Fudgy Sourdough Brownies

Everyone needs a reliable brownie recipe, and these fudgy Sourdough Brownies are my absolute favorite!

The sourdough discard brownies are ultra fudgy, decadently rich, and have irresistibly gooey centers. Sourdough discard adds a subtle tang, while flaky salt, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a hint of optional espresso powder perfectly balance the sweetness.

Be sure to follow my detailed instructions and tips below for making brownies so you get fudgy sourdough brownies with crinkly, crackly tops! They’re a perfect Valentine’s Day chocolate treat!

I also include substitutions and variations so you can make with other delicious additions like nuts, cream cheese, chocolate mint, cherry, and other flours like rye.

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👍 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Extremely fudgy brownies with chewy and gooey centers.
• Can use other flours like rye flour, buckwheat flour, or whole wheat for even more flavor.
• A small amount of optional espresso powder brings out the chocolate flavor.
• Crinkly tops.
• Flaky salt balances out the richness.
• No fancy equipment required.
• Makes 16 small brownies for a crowd.

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🔍 Tips for Making Fudgy Sourdough Brownies

• Can rest the batter overnight in the refrigerator.
• To make them extra fudgy and chewy, this recipe has no baking powder or baking soda. I don’t include mechanical leaveners in my sourdough blondies either so they stay moist and chewy.
• Use semi-sweet or dark chocolate (not milk chocolate), or the brownies will be too sweet.
• Top with flaky salt to balance out the decadence.
• For crinkly brownie tops, whip the eggs and sugar long for a few minutes. This will create a meringue-like topping.
• Don’t overbake. Overbaking will dry out the brownies and they won’t be as fudgy.

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🛠 Tools Needed

You only need a few basic tools to make these fudgy sourdough discard brownies.

• Baking scale:
  • Flour and sourdough starter can weigh differently from person to person, so weighing your ingredients is the best option! Weighing your ingredients by weight will make your baking more consistent and accurate.
• 8″ square baking pan
  • If you only have a 9″ square baking pan, the brownies will bake faster won’t be as thick, but just as delicious.
• Spatula and Whisk
  • If you have an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, you can also use them to mix the sourdough brownie batter.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

See below for my ingredient recommendations and possible substitutions.

• Unsalted butter
  • I prefer using unsalted butter in my baking to control the amount of salt in a recipe. However, these can be made with salted butter and you can eliminate the added salt.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Milk chocolate chips are a little too sweet for this recipe, so use high-quality semi-sweet chocolate, bittersweet, or dark chocolate chips.
  • You can also use chopped chocolate.
  • In addition to richness and flavor, the chocolate chips help give the brownies crackly tops.
• Granulated sugar
  • Brownies are sweet and rich, plus the sugar impacts the chewy, fudgy texture of the brownies. If you decrease, all of these things can be impacted.
  • Can use equal amount in weight of powdered sugar which dissolves easier so you don’t have to whisk as much.
• Light brown sugar
  • Brown sugar has molasses, which adds a little more richness and flavor to these brownies.
• Eggs:
  • Adds structure to help bind the ingredients together and helps make the brownies super fudgy.
  • I use two eggs and one egg yolk for this recipe.
• Vanilla extract
• Espresso powder (optional)
  • Coffee enhances chocolate flavor! It’s a little trick I use in my Chocolate Sourdough Bread recipe.
• Dutch process cocoa powder
  • You can use natural unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe, but Dutch process is darker, smoother, and less bitter.
  • There are no mechanical leaveners like baking powder or baking soda in this recipe, so if you do substitute with natural cocoa powder, you’ll still get a good outcome.
• Sourdough Discard
  • If you don’t have an active sourdough starter, learn how to make one in a week following my how-to guide. See my top sourdough starter tips.
• All-purpose flour:
  • Substitute some or all of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, rye flour, buckwheat flour, or gluten-free flour.
  • The small amount of flour adds just enough structure to these brownies.
• Salt
• Flaky salt, for topping (optional)
  • Crunchy flaky salt is the final touch that balances out the richness of these fudgy sourdough discard brownies.

Sourdough Brownie Variations

• Chocolate chips: Fold in ½ cup of mini chocolate chips after mixing the batter.
• Mint chocolate: Substitute the vanilla extract with a teaspoon of peppermint extract. You can also add Andes mint chocolate candies on top of the brownies.
• Nuts: Add ½ cup of chopped toasted pecans, walnuts, or other nuts to the batter after mixing.
  • See my Sourdough Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes if you’re a fan of nuts!
• Cream cheese
  • Swirl in 8oz of softened cream cheese before baking.
• Caramel or Dulce de Leche
  • Add ¼-⅓ cup of caramel or dulce de leche on top of your brownies and swirl it in with a skewer or toothpick.
• Dried cherries or dried cranberries
  • Like my Sourdough Gingerbread Cake, you can fold in ½ cup of dried cherries or dried cranberries to these brownies for a burst of tangy fruit.
• Other flours:
  • Substitute the all-purpose flour with rye flour, buckwheat flour, or whole wheat flour for an added depth.
  • Make gluten-free sourdough brownies by using buckwheat flour, oat flour, or another gluten-free flour.
• Make dairy-free:
  • To make dairy-free sourdough brownies, substitute the butter with plant-based butter.

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🍫 How to Make Fudgy Sourdough Brownies

Follow this detailed recipe guide as you make the best sourdough brownies.

This recipe makes 16 small brownies in an 8″ square pan.

1. Melt the Chocolate Chips and Butter

Preheat the oven to 325ºF (163ºC) and line an 8″ square baking pan with parchment paper. Butter or oil the pan.

Cube the butter into pieces and add to a heat-proof bowl with the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Melt on a stovetop over simmering water (bain-marie or double boiler method) and stir constantly with a spatula to prevent burning.

This gentle method of melting the chocolate and butter will prevent burning and scorching the chocolate compared to using a microwave.

Once melted, remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Whisk Wet Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the two eggs, egg yolk, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar together for 4-5 minutes.

You can choose to whisk by hand, but I find an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to be a little easier.

The long mixing time will ensure the sugar dissolves completely and help you get a meringue-like crinkly top to your brownies.

Add the vanilla extract, optional espresso powder, Dutch process cocoa powder, and beat until incorporated.

Pour in the sourdough discard last and whisk.

3. Mix the Sourdough Brownie Batter

Pour the melted butter and chocolate chip mixture into the mixing bowl and whisk. The melted, hot butter and fat will help bloom the cocoa powder and espresso powder to enhance their flavors.

Then, fold in the all-purpose flour and salt last until no flour specks remain. Don’t overmix to avoid gluten development, which may make your brownies more cakey.

4. Bake

Pour the sourdough discard brownie batter into your prepared baking pan.

Then, evenly spread the batter to the corners with a spatula.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top of the brownies puff up, the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out a few moist crumbs.

You can also test if the brownies are done by pressing a finger on top. The center should feel firm with a little give but not gooey or wet. They will continue to bake some as you remove them from the oven, so I usually err on the side of underbaking slightly for super fudgy brownies.

When out of the oven, give the pan a slight tap on the counter and cool at least an hour before slicing.

I slice the brownies into a 4×4 grid to serve 16 square small brownies.

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How to Store and Serve Sourdough Brownies

You can store these sourdough brownies at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or freeze them.

At room temperature, store in an airtight container for up to a couple of days and use parchment paper to separate layers to prevent sticking. They will dry out over time if not wrapped or kept in an airtight container.

To keep them for a week, the brownies can be stored in the refrigerator. You can serve cold or let them come back to room temperature.

Finally, for long-term storage, you can freeze the brownies for up to 3 months by wrapping them in plastic wrap and placing them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Serve the sourdough discard brownies at room temperature for chewy, fudgy centers. They’re excellent by themselves with a glass of milk. Valentine’s Day is a perfect day for making these fudgy delights!

The brownies are excellent served with whipped cream or ice cream to make sourdough brownie sundaes! You could also use the brownies for parfaits, milkshakes, or pour espresso on top with ice cream for an affogato-inspired dessert.

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❓ FAQs:

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Other Sourdough Desserts You May Enjoy:

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