Get our free sourdough e-course
Cut out sourdough sugar cookies are soft, tender and hold their shape perfectly when baked. These sugar cookies are easy to decorate for holidays or special occasions!
Sourdough sugar cookies are so easy to make with your sourdough starter discard. The dough can be mixed and baked on the same day you'd like to decorate them.
If you're looking to get the most out of the sourdough fermentation process, make the cookie dough a couple of days in advance and keep chilled in the fridge!
Ingredients needed
The ingredients for these cut out sourdough sugar cookies are so simple!
- sugar: White granulated sugar works best for sugar cookies to keep their color as light as possible.
- butter: Unsalted butter is always best for baking so you can control how salty the finished product is. Make sure to let the butter come to room temperature before mixing.
- egg: An egg adds just the right amount of moisture to the sourdough sugar cookies and helps to keep them soft and chewy.
- vanilla extract: Vanilla extract gives you the traditional flavor of sugar cookies. Orange extract is another option that works really well with this recipe!
- sourdough discard: Use room temperature, unfed sourdough starter.
- all-purpose flour: All-purpose flour is best for making sugar cookies. It gives the cookies the perfect structure so they keep their shape as they bake.
- salt: The addition of salt to sweet recipes like these cookies helps to enhance the flavor!
Make sure to check out our royal icing recipe. It's easy to make and perfect for decorating sugar cookies for the holidays!
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Use an electric or stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Step 2: Add the sourdough starter and beat until smooth.
Step 3: Add the flour and salt to the bowl, beat with the electric mixer until the dough just starts to come together.
Step 4: Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and make sure the ingredients are incorporated. Divide the dough into 2 pieces.
Next you will roll out the dough while it is still soft!
Step 5: Place one half of the dough onto a piece of waxed paper and cover it with another piece.
Step 6: Use a rolling pin with ¼" guide to roll the dough between the sheets of waxed paper. Repeat with second half of dough. Stack the sheets of rolled out dough onto a baking sheet and let chill in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 48 hours.
Step 7: When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Working with one sheet of dough at a time, remove the bottom piece of waxed paper, place the removed paper on your work surface and then place the dough back onto the paper. This will release the dough making it easier to transfer after cutting out cookies.
Step 8: Remove the top piece of waxed paper. Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. (Gather up scraps, roll out between waxed paper and chill before cutting out more cookies.)
Step 9: Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. You want the cookies to stay a nice light color, so make sure not to over-bake. If you see the edges start to brown, take them out. Once you remove the cookies from the oven, allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Step 10: It's time to decorate! I went for a really simple design with these cut out sourdough sugar cookies by using pre-made frosting that I colored with food coloring. The addition of sprinkles make them beautiful and festive!
You can use a traditional royal icing to decorate them, but make sure you allow time for the icing to dry enough to handle them. It takes about 24 hours to dry completely.
Tips for success
- Use room temperature ingredients. Allow the butter, egg and sourdough starter to come to room temperature before mixing. This will make them easier to incorporate without over-mixing.
- Don't over-mix the dough. Once you add the flour to the bowl, only mix until it just comes together. Over-mixing will produce a flatter more crispy cookie.
- Use a rolling pin with guides. Use a ¼" guide to get a flat, even thickness across the cookie.
- Parchment paper. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and over-browning on the bottom of the cookies. You can also use a silicone baking mat.
- Chill the dough after cutting out cookies. Once you've cut your cookies out and arranged them on the baking sheet, pop the sheet back into the fridge for 15 minutes to help firm the dough. This will help keep their shape while baking.
- Use light colored baking sheets. Darker colored baking sheets will cause the bottom of the cookies to turn a dark brown.
- Don't overcrowd the baking sheet. Give the cookies some room to bake evenly. Only bake 8 to 10 cookies per baking sheet depending on their size.
Don't have a kitchen scale to measure flour?
Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
Because flour is measured by weight in these recipes, if the flour is scooped straight out of the bag with the measuring cup, there will be more flour than is called for in the recipe.
How to store
- To Store: Keep the cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze: Bake the cookies and allow them to cool completely. Stack the cookies with waxed paper in between each one and place into a freezer-safe container. Keep frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw at room temperature before decorating.
Recommended kitchen tools
This is a list of equipment that I use for baking sugar cookies. (affiliate links)
Easy sourdough discard dessert recipes
Don't throw out your sourdough discard. Use it to make one of these easy and delicious dessert recipes!
Cut Out Sourdough Sugar Cookies Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ¾ cups (150 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (50 g) sourdough starter discard (room temperature)
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Pour in the sourdough starter discard and beat until the wet ingredients are incorporated.
- Add dry ingredients: Add the flour and salt to the wet ingredients and use the electric mixer to incorporate them until just mixed. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl, making sure all of the ingredients have been combined. Divide the dough into 2 pieces.
- Roll the dough: Shape the first piece of dough into a disc and place it between two pieces of waxed paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough between the two pieces of waxed paper until it is ¼" in thickness. (Repeat with the second piece.)
- Chill the dough: Stack the sheets onto a baking sheet and place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, or up to 48 hours.
- Cut out cookie dough: Once you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Remove one sheet of dough from the fridge. Peel the bottom piece of waxed paper from the dough to release it. Place the sheet of dough back onto the waxed paper and remove the top piece of waxed paper. Cut out shapes using a cookie cutter and arrange them on the baking sheet. (Gather up scraps, roll between waxed paper and chill before cutting out.)
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes making sure not to over-bake. (The edges should be very light golden brown with hardly any color at all.)
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet after you remove them from the oven for a minimum of 15 minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
NOTES
- To Store: Keep the cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze: Bake the cookies and allow them to cool completely. Stack the cookies with waxed paper in between each one and place into a freezer-safe container. Keep frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw at room temperature before decorating.
PREVIOUS
Lisa says
Can the butter be subbed out for a dairy free version? Or coconut oil?
Amy says
Yes you can use plant based butter.
Julia says
Delicious cookies! Stored dough in the fridge for 24 hours and they puffed up great in the oven.
Barb says
Everyone loves their sugar cookies a certain way and I didn’t think this would be what I am after. Was I ever wrong!! We love the crunch along with the relatively soft cookie. Rolling it 1/4” thick makes the dough so easy to work with! I only weighed the flour, left the rolled dough in the fridge for 2 days, and it was all perfect. I will double the recipe to make enough for holiday decorating. My new favorite sugar cookie!
Jessica Garvin says
Hi! I was wondering if I use a whole grain kamut starter discard would I need to change anything in the recipe?
Amy says
It should work pretty well with kamut starter!
Amy says
Yum! I followed the recipe exactly but swapped almond extract for the vanilla and I was very happy with how they came out! I was a bit hesitant to try it because I wasn't sure how my sourdough would do (I feel like it tends toward tanginess) but I didn't even taste the sourdough and that's a win in my book for desserts! I also liked the idea of rolling the dough out before putting it in the fridge; it made it sooo easy to cut the cookies out.
Sonia Cosgrove says
Would this recipe do well as a drop cookie as opposed to a cut out cookie?
Amy says
I've not made them that way but I'm sure they would bake up fine that way.
MIchele says
They don't drop but you could make them into balls. May not bake as well tho.
Katherine says
Could I make this dough ahead of time and freeze it? If so should I freeze it in a disc? Or rolled flat?
Amy says
Hi Katherine! Yes, you can freeze this dough. If you are planning on cutting out shapes, I would go ahead and roll the dough flat to make it easier to work with. Just break the dough into 3 equal parts, roll it out between parchment paper and stack them on top of each other. Put the stack in the freezer until stiff and then you can wrap them in plastic wrap and foil to protect from freezer burn. (Leave the parchment paper on)
Brooke says
These were great! They were so quick to make and held their shape so well. I think I rolled them a little too thin but they were nice and crispy. My only addition for next time will be added vanilla or almond extract for some flavor, they were pretty bland.
James says
If you precut the cookies and left them in the fridge for a couple days would they hold their shape?
Amy Duska says
Yes they will!
Emily says
These were delicious! I don't normally like the firm sugar cookies (soft/baked are my fav!), but these were great! I baked for 13 minutes, hence the firmness 😂
Thanks for the recipe, I imagine I'll be doing this one again 😍
Alex says
Finally got my hand in the kitchen this weekend to make some Christmas cookies. I recently tried your sourdough chocolate chip cookies and they were a hit, so as soon as I saw this post, I knew I had to try these sugar cookies.
I did use some active rye sourdough starter (around 30 g) along with my white flour sourdough discard because I had some available. Otherwise, everything was followed to the T.
The cookies were amazing! I baked off half of them after the two hour mark and am waiting until tomorrow to bake the rest (I want to see if there's a difference in taste). I'm thinking of maybe modifying the recipe to make gingerbread cookies, which are one of my favourite. But honestly, I'm very impressed so far with what I've made from your blog. Thank you for sharing!