Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies (Discard Recipe) (2025)

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Welcome in the warmth of the holidays with these Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies, irresistibly soft, chewy, and bursting with festive spices, and of course, sourdough!

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During the holiday season, there’s nothing quite like the timeless charm of classic cookies, and these Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies are a delightful treat that captures the beauty of this special time of year.

What makes them even more remarkable is that they’re crafted using sourdough discard, ensuring no ingredient goes to waste.

These cookies are perfect for family members to gather around the kitchen and create cherished memories together. Roll out the dough and cut it into festive shapes like Christmas trees, gingerbread men, or even a gingerbread house, sparking creativity and joy in the holiday spirit.

One bite and you’ll experience the magic of these cookies – they’re soft and chewy, with just the right amount of crispiness around the edges.

The warm blend of holiday spices will instantly transport you to a cozy, festive atmosphere.

Whether you’re leaving them out for Santa or sharing them with loved ones, Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies are a heartwarming addition to any holiday celebration.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

Soft & Chewy –

Unlike ginger snaps, these are softer sourdough gingerbread cookies. Each bite is chewy with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice.

Classic Cookies –

Sourdough Gingerbread cookies are the ultimate Christmas treats. Their soft, chewy texture and festive shapes make them a delightful centerpiece for any Christmas gathering, bringing joy and flavor to every bite.

Great way to use Sourdough Discard –

I’m always trying to find different ways to put mysourdough discardto good use – and the Christmas cookie tray is where it’s at! FromSourdough Thumbprint Cookies,Sourdough Snowball Cookies, or Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies, sourdough discard will never be wasted in my household.

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Ingredients

Flour –I used all-purpose flour for these sourdough ginger molasses cookies.

Baking Soda –Double check that your baking soda isn’t expired, otherwise they won’t have the proper rise.

Salt –Any unrefined salt will do, but my favorite isRedmond’s unrefined saltfor some extra minerals!

Spices– A blend of cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves, and all-spice brings the perfect flavor combination to these sourdough cookies.

Unsalted Butter –Be sure to use room temperature in order for all of the ingredients to mix properly.

Brown Sugar –Light or dark brown sugar captures the moisture in the cookies and keeps each bite soft and chewy.

Large Egg – Adds moisture to the dough.​

Molasses –I used medium molasses (double-boiled) for this cookie recipe for a richer flavor, but you can use light molasses for a more mild flavor.

Sourdough Discard –For sweet treats, I prefer to use sourdough discard that is no older than 1 week. I use a 100% hydration starter, which is equal parts water and flour.

Supplies

Stand Mixer or Electic Hand Mixer

Large Mixing Bowls

Plastic wrap

Rolling Pin

Cookie Cutters

Baking Sheets

Parchment Paper

Cooling Rack

How to Make Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies

Dry Ingredients

Whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set to the side.

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Wet Ingredients

In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with a hand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy.

Add the egg, molasses, and sourdough starter discard, and mix until combined. It may curdle, but that’s okay.

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Combine and Chill

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. It will be a rather thick and slightly sticky dough. A dry gingerbread dough will often lead to a crumbly and dry cookie.

Divide the dough ball into two even pieces, roll until a smooth ball, and cover each with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Once the long chill period time is complete, remove the dough from the fridge.

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Roll and Cut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place parchment paper on a cookie tray.

Roll out one disc at a time on a floured work surface to 1/4 of an inch thick. Use cookie cutters of your choice, and place the unbaked cookie dough on the prepared pan.

Reroll the scraps and continue to cut out additional cookies.

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Bake

For cookies smaller than 4 inches, bake for 9 minutes. For cookies larger than 4 inches, bake for 11 minutes.

These sourdough ginger molasses cookies are soft and chewy. If you’d prefer crispier cookies, cook for additional time. Remember the cookies crisp up while they cool.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

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How to Decorate

These Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies are absolutely tasty on their own, but why not add a little extra sweetness and creativity with some royal icing?

Royal Icing

To a medium bowl, add room temperature butter, milk, and 1 cup of powdered sugar to a bowl. Mix until smooth. Then, add the additional cup of powdered sugar and mix again. Add frosting to a piping bag if desired.

Other Ideas

Top the cookies with candies, sprinkles, or melted white chocolate!

How to Store

Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days at room temperature.

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Common Questions:

What kind of molasses should I use?

There are three popular types of molasses – regular molasses (light), medium molasses, and blackstrap molasses. Each is made with the same ingredients but the number of times each is boiled is what makes the difference. Blackstrap molasses is boiled 3 times, which creates a very dark and bitter molasses. I prefer using medium molasses for a deep, rich flavor, but one that isn’t so bitter.

What’s the difference between Sourdough Gingersnap Cookies and Gingerbread Cookies?

Just like the name says, Gingersnap Cookies tend to be crispier and should “snap” when bitten into. A gingerbread cookie tends to be a soft and chewy bite.

Gingersnap cookies are also often rolled into traditional rounds and covered in granulated sugar, whereas Gingerbread cookies are traditionally rolled and cut into different shapes and decorated with icing.

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Happy baking!

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More Sourdough Discard Recipes Like This:

Sourdough Thumbprint Cookies

Peppermint Sourdough Brownies

Sourdough Snowball Cookies

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Soft and Chewy Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Chilling Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 23 minutes

Welcome in the warmth of the holidays with these Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies, irresistibly soft, chewy, and bursting with festive spices, and of course, sourdough!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (420g)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda (5g)
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon (7g)
  • 1 Tablespoon ground ginger (4g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice (2g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves (2g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (4g)
  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature (1 stick)
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed (250g)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup dark molasses (90g)
  • 1/2 unfed sourdough starter, discard (140g)

Royal Icing

  • 2 Tablespoon butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons milk

Instructions

Dry Ingredients

1. Whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 Tablespoon ginger, 1 Tablespoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large mixing bowl. Set to the side.

Wet Ingredients

2. In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with a hand mixer, cream 1 stick of butter and 1 cup brown sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy.

3. Add one egg, 1/4 cup molasses, and 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard, and mix until combined. It may curdle, but that's okay.

Combine and Chill

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. It will be a rather thick and slightly sticky dough. A dry gingerbread dough will often lead to a crumbly and dry cookie.

5. Divide the dough ball into two even pieces, roll until a smooth ball, and cover each with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.

6. Once the long chill period time is complete, remove the dough from the fridge.

Roll and Cut

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place parchment paper on a cookie tray.

8. Roll out one disc at a time on a floured work surface to 1/4 of an inch thick. Use cookie cutters of your choice, and place the unbaked cookie dough on the prepared pan.

9. Reroll the scraps and continue to cut out additional cookies.

Bake

10. For cookies smaller than 4 inches, bake for 9 minutes. For cookies larger than 4 inches, bake for 11 minutes.

11. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

For Frosting:

12. To a medium bowl, add room temperature butter, milk, and 1 cup of powdered sugar to a bowl. Mix until smooth. Then, add the additional cup of powdered sugar and mix again. Add frosting to a piping bag if desired.

Notes

These sourdough ginger molasses cookies are soft and chewy. If you'd prefer crispier cookies, cook for additional time. Remember the cookies crisp up while they cool.

Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days at room temperature.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies (Discard Recipe) (2025)

FAQs

Can I bake sourdough discard by itself? ›

You can store sourdough discard in a separate container, then bake with it when you want — for instance, maybe you fed your starter on Tuesday, leaving you with discard that you want to use to bake pancakes on Saturday.

Why did my gingerbread cookies come out hard? ›

If your gingerbread cookies are too hard, either there was too much sugar in the dough, or they were overbaked. Solution: It can be hard to tell when gingerbread cookies are done because they're already dark from the molasses.

Can I bake with cold sourdough discard? ›

You can utilize a cold starter in any sourdough discard recipe. These recipes don't require a sourdough starter for leavening, so you can use your starter directly from the fridge. These recipes offer a fantastic solution for using excess sourdough.

How do you store gingerbread cookies after baking? ›

It's relatively easy to store gingerbread cookies and decorated gingerbread people. Place cookies in a covered jar or tin or wrap in plastic or foil and keep in a cool, dry place. Gingerbread people require a bigger space and more careful wrapping because of their limbs.

Do I need to feed my sourdough discard before baking? ›

Absolutely! A jar of sourdough discard serves as an insurance policy against starter death. If you have some discard on hand, remove a spoonful of it and feed it fresh flour and water in a clean jar. You should have a bubbly starter ready to bake with after a couple of feedings, depending on the discard's condition.

Can I leave sourdough discard out overnight? ›

I left my sourdough discard out at room temperature for a few days. Is it okay? As long as your kitchen isn't too warm (I'd say 78°F or higher) your starter/discard will be fine stored at room temperature for at least a few days without feeding. The flavor will get more acidic the longer it sits.

Should gingerbread cookies be soft or crunchy? ›

First, the texture of the cookie needs to be fairly crispy along the outside with a semi-soft, cake-like inside, and like all "perfect" cut-out cookies, they definitely need to keep their shape when baked. Secondly, they must taste sweet but notably spicy, and have a rich molasses flavour.

What's the difference between gingerbread cookies and ginger cookies? ›

Introduced in colonial times, the main differences between Gingerbread and Ginger Snaps are a longer bake time for an extra crisp and the use of molasses versus sugar. Molasses was used as substitute for sugar as it was the more affordable alternative to sweetening.

Why are my gingerbread cookies so pale? ›

From doubling up on molasses to using too much flour, there is a lot that can go wrong. Forgetting the molasses resulted in a crumbly cookie that was light in color.

Does sourdough discard have to be active? ›

On the other hand, sourdough discard refers to the portion of the starter that is removed and discarded before feeding the remaining starter during regular maintenance. It contains some of the fermented mixture but may not be as active as a fully refreshed starter.

How soon can you bake with sourdough discard? ›

When Can You Use Sourdough Discard? You can use the discard from your starter to bake, but it's better if you wait at least 7 days before you actually use it. In the first 5-7 days, it's better if you bin or compost your discard because the bacteria will be fighting it out and it will generally smell pretty gross.

What can I use my sourdough discard for? ›

You can always use this discard by directly mixing it into a dough for baking. Your discard, as long as it's in good shape, will leaven any bread dough just as well. The discard is just like a levain you would make for a recipe. The only difference is it's the same makeup as your starter.

Do homemade gingerbread cookies go bad? ›

Like biscotti, gingerbread cookies have an excellent shelf life, so they can be made in bulk at the start of the season and enjoyed all month long (or longer).

How can you tell when gingerbread cookies are done? ›

Gingerbread Cookies are done when they are set and begin to brown slightly at the edges. They will harden further as they cool, so avoid overbaking so you don't end up with hard, crunchy gingerbread! Underbake slightly to achieve soft, slightly chewy gingerbread cookies.

How to stop gingerbread cookies from spreading? ›

Chill and Bring to Room Temperature: Chill the dough for at least two hours or overnight, but make sure to bring it back to room temperature before rolling and cutting. Space Out on Baking Sheet: Leave enough space between each cookie on the baking sheet to prevent them from spreading into each other.

What do I do with sourdough discard? ›

Don't throw it away! Instead, use it to make delicious and nutritious treats like pancakes, waffles, muffins, and bread. Sourdough discard is a great source of natural yeast and flavor, and can add a unique tangy taste to your baked goods.

Does sourdough discard need to be room temp to use? ›

Store it for future baking: You can store sourdough discard in an airtight container in the refrigerator for future baking with sourdough discard recipes. When you're ready to use it, let the discard come to room temperature before using it to bake.

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