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!
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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!
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.
These are unreal. Like, how can cookies be this good?
- Sophie
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.
Ingredients
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
This section may contain affiliate links
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 226 grams unsalted butter 2 sticks, 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.
Recipe Video
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, any nutrition information provided is an estimate.
Diana says
Delicious! My only issue is that mine don't come out flat.... They look like little mountains with rounded tops. What am I doing wrong?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Diana! Hmm — I’ve never run into this issue with these cookies. A couple things can keep them from spreading in the oven. Did you happen to chill your dough or use volume measurements instead of grams? If the dough is too cold or has a bit too much flour, the cookies will hold their shape instead of flattening out. Let me know if any of these apply to you and we can troubleshoot together. Another thing you could do is to flatten the cookies out slightly before baking!
Trish says
Do you have to make them that big. Can you make them smaller to get more per batch?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Sure - just pay attention to your bake time. Maybe pull them out a minute before the suggested bake time here.
John says
Follow recipe completely. Cookies came out flat and spread widely. Sourdough cookies never come out like normal treats. Why does anyone bother?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Sorry your cookies didn’t turn out, John! Did you use a mixer to make them? Sometimes overmixing the butter and sugar can incorporate too much air, which causes cookies to collapse as they bake. It’s also possible the butter was a little too warm.
Gloria says
So delicious thank you
Hannah Dela Cruz says
You're so welcome! I am so happy you loved it.
Drew says
These cookies are simply incredible! Beware, arguments will ensue over who gets the last one!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Drew! I am so thrilled that you loved the cookies. You'll just have to double your recipe next time.
Victoria says
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
These were so buttery & sugary!!
I used 25g less than called for because I ran out but they were still perfect!! We added 1/2c of Halloween sprinkles & they were perfect!! I’ll save this for Christmas cookies coming up!!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Victoria! Sprinkles are such a great idea! I am so so glad you loved these cookies and that you found a keeper.
Bekah B says
This is hands down the best sugar cookie recipe I’ve ever found! It was fast and easy and the cookies baked out absolutely perfect! They are soft, buttery, sugary and mouth watering. This is definitely a new favorite and will be making these again!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Bekah! Thank you for your wonderful comment. I am so glad you enjoyed these cookies. From the looks of it you nailed the chewy texture and buttery flavor of these sugar cookies.
Melody says
My husband loves his mother‘s sugar cookies, but I was looking for some way to use some excess starter. The texture is much better due to the sourdough. These are phenomenal cookies. His mom‘s cookies are going to get archived because these are now my go to for sugar cookies.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Wow! I am sooooo honored! So happy you loved this.
Megan says
These are delicious! The dough was fairly sticky and I was worried they might spread too much, but they came out perfect.
Hannah Dela Cruz says
I'm glad you stuck with it and loved the result!
Jill says
These cookies turned out great! I added some simple buttercream frosting and they are addicting. My family loved them. Will definitely make again!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Oooh that's genius, Jill! I'm glad you enjoyed the cookies so much.
Esther says
Absolutely fantastic!
Used demerara sugar for the outer coating, made some as snickerdoodles too.
Definitely will make again!
Next batch I'm going to try using lemon sugar
Hannah Dela Cruz says
I love that idea! I love lemon cookies. You may enjoy my Lemon Thyme Biscotti too.
https://makeitdough.com/lemon-thyme-sourdough-biscotti/
Sydney Rose says
Can I refrigerate the dough for a day?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Absolutely! That will help the cookies develop their flavor too.
Connie Crowley says
Did you weigh the butter or just convert to 1 cup?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
I always weigh my ingredients. But 2 sticks of butter in the US is 226 grams. I don't think I measured this in cups.
Paige C. says
I am pretty excited to make these for my daughters birthday....do you think the recipe work well using a cookie cutout?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Hi Paige! So glad you want to make this for your daughter. This recipe isn't the best choice for a cut out cookie since the dough is a big soft and sticky and will be difficult to roll out. It is also made to spread a bit in the oven so it won't keep its form when you cut it out.
Gabby says
Light, fluffy and delicious!!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So excited you loved it!
Sophie says
These are unreal. Like, how can cookies be this good?
Hannah Dela Cruz says
I'm so glad you loved them!