Sourdough Mini Egg Cookie Bars
Easter in our house means mini eggs, and these sourdough mini egg cookie bars are a delicious way to use them! The base is a browned butter, sourdough discard cookie dough that bakes up thick and fudgy with crisp edges, and it is loaded with chopped chocolate and mini eggs.
These sourdough mini egg cookie bars are a seasonal spin on my sourdough discard cookie bars from my Baking with Butter blog. The base dough is made with browned butter and sourdough discard, which gives the bars a deeper flavour that you just don’t get with a standard cookie dough. The dough is pressed into an 8×8-inch (20x20cm) pan, studded with chopped dark chocolate chunks, and then topped with a generous layer of Cadbury mini eggs before baking.
If you have never browned butter before, please don’t skip it. Browning removes some of the water content from the butter and caramelises the milk solids, which gives the dough a rich, toasty flavour. The key step here is to chill the browned butter after it has cooled so it solidifies before you cream it with the sugars. This prevents the dough from turning greasy during baking.
These are a sourdough discard recipe, so you don’t need an active, freshly fed starter. Any discard sitting in the back of your fridge at 100% hydration will work perfectly.
Key Ingredients and why
- Butter. This gets browned first, which is essential both for flavour and for structure. Browning removes around 20% of the water, which means the dough holds together better.
- Sourdough discard starter. This is the ingredient that sets these cookie bars apart from a regular chocolate chip bar. The starter adds flavour, and also makes the bars a little softer than a standard cookie bar, which I love. A 100% hydration starter (equal weights flour and water) works best here.
- Soft brown sugar and granulated white sugar. Brown sugar adds moisture and a caramel-like chew, while white sugar helps the edges crisp up slightly and gives that crinkly, golden top.
- Baking soda. This reacts with the acid in the sourdough starter to give the bars a little lift.
- Chopped dark chocolate. I chop a chocolate bar rather than using chips because the irregular pieces melt into different sized pools through the dough. I like dark chocolate here as a contrast to the sweetness of the mini eggs, but milk chocolate also works if that is your preference.
- Mini eggs. Cadbury mini eggs are my go-to. I mix most of them into the dough, and then press halves into the top before baking. It makes a really pretty finish and means you get mini egg in every bite.
Method
- Cook the butter in a saucepan until the milk solids have caramelised and the butter smells nutty.
- Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely cold and solid.
- Beat the cold browned butter on its own for a minute or so until loosened, then cream in the sugars.
- Mix in the sourdough discard, egg, and vanilla until well combined.
- Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt until almost combined with a few dry streaks, then fold in the chopped chocolate and mini eggs.
- Spread the dough into a pan. Press more mini eggs into the top.
- Bake until the top is set and golden. Cool completely in the pan before slicing.
Tips
- Chill the butter until completely cold. You can leave the browned butter in the fridge overnight if that is easiest. Because browning removes the water from the butter and changes the fat structure when it re-solidifies, it actually creams more easily from cold than regular butter would, so don’t worry about it being too hard. You will still need an electric mixer, or if you don’t have one, let the butter sit out at room temperature for a little while first until it softens slightly, then beat it by hand.
- How to halve mini eggs. The easiest way to get clean halves is to cut them one at a time with a sharp knife, pressing down firmly and carefully. It gives you the most control and the cleanest result, though you do need to take your time as they can slip. Alternatively, you can put a handful in a zip-lock bag and give them a few firm whacks with a rolling pin, but you will get more irregular pieces than clean halves. For the top of the bars where appearance matters, the knife method is worth the extra effort.
- Slightly underbake. These bars continue to set as they cool. Pull them from the oven when the centre looks just set and no longer wet, even if it still seems soft. By the time they reach room temperature they will be perfectly chewy and fudgy in the middle.
- Chill the dough if you have time. You can cover the dough in the pan and refrigerate it for up to 3 days before baking. This intensifies the flavour and produces an even chewier texture. Add the mini eggs to the top just before baking, not before chilling.
Storing
Store the baked cookie bars at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They stay chewy and delicious, and I think the flavour actually improves on day two once everything has settled. You can also freeze them, well wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Related recipes
- Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies for another chewy, deeply flavoured sourdough discard cookie
- Sourdough Chocolate Cake when you want sourdough discard in something more showstopping
- Sourdough Banana Muffins for an easy everyday sourdough discard bake
- Baked Sourdough Doughnuts for another fun and simple sourdough discard treat
Sourdough Mini Egg Cookie Bars
These sourdough mini egg cookie bars are thick and soft with a deep, nutty flavour from browned butter and a lovely softness from sourdough discard. The dough is loaded with chopped chocolate and mini eggs, then topped with mini egg halves before baking. They are the perfect Easter bake and come together in one bowl.
Ingredients
- 140 g unsalted butter
- 100 g granulated white sugar
- 65 g soft brown sugar
- 100 g sourdough discard starter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 190 g all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 50 g dark chocolate roughly chopped into chunks
- 125 g mini eggs plus extra halves to press into the top
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for around 3-4 minutes until the milk solids have turned golden brown and the butter smells nutty. Pour immediately into a large heatproof bowl, scraping in all the browned bits. Cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then refrigerate until completely cold and solid. You can leave it overnight. It will weigh around 112-115g at this point, having lost some water during browning.140 g unsalted butter
- Beat the cold browned butter on its own with an electric hand mixer for about a minute until loosened and slightly fluffy. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and continue beating for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Because browning removes the water from the butter and changes the fat structure when it re-solidifies, it creams more easily from cold than regular butter would. If you don't have an electric mixer, let the butter sit out at room temperature for a little while first until it softens slightly before beating. 100 g granulated white sugar, 65 g soft brown sugar
- Add the sourdough discard, egg, and vanilla and mix until well combined. 100 g sourdough discard starter, 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add this to the butter mixture and mix until almost combined with just a few dry streaks remaining. Add the chopped chocolate and stir to combine. 190 g all-purpose flour, 3/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 50 g dark chocolate, 125 g mini eggs
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) regular oven. Line an 8×8-inch (20x20cm) baking pan with baking paper, leaving some overhang on the sides to help lift the bars out later.
- Fold most of the mini eggs through the dough. Scoop the dough into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula. Press mini egg halves shell-side up into the top of the dough, distributing them evenly across the surface.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes until the top is set and golden.
- Leave the bars to cool completely in the tin before removing and slicing. Slice into 16 pieces with a sharp knife.
Notes
Sourdough starter: Any unfed discard at 100% hydration (equal weights flour and water) works here. It doesn’t need to be active or freshly fed.
Mini eggs: The 125g of mini eggs is folded through the dough, with extra halves pressed shell-side up into the top just before baking. To halve mini eggs cleanly, cut them one at a time with a sharp knife, pressing down firmly. This gives the most control and the cleanest result. Alternatively, place them in a zip-lock bag and crush with a rolling pin for more irregular pieces. Depending on your brand, you may notice a little colour from the candy coating in the batter; this is fine and doesn’t affect the flavour.
Chocolate: I recommend chopping a chocolate bar rather than using chips as the uneven pieces melt more nicely. Dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa) balances the sweetness of the mini eggs well, but milk chocolate works if you prefer.
Make ahead: Spread the dough into the pan and fold through the mini eggs, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 3 days before baking. Press the halves into the top just before it goes in the oven. The flavour deepens with a cold rest.
Pan size: A 9×9-inch (23x23cm) pan also works but the bars will be slightly thinner. Reduce the bake time by 3-4 minutes and check a little earlier.
Storing: Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Freeze well-wrapped for up to 3 months.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1barCalories: 215kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 3gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 138mgPotassium: 47mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 257IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 1mg
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Hope you love this as much as I do!