Easy Cut-Out Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies
Sourdough discard sugar cookies are chewy cut-out cookies made with sourdough starter discard, butter, sugar, egg, and flour. The discard adds tang and extra moisture - chewy sugar cookies that hold sharp shapes for Easter or any holiday.
If you keep a sourdough starter, the discard builds up fast. These sourdough discard sugar cookies are my favorite way to put it to good use - alongside my sourdough oatmeal maple cookies and sourdough discard crackers. A hint of sourdough flavor makes them a more interesting sweet treat than classic sugar cookies.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
⏱ Prep: 20 minutes
👩🏻🍳 Bake: 8-10 minutes per batch
⏳ Total: ~4 hours (3-hour minimum chill)
👥 Yield: 30-36 cookies
🥣 Main ingredients: Sourdough discard, unsalted butter, white sugar, egg, all-purpose flour
👌 Difficulty: Easy
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🍪 Why Sourdough Discard Makes the Best Sourdough Sugar Cookies
This sourdough sugar cookie recipe gets made every holiday season. The extra sourdough discard adds extra moisture and a tang - the flavor of the cookie is more interesting than sugar cookie recipes made without it. Fermentation also breaks down phytic acid in the flour.
Simple ingredients, a delicious sugar cookie, perfect chewy texture - a great way to use extra discard, a good sugar cookie that holds up next to the best sourdough sugar cookies. See also my sourdough chocolate chip cookies and other sourdough recipes.
Jump to:
- A Quick Look at the Recipe
- 🍪 Why Sourdough Discard Makes the Best Sourdough Sugar Cookies
- 🥘 Ingredients
- 🍽 Equipment
- Sourdough for Beginners
- 🔪 How to Make Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies
- 🥄 Substitutions
- 📋 Variations
- 🥣 How to Store Sourdough Discard Cookies
- 💭 Tereza's Top Tips
- 🧂FAQ
- Related
- Pairing
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Community
🥘 Ingredients
To find the precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card
- Unsalted butter - use room temperature butter; best flavor.
- White sugar (granulated sugar) - for crisp edges without brittleness.
- Egg - one whole egg, room temperature (whole, not just egg yolk or egg whites).
- Sourdough discard - room temperature, unfed. Extra moisture and that hint of sourdough flavor.
- All-purpose flour - weigh it. Too much flour is the top reason cut-out sourdough sugar cookies turn dry.
- Salt, baking powder - small amounts. Designed to hold shape, not become a cakey cookie.
- Vanilla extract - real vanilla for best results.
- Lemon zest (optional).
🍽 Equipment
- Kitchen scale
- Rolling pin
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand mixer
- Lined baking sheet
- Wire rack
- Cookie scoop (optional)
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Sourdough for Beginners
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🔪 How to Make Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies
- In a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment on low speed), cream unsalted butter and white sugar until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Add the egg, sourdough starter discard, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix on medium speed until uniform.
- In a small bowl (or medium bowl), whisk all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Add dry to wet; mix until no streaks. Stop early.
- Wrap in plastic wrap; chill 3 hr min. This dough rest gives best flavor.
- Roll dough to 6 mm with a rolling pin
- Cut with favorite cookie cutters - a 3-inch cookie cutter is great for Easter.
- Move unbaked cookies to a lined baking sheet.
- Slide the prepared baking sheet into the freezer 10 min for crisp edges.
- Bake at 350°F for 8-10 min on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet until edges are barely golden.
- 5 min on pan, then a wire rack or cooling rack.
- Decorate with natural food coloring cookie glaze.
🥄 Substitutions
- Salted butter - halve added salt.
- Brown sugar - sub half the white sugar for a softer cookie.
- Almond extract - splash in place of vanilla extract for a subtle nutty flavor.
- Lemon zest - orange zest works; skip for plain vanilla.
📋 Variations
- Easter cookies - eggs, bunnies, flowers with natural color glaze.
- Holiday cookies - Christmas cut-outs decorated with powdered sugar glaze or royal icing.
- Soft sugar cookies / cookie dough balls - scoop with a cookie scoop, flatten, bake - same chewy cookies in less time.
- Brown butter version - brown the butter first for a nutty flavor and the perfect sourdough cookie.
- Sourdough sugar cookie bars - press dough into a lined baking sheet (add 3-5 min).
🥣 How to Store Sourdough Discard Cookies
Airtight container at room temperature, parchment paper between layers, 5 days. Freeze baked cookies in a single layer, then airtight container - 3 months. Unbaked cookies freeze on a lined baking sheet too; bake from frozen with 1-2 extra min.
💭 Tereza's Top Tips
The 10-minute freeze before baking is the single most important step for the perfect chewy texture.
🧂FAQ
This was developed with discard. An active sourdough starter (freshly fed active starter) changes the hydration and result.
Yes. The dough rest gives the best flavor of the cookie.
Cold fat gives crisp edges on cut-out sourdough sugar cookies.
Yes - 3 days fridge, 3 months freezer.
No - just a hint of sourdough flavor that makes these chewy sourdough sugar cookies more interesting than classic sugar cookies.
Dough cracks when rolled. Always weigh on a kitchen scale.
Tried this Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies Recipe? Scroll down to the recipe card and leave a star rating - it takes two seconds and helps other bakers find this recipe.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Cut-Out Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie scoop (optional)
Ingredients
- 400 g all-purpose flour
- 150 g White sugar
- 6 g salt
- 2 g baking powder
- 225 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 90 g sourdough discard
- 5 g vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest optional
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- In a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment on low speed), cream unsalted butter and white sugar until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl.225 g unsalted butter, 150 g White sugar
- Add the egg, sourdough starter discard, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix on medium speed until uniform.90 g sourdough discard, 1 large egg, 5 g vanilla extract
- In a small bowl (or medium bowl), whisk all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder.400 g all-purpose flour, 6 g salt, 2 g baking powder
- Add dry to wet; mix until no streaks. Stop early.
- Wrap in plastic wrap; chill 3 hr min. This dough rest gives best flavor.
- Roll dough to 6 mm with a rolling pin. Cut with favorite cookie cutters - a 3-inch cookie cutter is great for Easter. Move unbaked cookies to a lined baking sheet.
- Slide the prepared baking sheet into the freezer 10 min for crisp edges.
- Bake at 350°F for 8-10 min on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet until edges are barely golden.
- 5 min on pan, then a wire rack or cooling rack.
These are the best cut-out sugar cookies I've made. Decorated them and they turned out so cute. Will definitely be making these for every holiday from now on!