My Top 5 Sourdough Cookie Recipes by Make It Dough (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Hannah Dela Cruz · This post may contain affiliate links

Don't throw away your sourdough discard! Use it to make delicious Sourdough Discard Cookie Recipes. There are so many ways to use sourdough starter than just baking bread. From chewy chocolate chip cookies to crispy biscotti you'll love the flavor and character it adds to cookies.

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My Top 5 Sourdough Cookie Recipes by Make It Dough (1)

The first recipe I ever developed was my Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies, so sourdough cookie recipes will always have a special place in my heart.

Why you’ll love these recipes

You can use up a lot of sourdough starter: If you don’t bake bread very often, cookies are a delicious way to use up excess sourdough starter.

Sourdough discard adds a delicious tang: The natural acidity of sourdough complement the rich buttery notes and the sugary sweetness of cookies.It also adds a nuanced flavor that you simply can't get otherwise.

Adds moisture to dough: Water that’s locked in sourdough discard keeps cookies moist and tasting fresh for days longer.

Can I add sourdough discard to any cookie recipe?

Adding sourdough discard to cookie dough isn’t as simple as simply chucking a cup of it into your favorite recipe. Sourdough contains a lot of water, and this added moisture can adversely affect the texture and flavor of cookies, causing them to either harden or spread.

Balancing the ratio of ingredients is especially important for cookies. It’s best not to experiment and to use recipes that have been specifically formulated, tried and tested using sourdough discard.

My Top 5 Sourdough Cookie Recipes by Make It Dough (2)

My Top 10 Sourdough Cookie Recipes:

This list has been updated based on the most viewed and loved recipes on Make It Dough!

Soft and Fudgy Sourdough Discard Chocolate Cookies

Soft and fudgy, these Sourdough Chocolate Cookies are made with three types of chocolate. Sourdough discard adds a delicious tang that perfectly balances the rich flavor of chocolate.

Sourdough Discard Chocolate Cookies

Sourdough Discard Crinkle Cookies

Crinkle cookies were my absolute favorite growing up. I've always been an absolute chocolate fiend, so I could never get enough of these rich and fudgy treats. When I set out to recreate a sourdough version of these cookies, I knew I wanted them to have a really soft, and chewy middle. Adding discard to

Sourdough Discard Crinkle Cookies

Chewy Sourdough Discard Oatmeal Cookies

These Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside with a great flavor thanks to browned butter and sourdough discard.

Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies

Sourdough Pumpkin Cookies

These Sourdough Pumpkin Cookies are soft, chewy, with a delicious earthy flavor thanks to the addition of pumpkin puree! A quick one-bowl recipe that tastes even better a few days after they are baked.

Sourdough Pumpkin Cookies

Chewy Sourdough Molasses Cookies

Molasses and sourdough are a match made in cookie heaven! You’ll love the taste and texture of these Sourdough Molasses Cookies. Perfectly spiced, seriously chewy with a crunchy, crackly top, these cookies develop an even more delicious texture days after being baked

Chewy Sourdough Molasses Cookies

Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies are truly chewy (not crisp or gooey) with a rich nutty, toffee-like flavor thanks to the addition of browned butter and dark brown sugar. Incorporating a little bit of sourdough discard to these chocolate chip cookies adds a delicious tang that makes these cookies truly unique.

Sourdough Biscotti

Don’t throw away your excess starter, use it to make these Sourdough Biscotti. Crisp and wonderfully crunchy, these biscotti are delicious and taste delightful with a cup of coffee. These twice-baked cookies are easy to make and are the best excuse to eat dessert for breakfast!

Sourdough Biscotti

Sourdough Banana Cookies

Just like the edge of a loaf of banana bread, these Sourdough Banana Cookies are chewy, caramelized and slightly crisp. This no-frills eggless cookie uses overripe bananas and sourdough discard so you can feel good about using ingredients you may otherwise throw away.

Sourdough Banana Cookies

Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Chewy, sweet, loaded with oatmeal and raisins with just a hint of cinnamon, I’m a bit biased but I think these Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are the perfect cookie. This one bowl recipe is simple to make and takes less than an hour from start to finish.

Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Sourdough Lemon Cookie Pies

Tangy, sweet and loaded with bold lemon flavor, you’ll love these Sourdough Lemon Cookies Pies. Two soft, chewy cookies with a fresh lemon filling sandwiched in the middle, you’ll love these bright zesty treats.

Sourdough Lemon Cookie Pies

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Sourdough Cookie FAQs

What is sourdough discard?

Sourdough discard is any portion of your starter that is removed during the feeding process or any part that is not used to make bread. You can use it in other bakes and dishes or store it in the refrigerator for future use.

What are sourdough discard recipes?

Sourdough discard recipes can be savory dishes and desserts that do not use sourdough for its leavening abilities. These can be breads that combine commercial yeast and sourdough discard, or that use chemical leaveners like baking powder or baking soda.

Why did my cookies spread?

Sourdough adds additional moisture to cookies which can cause them to spread. The sourdough cookie recipes on this blog are formulated to compensate for this. It’s important to maintain the proportions of ingredients in any recipe and weighing your ingredients maximizes your chances of success.

Will my sourdough cookies taste sour?

Sourdough discard adds a delicious tang that balances the sugary sweetness of cookies. The intensity of this flavor depends on the unique acidity of your sourdough discard. If you’ve been keeping your discard in the fridge for a long time, then it will impart a more pronounced flavor in your bakes.

You may also like:

  • Soft and Chewy Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies
  • Sourdough Discard Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
  • Chewy Cranberry Oatmeal Sourdough Cookies
  • Ube White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Sourdough Cookies

« Sourdough Chocolate Chip Muffins

Sourdough Discard Cranberry Muffins »

Reader Interactions

Did you make this recipe? Do you have questions? Let me know below!

My Top 5 Sourdough Cookie Recipes by Make It Dough (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to sourdough? ›

The secret to sourdough is simple: water. The more water you add to your dough will affect how open the crumb (bigger holes and softer texture) will be once it's baked.

What is the best flour to use for sourdough? ›

Due to its wide availability and affordability, all-purpose flour is often my top recommendation for creating and maintaining a sourdough starter. In fact, I've been feeding my own sourdough starter Central Milling's all-purpose flour for the past 4 years.

What does adding more flour to cookie dough do? ›

Soft – Dough that's “soft” or “runny” can be thickened by adding one or two tablespoons of flour to your mix. This will help keep your batch from “Spreading” and coming out of the oven looking like flat, not-so-cookie-like puddles.

What happens if you put too much sourdough starter in your dough? ›

If you have too much starter compared to the additional flour and water you're adding, your hungry starter consumes all the nutrients and then it's not as bubbly.

What not to do with sourdough? ›

Here are the big errors to avoid when working with sourdough.
  1. You Bake Too Soon. ...
  2. You Use Unfiltered Tap Water. ...
  3. You Use Water That Is Too Hot or Too Cold. ...
  4. You're Impatient. ...
  5. You Don't Autolyse Your Dough. ...
  6. You Don't Let Gluten Develop Properly. ...
  7. You Don't Let the Bread Proof Long Enough. ...
  8. You Don't Form the Bread Correctly.
Apr 1, 2022

What is the secret to fluffy sourdough? ›

Keeping the lid on for the first part of baking allows steam to expand between the gluten fibers to rise the bread and create a fluffy loaf. Step 4: Remove the lid and bake for an additional 12-14 minutes or until the crust is crispy and golden brown. Once you take the lid off, the bread likely won't rise anymore.

What flour makes sourdough more sour? ›

Whole Grain and Rye Flours. Whole grain and rye flours provide minerals and enzymes that can influence acid production in sourdoughs. The higher mineral content of whole grains acts as a buffer in the dough so that more acid can be produced during extended fermentation.

What is best for baking sourdough? ›

A Dutch oven helps you to make perfect sourdough bread because it traps steam inside the pot which stops the crust on your sourdough forming too soon. This enables your dough to expand and spring up first, giving you a lovely soft and fluffy interior and a crispy, chewy crust.

What happens if I use all purpose flour instead of bread flour in sourdough? ›

Substituting all purpose flour in a sourdough recipe that specifically calls for bread flour is not always an even swap. You'll need to REDUCE the total amount of water first. All purpose flour absorbs less water than bread flour, which can make the dough too sticky to work with otherwise.

What happens if I dont put enough flour in my cookies? ›

As a bonus, I did a little research to find out just what role each ingredient plays in chocolate chip cookies, so you can adjust your recipe however you feel like experimenting. Flour adds fluff and texture to the cookies. Adding too little flour can cause cookies to be flat, greasy, and crispy.

Should I refrigerate my cookie dough before baking? ›

Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you're more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies. Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful.

Why discard half sourdough starter? ›

If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.

What can ruin a sourdough starter? ›

Starvation - if you don't feed your starter for a long period of time it will develop harmful bacteria and mold. This will smell terrible and look orange, pink or fuzzy and green. Mold - mold can also occur in a well fed starter if there are mold spores on any of the equipment you've used or in the flour you're using.

What size jar is best for sourdough starter? ›

What Size Jar is Best For a Sourdough Starter? No single-sized jar is best for every baker because it depends on how much sourdough starter they regularly need for baking. However, for most people, a 3/4 liter (28.7 fluid ounces) jar is perfect as it can store both a small sourdough starter or a large one.

What makes sourdough taste better? ›

Keep the dough temperature higher: Lactobacillus perform well at the higher temperatures of 85-95ºF. Keeping the dough in that range will produce more acetic acid bacteria resulting in a more sour loaf.

What is the secret behind the sour of sourdough bread? ›

There are two main acids produced in a sourdough culture: lactic acid and acetic acid. Acetic acid, or vinegar, is the acid that gives sourdough much of its tang. Giving acetic acid-producing organisms optimal conditions to thrive and multiply will produce a more tangy finished product.

What is the mother of sourdough bread? ›

The mother-dough is made of a mixture of flour and water fermented with bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Acetobacter and Saccharomyces. To create it and keep it alive requires patience and constant care. The mother-dough is a great leavening agent and makes a highly digestible bread.

What are three top tips when making sourdough starter? ›

Top 10 Sourdough Starter Tips for Success
  1. Maintain a Schedule to Feed your Sourdough Starter. ...
  2. Know How to Store a Sourdough Starter. ...
  3. Maintain a Small Sourdough Starter.
  4. Use Sourdough Discard for Less Waste.
  5. Know How to Revive a Sourdough Starter. ...
  6. Measure your Ingredients by Weight.
Mar 26, 2024

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