Soft Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies

ByLaRee Colburn Updated on
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These delicious, chewy sourdough sugar cookies are a perfect blend of tangy sourdough flavor and classic buttery flavor. These cookies are soft on the inside with perfectly crisp edges on the outside. Every year before Christmas, my kids make these into cut-out cookies with frosting on them.  They are also delicious without frosting and are good for any occasion or gathering.  

sourdough sugar cookies

Quick Look: Soft Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies

  • ⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • 🍳 Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • 🕒 Total Time: 30 minutes
  • 👥 Servings: 2 dozen
  • 📊 Calories: ~2975 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
  • 🔥 Cook Method: Oven-baked on baking sheet.
  • 👩‍🍳 Flavor Profile: Sweet and lightly tangy with a soft, buttery texture and classic vanilla sugar cookie flavor.
  • ⭐ Difficulty: Easy – beginner-friendly, simple mixing, shaping, and baking.

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bite of sourdough sugar cookies

Why You'll Love This Recipe

  • Easy - these sourdough cookies are easy to mix up, let them sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, and then bake up into chewy sourdough discard sugar cookies.  They are delicious plain, or you can add some cream cheese frosting or royal icing to make them beautiful and even more delicious!
  • Delicious - I love the subtle tang from the sourdough in these sugar cookies paired with the sweet flavor of the cookies.  To give them even more delicious flavor, you can add lemon or almond extracts.
  • A great way to use up extra sourdough discard in your refrigerator.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here

Ingredients

  • Butter- I like to use my homemade butter, but use whatever you have
  • Vanilla- You can make your own homemade vanilla extract really simply.  I keep it stored in my homestead pantry so I always have it on hand.
  • Lemon or almond extract, optional 
  • Eggs - best if they are at room temperature. 
  • Sour cream
  • Sourdough Starter Discard - I usually use discard straight out of the refrigerator
  • Flour-I like to buy unbleached all-purpose flour from Azure Standard.  If you want to use whole wheat flour, I suggest making these with half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour so they don’t get too dense.
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda- Since we are using sourdough discard for these muffins, we have to add some kind of leavening agent to help them rise.  

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here

Tools

  • Stand mixer or a large mixing bowl – my absolute favorite stand mixer is a bosch mixer. I’ve used one almost everyday for years and it has served me so well
  • Cookie Paddles – if you get the bosch mixer, I highly recommend you get the cookie paddles, which is what I use for mixing up these easy cookies. You will need the metal top for the cookie 
    paddles. I also highly recommend getting the cake paddles as well. I use them all the time. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you could use a large bowl and a hand mixer.
  • Parchment Paper
  • Baking Sheet
  • Rolling Pin for Cut-Out Cookies, optional
  • Measuring Cups and Spoons
  • Cookie Cutters, optional

How to Make Soft Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, vanilla, sourdough discard and lemon extract.  

mixing up sourdough sugar cookies

Add the egg and beat until fluffy. 

Add the sour cream and beat in the dry ingredients. 

Place the cookie dough in plastic wrap or an airtight container and chill the dough in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight

For Cutout Cookies: 

Roll the dough ¼ inch thick and use cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes.

Place on a prepared baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown.  Do not overbake.

For Drop Cookies:

Using a small ice cream scoop, drop tablespoon-sized cookie dough balls on a prepared baking sheet.

rolling sourdough sugar cookies

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.  Do not overbake.

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. 

Frosting, Optional:

Frost with cream cheese or buttercream frosting if desired (recipe below).

Mix up frosting ingredients in a small bowl with a hand mixer.  

Divide into smaller bowls and color with food coloring if desired.

Spread over cooled cookies with a small spatula, or pipe on designs using cake decorating equipment.

Enjoy with a warm cup of hot chocolate, tea, or your favorite coffee. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. 

sourdough sugar cookies

Tips

  • To gain all of the health benefits from making these with long-fermented sourdough, be sure to allow the cookies to bulk ferment at room temperature overnight.  This will ensure that most of the phytic acid and gluten in the flour are consumed by the sourdough starter, making these much easier to digest, especially if you are gluten-intolerant.
  • Using room temperature butter gives the best results for soft, chewy cookies.
  • To make cut-out cookies, chill the dough for several hours before rolling it out with a rolling pin, and then cutting into shapes with your favorite cookie cutters.

FAQ

Yes, especially if you let the dough ferment in the refrigerator for a few hours.  This allows the sourdough to break down the gluten and phytic acid in the flour that was added to the recipe.

The sourdough gives these cookies only a slight tang unless you leave it in the refrigerator for several days, and then the tang will get stronger.

No, these cookies can be baked right away, but they won't have the long fermented health benefits unless you allow the dough to ferment for a few hours.  You can ferment them in the refrigerator or at room temperature.  The fermentation happens much more quickly on the counter, and is much slower in the refrigerator.  For best results, chill the dough before baking.

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sourdough sugar cookies

Soft Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies

These delicious, chewy sourdough sugar cookies are a perfect blend of tangy sourdough flavor and classic buttery flavor. These cookies are soft on the inside with perfectly crisp edges on the outside. Every year before Christmas, my kids make these into cut-out cookies with frosting on them.  They are also delicious without frosting and are good for any occasion or gathering.  
LaRee Colburn
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Serving Size 2 dozen

Equipment

  • 1 Stand mixer or a large mixing bowl my absolute favorite stand mixer is a bosch mixer. I’ve used one almost everyday for years and it has served me so well
  • 1 Cookie Paddles  if you get the bosch mixer, I highly recommend you get the cookie paddles, which is what I use for mixing up these easy cookies. You will need the metal top for the cookie paddles. I also highly recommend getting the cake paddles as well. I use them all the time. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you could use a large bowl and a hand mixer.
  • 1 parchment paper
  • 1 Baking sheet
  • 1 Rolling Pin for Cut-Out Cookies optional
  • 1 measuring cups and spoons
  • 1 Cookie Cutters optional

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon vanilla 
  • ½ teaspoon lemon flavoring 
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 ½ cups flour 
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder 
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt 
  • ½ cup sourdough discard 

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 Tbl. vanilla
  • 2-3 Tbl. milk  (can add more to make a thinner frosting)
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 Tbl. Leftover coffee optional. This will give the frosting the best flavor.

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, vanilla, sourdough discard and lemon extract.  
  • Add the egg and beat until fluffy. 
  • Add the sour cream and beat in the dry ingredients. 
  • Place the cookie dough in plastic wrap or an airtight container and chill the dough in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight

For cutout cookies: 

  • Roll the dough ¼ inch thick and use cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes.
  • Place on a prepared baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown.  Do not overbake.

For drop cookies:

  • Using a small ice cream scoop, drop tablespoon-sized cookie dough balls on a prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.  Do not overbake.
  • Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. 
  • Frost with cream cheese or buttercream frosting if desired (recipe below).
  • Enjoy with a warm cup of hot chocolate, tea, or your favorite coffee. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. 
Rate this Recipe

Notes

To gain all of the health benefits from making these with long-fermented sourdough, be sure to allow the cookies to bulk ferment at room temperature overnight.  This will ensure that most of the phytic acid and gluten in the flour are consumed by the sourdough starter, making these much easier to digest, especially if you are gluten-intolerant.
Using room temperature butter gives the best results for soft, chewy cookies.
To make cut-out cookies, chill the dough for several hours before rolling it out with a rolling pin, and then cutting into shapes with your favorite cookie cutters.

More Old Fashioned Sweets

I'm a homeschool Mom of 5, living out my dreams of growing a simple, sustainable life on our Nebraska homestead. I'm passionate about gardening, preserving, cooking from scratch and baking with sourdough. I enjoy milking Jersey cows and making our own dairy products. Come along with me as I share with you the skills you'll need to be successful at homesteading and frugal living.

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3 Comments

  2. It says in step 1 to add sugar, but sugar is not listed as an ingredient for the dough.
    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, vanilla, sourdough discard and lemon extract.

    love your content and recipes.

    Reply

    1. I am so glad you mentioned this to me! Somehow that got missed when inputting the recipe, and how on earth can you have sugar cookies with sugar right? LOL! I just added it to the recipe card, and it's 3/4 of a cup. Thanks again!

      Reply