Sourdough blondies combine the richness of butter, sweet brown sugar, tangy sourdough, and other simple ingredients to make the perfect dessert.
This sourdough blondie recipe is delicious and dependable. It’s one of those great recipes to keep handy for last-minute desserts or when you need something that is dependably delicious and a crowd-pleaser. This sourdough blueberry cobbler is another great option.
Blondies are similar to brownies in some ways, but their rich, buttery, vanilla flavor is especially warm and addictive. It’s quite easy to eat too many, so be warned. Especially if you pair it with homemade vanilla ice cream.
I’m especially pleased with any dessert that is whipped up quickly and baked all in one dish while also providing many servings.
Also helpful is that frequent bakers will almost always have all of these ingredients on hand. No special trips are needed, and no big prepping– just mixing and baking.
Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Blondie Recipe
Made with sourdough discard: Whips up in under an hour, uses sourdough discard and you probably have everything you need in your kitchen already! Find more sourdough discard desserts here.
The perfect dessert bars: The blend of butter, sugar, and vanilla gives a sweet butterscotch flavor, making it a delicious treat with a wonderfully chewy texture.
They’re a lot like thick, chewy chocolate chip cookies. The addition of sourdough starter provides complex flavor, and it’s an excellent way to use up extra discard. You can really fancy it up with a scoop of homemade ice cream on top.
Easily modified: While these were made with chocolate chips, you can easily substitute white chocolate chips, toffee bits, nuts, or swirls of peanut butter on top. The addition of flaky sea salt is always delicious and visually appealing.
Tips
- You can use an active sourdough starter or discard. Discard will give a tangier flavor, but either option works! Learn how to make your own sourdough starter.
- You can easily stir this up by hand, but a stand mixer works well, too!
- For the perfect gooey blondie, take them out of the oven a couple of minutes early and let them cool completely in the pan.
- The bake time for a 9×13 dish is 40-45 minutes. Total time will vary depending on your oven.
- You’ll know they’re done when the top is golden brown, the edges are crisp, and they are set in the center. A toothpick or knife inserted into the center should come out clean or mostly clean.
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Tools You May Need
Measuring cups and spoons
Large mixing bowl
Metal or glass 9×13 baking dish
Parchment paper
Ingredients
Unsalted butter: Two whole sticks of melted butter, cooled.
White sugar: Regular granulated sugar to sweeten this up.
Light brown sugar: Added for the sweetness and classic flavors of brown sugar. You could use dark brown sugar, as well.
Eggs: We’ll use two large whole eggs and an additional yolk. Added egg yolks add to the richness of flavor and texture, while also adding structure.
Sourdough discard: Discard gives a deeper tangy flavor. You can also use sourdough starter for a milder flavor.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds so much warmth and natural sweetness to a recipe.
All-purpose flour: I like to use unbleached, organic flour, or mill my own soft white wheat.
Baking soda & Baking powder: These are our leavening agents, giving some rise to our blondies.
Salt: Sea salt to balance the sweetness.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch is a great way to add softness and additional structure to a recipe.
Chocolate chips: A good quality chocolate chip or chocolate chunk makes a difference!
How to Make Sourdough Blondies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your baking dish with parchment paper.
Grab your favorite large bowl and add the melted butter and white and brown sugar. Whisk thoroughly.
Add the two eggs, egg yolk, sourdough discard, and vanilla on top of the sugar mixture. Whisk it all up until smooth.
Measure your flour, then add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cornstarch to the measuring cup of flour. Give it a quick stir to mix them together before adding the dry ingredients to the wet.
Stir until combined, not over-mixing.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Scoop the batter into the prepared baking dish.
Long Fermentation Option: Place plastic wrap over the batter and place in fridge for 2-3 days. Bake according to directions.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until set. The edges will be crisp.
Cool completely in the pan before serving.
Storage
You can store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
You can also wrap them in parchment or plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container to freeze for several months.
Thaw the sourdough blondies at room temperature when you’re ready to eat. They’re great when gently reheated in the oven, too!
FAQ
Brownies get their name from their color, which is achieved with cocoa powder and/or chocolate. Blondies are similar but made without cocoa, using brown sugar and vanilla instead.
This could be a result of using too much flour or baking them too long.
The edges of the blondies should be crisp and golden, the middle should be set and not wobbly, and a toothpick or knife inserted into the center should come out mostly clean, but certainly not covered in batter. Let them cool completely to set up all the way.
You can! You’ll lose some of that deep brown sugar flavor and some of the golden color, but your recipe will still turn out and be delicious.
Wow, that’s a tough one. They are so good when freshly cooled from the oven, but they are just as good the next day! That works out great for prepping them a day ahead of time.
Absolutely! Prepare the blondies per directions. Place plastic wrap over top and place in the fridge for 2-3 days. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven, remove plastic and bake for 40-45 minutes.
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More favorite recipes:
- Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Easy Sourdough Foccacia
- Homemade Brioche Donuts with Vanilla Custard Filling
- The Best Sourdough Dinner Rolls
- Sourdough Brown Bread
- Sourdough Ham And Cheese Rolls
Sourdough Blondies
Equipment
- 9×13 baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 227 g melted
- 1 cup white granulated sugar , 200 g
- 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed 200 g
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 cup sourdough discard , 170 g
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract , 8 g
- 3 cups all purpose flour , 405 g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda , 6 g
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder , 2.5 g
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt , 7 g
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your baking dish with parchment paper.
- Grab your favorite large bowl and add the melted butter and white and brown sugar. Whisk thoroughly.
- Add the two eggs, egg yolk, sourdough discard, and vanilla on top of the sugar mixture. Whisk it all up until smooth.
- Measure your flour, then add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cornstarch to the measuring cup of flour. Give it a quick stir to mix them together before adding the dry ingredients to the wet.
- Stir until combined, not over-mixing.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until set. The edges will be crisp.
- Cool completely in the pan before serving.
Notes
- Long Fermentation Option: Place plastic wrap over the batter and place in fridge for 2-3 days. Bake according to directions.
- You can use an active sourdough starter or discard. Discard will give a tangier flavor, but either option works!
- You can easily stir this up by hand, but a stand mixer works well, too!
- For the perfect gooey blondie, take them out of the oven a couple of minutes early and let them cool completely in the pan.
- The bake time for a 9×13 dish is 40-45 minutes. Total time will vary depending on your oven.
- You’ll know they’re done when the top is golden brown, the edges are crisp, and they are set in the center. A toothpick or knife inserted into the center should come out clean or mostly clean.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for your postReally thank you! Great
I want to make these using the Long Fermentation Option. Do I put the batter into the pan it will be baked in before I cover and let it ferment or do I cover it in the bowl I’ve mixed it in to ferment it and then put it in the 9 x 13 right before baking it?
Yes! Place the batter into the pan, cover it with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remove plastic wrap and bake in a hot oven.
Thank you so much!!!
I’m only a month or so into sourdough and this has, by far, been my favorite discard recipe. It’s like soft, doughy chocolate chips cookies in brownie form. My 11 year old liked them so much, she turned around and made a batch herself with minimal help. I actually made them into two half casserole dishes from pioneer woman and they came out perfect. Your recipes all make me feel like I finally can cook!
Do you think walnuts could be substituted for the chocolate chips or maybe both?
These are amazing! They’re like a chocolate chip cookie and we had them warm. They’re a great use for some discard. Everyone loves them.
Yay! So glad to hear that!
Can blueberries be substituted for chocolate chips.
That sounds amazing! I don’t see why not.
I never take the time to review but this one earned it. Absolutely perfect dessert somewhere between cake and cookie and brownie. Perfect!
Can’t wait to try this recipe. I just want to say how amazing Lisa is. I haven’t been on the website in awhile, and there’s loads of new recipes! However, we use her recipes at our house 2-4 times every single week. All the other moms I know that are learning to do sourdough and growing in our confidence also all learn from Lisa… Thank you so much. I’m so thankful I found you first when I youtubed sourdough for the first time. Thank you for the awesome content…and for changing my family’s life forever. Not even kidding. Much love from a total stranger!
~Stasia in MT
Thank you so much Stasia! Warms my heart that you love the recipes so much.
I’ve tried using freshly milled spelt flour with my usual cookie recipe and they didn’t turn out. The first batch were flat and didn’t hold together well so I ended up just putting the rest of the cookie dough in a pie pan and baked them as cookie bars. Did some research and you have to chill the dough for about a day before you bake them. Do you end up fermenting your cookies every time you use fresh milled flour?
I have not made this recipe yet, but I do know when I use fresh milled flour (which is all I use now) i have to increase the flour by 1/4 cup per cup of all purpose called for. I do this whenever I am converting a cookie, cake, cobbler or any recipe where I will be using soft wheat (I consider spelt a soft wheat) in place of all purpose flour.
Delicious! I’m new to sourdough instructions very easy to follow. Will for sure make again
Thank you for sharing!
Glad to hear that!