These sourdough white chocolate raspberry cookies are thick, soft, and bursting with sweet white chocolate and tart raspberries.
Each bite offers the perfect contrast between the rich, creamy chocolate, the bright, acidic pop of the fruit, and the subtle tang of sourdough, all held together by a tender crumb with golden edges.
While my original recipe for Bakery-Style White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies remains a favorite for its classic texture, this sourdough version brings something special to the table.
By incorporating fresh sourdough discard, we introduce a subtle depth of flavor and the gut-healthy benefits of fermentation, which can make the grains easier to digest.
It is a wonderful way to enjoy a sweet indulgence that is just a little bit gentler on the body.
You might notice that unlike many cookie recipes, this one relies entirely on baking powder.
This is very intentional!-it's the secret to preventing the dough turning a sad, unappetizing gray or blue.
Raspberries are very sensitive to pH changes; if you introduce baking soda (which is alkaline), it reacts with the berries and turns your beautiful dough a muddy gray or purple.
By using baking powder and acidic sourdough discard, we keep the pH low, ensuring your cookies come out of the oven looking just as vibrant as they taste.
Jump to:
- Why I Love This Recipe For Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
- Ingredients To Make Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
- Equipment Needed To Make Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
- Key Steps To Make Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
- Secrets For Success Making Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
- Storage Recommendations For Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
- Make Ahead Instructions For Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
- Substitutions and Variations
- Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
- Related Recipes
- Subscribe to get my recipes
Why I Love This Recipe For Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
This recipe is a great way to use up your sourdough discard because it creates such a visually stunning and delicious result.
- Vibrant Color: Thanks to the baking powder and the acidity of the sourdough, the raspberries stay bright pink instead of turning blue or gray.
- Gut Healthy: Long cold fermentation options allow the wild yeast to break down gluten, making these cookies easier on the stomach.
- Simple yet Fancy: They look like they came from a high-end bakery, but the ingredients and process to make are pretty straightforward and accessible.
Ingredients To Make Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
We use standard pantry staples here, but the specific combination is what makes the magic happen.
- Unsalted Butter: Provides the rich base and buttery flavor; make sure it is softened to room temperature for proper creaming.
- Sugars (Brown & White): A mix of light brown sugar for chewiness and moisture, and white sugar for crisp edges.
- Sourdough Discard: Adds moisture and acidity (which preserves the red berry color) and contributes to a soft, cake-like texture.
- Egg: Provides structure and richness to bind the dough.
- Vanilla: Essential for that classic cookie aroma and flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Creates the perfect tender crumb. Do not substitute with bread flour because it would make these cookies too tough.
- Baking Powder: The sole leavening agent used here to ensure lift without altering the pH balance.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness of the white chocolate.
- White Chocolate Chips: Adds creamy pockets of sweetness that pair perfectly with the tart fruit.
- Frozen Raspberries: Used to keep the dough cold and provide structure; they hold their shape during mixing and bake better than freeze-dried or fresh berries.
- You can totally use fresh berries fro this if you are extremely careful folding them in.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment Needed To Make Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
Having the right tools ensures your cookies turn out uniform and beautiful.
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer: Essential for creaming the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
- Kitchen Scale: Baking is chemistry, especially when working with sourdough; weighing ingredients guarantees accuracy.
- Large Cookie Scoop: To achieve that "bakery-style" size, a large scoop ensures every cookie is the same size and bakes evenly.
- Light-Colored Baking Sheet: Prevents the bottoms from burning before the centers are fully baked.
- Round Cookie Cutter: Used immediately after baking to scoot the cookies into perfect circles.
Key Steps To Make Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
I've included step-by-step photos below to guide you visually, ensuring your dough is on the right track from mixing to baking.
Cream the Butter and Sugars
Beat the butter and sugars until the mixture is aerated and pale.
Add Wet Ingredients
Mix in the egg, vanilla, and sourdough discard until fully combined.
Combine Dry Ingredients
Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder separately, then add to the wet mix until just combined. The cookie dough might look a little dry, but that's just how we want it to be!
Fold and Chill
Very gently fold in the white chocolate chips and frozen raspberries, being careful not to crush the fruit.
Chill the cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to make shaping easier.
Portion and Shape
Portion using a large cookie scoop and shape into tall, rough mounds (not smooth balls)
Chill
Let the dough rest in the fridge to hydrate the flour and firm up the fats (crucial for sourdough cookies!).
Bake
Bake on a light colored baking tray lined with parchment paper, until the edges are golden but the centers look slightly underdone.
Reshape
Use a round cookie cutter to swirl around the hot cookies for a perfect round shape.
Secrets For Success Making Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
A few specific techniques make a big difference:
- Baking Powder Only: Do not reach for the baking soda! Baking soda creates an alkaline environment that reacts with the anthocyanins in raspberries, turning your beautiful cookies a sad gray or blue. Baking powder (neutral) combined with sourdough (acidic) keeps them bright red.
- Handling Raspberries: It is vital that your frozen raspberries are loose and individual, known as IQF (Individually Quick Frozen). If your bag of berries has thawed and refrozen into a solid block of ice and fruit, do not use it. You will end up overworking the dough trying to break them apart, which will cause the berries to melt and bleed, resulting in a wet, mushy dough that won't bake correctly.
- Size Matters: For that true bakery look and texture (soft center, crisp edge), use a large cookie scoop or weigh your dough balls to roughly 100 grams each.
- Proper Pan: Use a light-colored aluminum baking sheet. Dark non-stick pans absorb too much heat and will burn the sugar-rich bottoms of these cookies.
- The Cookie Scoot: Immediately after pulling the pan from the oven, use a large round cutter to gently swirl each cookie in a circular motion to tuck in uneven edges.
Storage Recommendations For Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
These cookies are best fresh, but they store well if handled correctly.
- Room Temperature: Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Fridge: You can store the unbaked dough in the fridge for 24 hours (allowing for long fermentation), or store baked cookies for up to a week.
- Freezer: Freeze dough balls solid for a quick bake later, or freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: If eating from the fridge or freezer, pop the cookie in a 350°F (177°C) oven for a few minutes to revive the crisp edges and gooey chocolate.
Make Ahead Instructions For Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
Sourdough cookies are actually better when made ahead!
- Long Ferment: Make the dough, cover tightly, and place in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours before baking. This improves flavor and digestibility.
- Freezer Stash: Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a tray until solid, then transfer to a ziplock bag. You can bake them straight from frozen-just add 2-4 minutes to the bake time.
Substitutions and Variations
Here is how to tweak the recipe if you are missing ingredients or have dietary needs.
- Flour: Stick to All-Purpose flour for the right tenderness. Do not use bread flour, as the high protein content will make the cookies tough and chewy rather than soft. You can try Italian 00 flour for an even softer, cake-like texture. Whole wheat or almond flour can be used, but start by swapping only 10-20% of the flour to avoid altering the structure too much.
- Leavening: I cannot stress this enough-do not substitute baking powder with baking soda. You will lose the vibrant color of the berries.
- Vegan Options: You can use plant-based butter and egg replacements (like flax eggs), but keep in mind that the spread and final texture of the crumb will differ from the original dairy version.
- Sugar: While you can experiment with different sugars, the specific ratio of white to light brown sugar in this recipe is designed to balance moisture and spread. Changing this will change the thickness of the cookie.
- Chocolate: If white chocolate isn't your favorite, you can chop up a high-quality white chocolate bar for melting pools, or swap in semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips.
- Berries: I highly recommend sticking to frozen raspberries. Fresh raspberries tend to smash and bleed during mixing, and freeze-dried raspberries will result in a drier, crunchier cookie. If you must use them, expect a different outcome. You can totally use strawberries instead of raspberries.
- No Sourdough? If you don't have a starter, you can make your own following my guide, purchase some dehydrated starter from my shop, or simply substitute the discard in this recipe with one extra egg yolk.
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Sourdough White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 170 grams (¾ cup) unsalted butter at 65°F (18°C)
- 200 grams (1 cup) light brown sugar
- 50 grams (¼ cup) white sugar
- 50 grams sourdough starter use at peak or fresh discard
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 7 milliliters (1 ½ teaspoons) vanilla extract or paste
- 300 grams (2 ½ cups spoon and leveled) all-purpose flour
- 7 grams (1 ¾ teaspoons) baking powder (NOT baking soda)
- 3 grams (½ teaspoon) fine sea salt
- 200 grams (1 ¼ cups) white chocolate chips reserve a few for topping before baking
- 120 grams (1 cup) raspberries Fully frozen
Instructions
- Cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the sourdough starter or discard and mix until incorporated.
- Add the egg and mix until well incorporated.
- Add the vanilla and mix again until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until no dry flour remains. Do not overmix.
- Gently fold in the white chocolate chips (reserving a few for topping before baking) and the frozen raspberries using a spatula.
- Portion the dough using a large cookie scoop or weigh about 100 grams per cookie.
- Shape into rough, tall mounds rather than smooth balls.
- Cover well to prevent drying and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 365°F (185°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange cookies, leaving at least 3 inches (8 cm) of space between them.
- Top each dough mound with extra white chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until edges are lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and, while the cookies are still hot, use a 4 or 5-inch round cookie cutter to gently swirl around each cookie, tucking in any uneven edges to form a clean, round shape. The gentle motion helps shape them into perfectly round bakery-style cookies.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to finish setting.
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