and sharing this easy recipe with friends and family!
By Katie Shaw
Katie shares simple, reliable recipes from her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens.
Oh my! These are the best brownies I have ever made. Absolutely perfect as stated, no changes needed!
hi christy! so glad you enjoyed them. Thank you for letting me know 🙂
For the chocoholic in me, this was a delicious way to use up sourdough discard! I cooked the brownies in a 9×13″ glass baking dish, and used 1/4 c. butter and 3/4 c. canola oil, and 1 3/4 c. sugar. I added dark chocolate chips. Brownies had a nice tang from the sourdough, and were very moist, not dry or cake-like. They were about 1/2″ thick. The top didn’t crack and wasn’t flaky. I would make again!