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Just baked cookies for Soft and Chewy Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Cookies.

Soft and Chewy Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread sourdough discard cookies have the delicious combination of sourdough along with the ingredients from the classic cookies, resulting in a chewy texture with a slight crisp on the edges, making each bite wonderfully satisfying.
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Active Sourdough Starter, baking, bowl, butter, cookie, flour, gingerbread, Sourdough, starter, time
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 0
Author: Stephanie

Equipment

  • baking sheet/cookie sheet
  • stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer
  • Large bowl
  • cooling rack
  • Rolling Pin
  • cookie cutters (such as gingerbread men and christmas trees)

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour 445g
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed (256g)
  • ½ cup sourdough discard or active starter
  • ½ cup molasses or blackstrap molasses (175g)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Prepare the Dough:

  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Add the sourdough active starter or discard starter, molasses, vanilla, and egg. Mix until combined.
  • Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until a dough forms.

Chill the Dough:

  • Divide the dough into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour if doing the discard recipe and using an unfed sourdough starter. You can choose to use an active sourdough starter. For best results, chill overnight for a long ferment which will not only deliver more health benefits but a deeper flavor.
  • Preheat Oven:
  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll and Cut:

  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to about ¼ inch thick. Using cookie cutter to cut dough into desired shapes.
  • Place cookies on the baking tray, spacing them about 1 inch apart.

Bake:

  • Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are set and the cookies are slightly puffed. They will firm up as they cool.

Cool and Decorate:

  • Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate with icing or enjoy as is!
  • Store cookies in an airtight container for up to a week. They can also be frozen for longer storage.

Try these delicious cookies with this icing recipe: Best Royal Icing Recipe Without Meringue Powder.