With a rich buttery flavor and the perfect chewy texture, this Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookie will be your new go-to recipe. Sourdough discard adds a delicious tang that complements the sugary sweetness of these tender cookies. Enjoy fresh-baked cookies in less than 30 minutes from start to finish, without the need for chilling!
Stefanie Says
I don't even like sugar cookies and this was the best cookie I've ever had. I used just past peak starter and they were so light and fluffy. I loved them so much that I decided to use the recipe and just swap brown sugar for regular sugar and added chocolate chips for the kids and myself.
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Simple but satisfying with a chewy center and sugar-crusted and crispy exterior, nothing beats a delicious sugar cookie. With no mix-ins or toppings, sugar cookies are all about their rich buttery flavor. That’s why I’m so excited to partner with Go Bold with Butter to share my secrets for making the perfect sugar cookies with you!
Butter is one of the purest foods you can enjoy and one of my absolute favorite ingredients. It’s what makes sourdough pie crusts flaky, sourdough brioche fluffy and what imparts the delicious flavor and texture to these sourdough sugar cookies!
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Why I love this recipe
- Rich buttery flavor and sugar-crusted exterior.
- Makes chewy sugar cookies that won’t spread!
- Easy, one-bowl recipe.
- No chilling required - takes 30 minutes from start to finish.
- Sourdough discard imparts a tangy flavor that balances the sugary sweetness.
- Cookies stay soft and taste fresh for days
What could go wrong
While it may sound plain and simple, making a delicious soft and chewy sugar cookie is more challenging than it seems. A lot of sugar cookies turn out flat and melt into puddles as they bake. Adding sourdough discard complicates things further as it introduces added moisture to the dough leading them to spread.
The Secret to Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
The secret to delicious sugar cookies that won’t spread is getting the butter temperature just right.
Butter is a unique ingredient, in addition to imparting a rich delicious flavor to baked goods, it also influences the texture and structure of cookies. That's because butter can hold on to air when it's whipped, which adds lightness and helps cookies maintain their chewy texture. However, when butter becomes too warm, it struggles to retain air, and sugar cookies end up melting and spreading.
Love chewy cookies? Check out my recipe for Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Cookies and Sourdough Discard Oatmeal Cookies.
Ideal Butter Consistency for Baking
Melted butter is great for Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies, giving them a fudgier quality, but for the perfect sugar cookies make sure your butter is soft but cool.
- Butter should feel cool but shouldn’t snap when bent
- Measure between 60 to 65 F
- Should give slightly when pressed but shouldn’t feel greasy
Making sure your butter is at the right temperature means you don’t need to chill this cookie dough before baking, so you can have sugar cookies in 30 minutes from start to finish.
What you need
Butter: The secret to making chewy sugar cookies! Make sure your butter is soft but cool. It should measure between 60 to 65 F.
All-purpose flour: Do not substitute whole wheat flour in this recipe or your cookies may end up crumbly and dry.
Sourdough discard: Both active starter or sourdough discard will work for this recipe. Add 36 grams of water and 36 grams of flour to your dough if you don’t have a sourdough starter.
Egg yolks: Adds richness and binds the ingredients together. Leaving the egg whites out prevents too much moisture from being added to the dough.
Cane sugar: I prefer using organic cane sugar since it’s less processed and is produced using more sustainable methods. It can be substituted 1:1 for white sugar.
See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information.
Tip
Set your butter out at room temperature for 2 hours to soften. Don’t microwave or it will heat the butter up too much leading your cookies to spread.
Baking with sourdough discard
Sourdough discard imparts a tangy flavor that balances the sweetness of these sugar cookies. Since you are not using it to make bread, your sourdough starter does not need to be activated or fed for it to work. You can use your discard directly from the fridge.
Older discard will have a tangier, acidic flavor than freshly-fed sourdough starter. Both will work for this recipe, you’ll get a slightly different result but your cookies will still be delicious.
Love sourdough discard cookie recipes? Check out my favorite Sourdough Cookies Recipes!
Variations
- Add orange zest or lemon zest
- Substitute rosewater and add a pinch of cardamom
- Roll the dough in cinnamon sugar to make snickerdoodles
- Decorate your cookies with colorful sanding sugar
- Fold sprinkles into the dough for confetti cookies
- Drizzle glaze on top of the cookies
Step-by-step instructions
STEP 1: Mix the butter and sugar together until no lumps remain
STEP 2: Add in the egg yolks, discard and dry ingredients
Tip
Make sure your baking powder is still fresh before using it in this recipe. If you’re not sure, test a small amount with a drop of vinegar; if the mixture fizzes, the baking powder is suitable for use.
STEP 3: Portion out the cookie dough and roll in cane sugar
STEP 4: Bake at 350 for 12 to 14 minutes or the edges begin to brown
Tip
Avoid over baking your cookies to prevent them from hardening and drying out. The residual heat of the hot baking sheets will further bake the cookies, helping them maintain a soft and chewy texture.
Baker's Tips
- Sourdough discard and active starter will work for this recipe.
- Slice your butter into tablespoon-sized pieces to speed up softening.
- Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoon) to measure out even portions.
- The cookies will spread a bit, don’t overcrowd your baking sheet.
- Only bake 1 cookie sheet at a time.
- Don’t move your cookies right after they come out of the oven or they will break apart.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can make these cookies a few days in advance or store them for months in the freezer! Although chilling isn't required, they taste even better when you allow the flavors to develop in the fridge or bake from frozen.
How to store the dough in the refrigerator:
- Make the dough according to the instructions.
- Store mixing bowl, covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
- Portion out the dough and bake at 350 for 14 minutes.
How to store the dough in the freezer:
- Make the dough according to instructions.
- Portion out the dough.
- Arrange the cookie dough balls in a single layer on a baking sheet (no need to space them out).
- Freeze the dough for at least 2 hours. Transfer the frozen cookie dough to a freezer bag.
How to bake frozen cookie dough:
- Roll the cookie dough in sugar.
- Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake at 350 F for 16 to 18 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
No, these cookies are too soft and won’t keep their shape if you use them for cut-out cookies.
Your butter was too warm! Try chilling your dough for an hour before baking.
It’s best to freeze the cookie dough instead of the baked cookies.
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Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- large cookies scoop
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Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 226 grams unsalted butter cold and soft
- 250 grams cane sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 75 grams sourdough discard
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 300 grams all-purpose flour
- 10 grams baking powder
- 6 grams salt
Coating
- 100 grams cane sugar
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the dough: Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix until no lumps remain.226 grams unsalted butter, 250 grams cane sugar
- Add the egg yolks one at a time. Stir in the sourdough discard and vanilla until fully incorporated.2 egg yolks, 75 grams sourdough discard, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fold the dry ingredients in until no traces of flour remain.300 grams all-purpose flour, 10 grams baking powder, 6 grams salt
- Portion out the dough: Divide the dough into 18 large even portions (about 3 tablespoons each).
- Roll the dough in cane sugar and arrange them on your prepared baking sheet.100 grams cane sugar
- Arrange 6 portions of dough on each baking sheet, ensuring they are evenly spaced. Avoid overcrowding the cookies.
- Bake: Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
- Bake on the middle rack and only 1 sheet at a time. Chill the other baking sheets while you wait.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool and set completely on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.
- Serve: These cookies taste best at room temperature and even better the day after they are baked.
- Store: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.
Notes
- Sourdough discard and active starter will work for this recipe.
- Slice your butter into tablespoon-sized pieces to speed up softening.
- Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoon) to measure out even portions.
- The cookies will spread a bit, don’t overcrowd your baking sheet.
- Only bake 1 cookie sheet at a time.
- Don’t move your cookies right after they come out of the oven or they will break apart.
Sylvia
Such an easy recipe. These have become a staple in our house. I roll them in cinnamon and sugar. If you don’t double the recipe you will regret it.
Hannah Dela Cruz
So glad your family loves these, Sylvia! Thank you for making them.
Lizy
Will they come out okay if I skip rolling them in cane sugar?
Hannah Dela Cruz
Hi Lizy! They will lose their characteristic sugary crunch and may spread a little more than what you see in the photo. Try it out and let me know how they come out.
Sophie
These are amazing!!! Thank you so much
Hannah Dela Cruz
Thank you!
Jeanna
Can’t stop eating them!
Hannah Dela Cruz
Thank you for trying the recipe!
Denise
Have you made them with whole grain whole wheat flour?
Hannah Dela Cruz
No, I haven't! Not sure how that would affect the recipe. Try it out and let me know how it goes!
Hope
ive made them with the azure standard brand of flour which is technically whole grain (it's uni fine ) came out amazing! so addicting.
Jazmin P
Easy to follow and cookies came out great! I needed to bake for closer to 17-20 minutes to make sure they didn't crumble. Do you use salted or unsalted butter? I wasn't sure because there was salt in the recipe, but it seemed like maybe I could have used a little more. Just wanted to clarify for the next time! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hannah Dela Cruz
I use unsalted! Sorry if that's not specified. I will fix it in the recipe.
Jillian
These were "fast & furious"! 🙂 I subbed in half brown sugar & half white sugar, but everything else the same. Had to MAKE myself not eat the entire batch!!
Hannah Dela Cruz
So glad you loved them! Brown sugar sounds like a delicious addition.
Kymmie Hommerding
I saw where 1/2 brown sugar as a sub worked great. What if the other 1/2 was coconut sugar? Do you think they would turn out? Making these with my boys tomorrow to top with Halloween designs!
Hannah Dela Cruz
Try it out! I am not super familiar with coconut sugar and how it reacts in baking but if you are only using a small amount, it may not be totally detrimental.
Bethany
These are such amazing cookies! I love making a batch and keeping the dough in my fridge and just making a sheet of six cookies or so every few days!
Hannah Dela Cruz
I love making an emergency cookie stash! So happy you loved these.
Ashley
Best sourdough discard sugar cookies to date! Made them just now and they turned out perfect for my family. I used regular sugar cause that’s what we have on hand and they are amazing cooked each sheet pan for 12ish minutes and they were perfection. We will be making these regularly!
Hannah Dela Cruz
So happy you loved it!
Mish
I made this for my friend’s baby shower and it was a hit. I made it 1 spoon-sized so it could fit in the party boxes. The guests loved it.
Justine S
Wow! I have made a lot of cookies in my life, but these are my favorite ever! Crispy edges with a puffy, chewy middle. I baked on an aluminum pan with a silicone baking sheet. I also added a nice handful of little rainbow sprinkles. I used my kitchen scale to weigh out 18 cookies equally. I made maybe 5 at the normal size in the recipe, and the rest I cut in half for smaller cookies. I feared that the size in the recipe was too big, but they were perfect! All of the cookies came out spectacular. I can't say enough about this recipe, so glad to have found it. Great way to use up some discard too!
Hannah Dela Cruz
I'm so thrilled that you loved the recipe!
Stefanie Rueffer
I don't even like sugar cookies and this was the best cookie I've ever had. I used just past peak starter and they were so light and fluffy. I loved them so much that I decided to use the recipe and just swap brown sugar for regular sugar and added chocolate chips for the kids and myself. They were good too. but would need a little tweaking to be perfection. I see your chocolate chip recipe, but I don't want browned butter so I didnt do that one.
Hannah Dela Cruz
So happy you loved them! You can definitely skip browning the butter and just add it in when its melted for the choc. chip cookies.