Sourdough sugar cookies
Sourdough sugar cookies are buttery, sweet cookies made with sourdough discard. They are super easy to make and perfect for decorating with icing!
Why you will love this recipe
- Sourdough sugar cookies are easy to make, and you don’t need special ingredients.
- Kids love to make and decorate these cookies.
- They are delicious as they are, but you can add flavors or icing to make them extra special.
- These cookies are perfect for your holiday baking.
Ingredient notes
Flour: To make cookies, you want to use a flour with a lower protein content, which is why we like to use all-purpose flour.
Sourdough discard: For these sourdough sugar cookies, there's no need to feed your starter! In fact, one of the best aspects of this recipe is that it uses the discard you have leftover after feeding your starter. The sourdough discard adds a mild, tangy flavor to the cookies, perfectly balancing the sweetness of the sugar.
Sugar: Granulated sugar is best when you make this recipe.
Butter: When you make one of your cookie recipes, it is good to know that we always use unsalted butter. If you have salted butter, make sure to leave out the salt in the recipe.
How to make sourdough sugar cookies
Beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time. This incorporates as much air as possible. When all the wet ingredients are fully incorporated, add the dry ingredients and knead the dough to a smooth consistency.
Roll out the dough and use your favorite cookie cutter to cut out the cookies.
Transfer them to a lined baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden. Let them cool completely before decorating them with icing.
Our tips for the best sugar cookies
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. Incorporating them will be much easier when they are all the same temperature.
- Use a kitchen scale. Measuring your dry ingredients on a kitchen scale is more accurate than using cups, and this will improve your cookies!
- Decorate your cookies using your favorite icing! I love this recipe because these cookies hold their shape, making them perfect for decorating during the holiday season.
Storage
Homemade sourdough sugar cookies remain fresh for up to five days when stored in an airtight container. This is important because cookies attract moisture, which causes them to become soft.
Both the raw dough and baked sourdough sugar cookies are suitable for freezing, so you can always have some on hand when you crave something sweet.
More sweet sourdough recipes
Sourdough Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter 113 grams unsalted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 ° (180 °C) and line your baking tray with parchment paper.
- Beat the sugar and butter until it becomes light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, sourdough starter, and vanilla extract and mix until completely combined.
- When you have a smooth mixture, add the flour and salt and keep mixing until you have a soft, smooth dough.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface and use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out your sourdough sugar cookies.
- Place your cookies on a lined baking tray and bake them in the center of the oven for 10-13 minutes, or until golden. Because every oven is different, I recommend checking on your cookies every few minutes.
- Let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack before decorating.
My toddler had 3 of them and would’ve kept going! So yummy!
I love everything sourdough and these cookies certainly did not disappoint. Thanks for this delicious recipe!
You’re welcome!
I LOVE sugar cookies!! Such a delicious recipe!!
Thanks!!