Soft Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies - made dough June 9, 2025 from Molly's Home Guide
226 grams (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
250 grams granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
75 grams sourdough discard, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
300 grams all-purpose flour
10 grams baking powder
6 grams salt
100 grams granulated sugar, for rolling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating on low speed until just combined.
- Add sourdough discard and vanilla extract, mixing until combined.
- Add flour, baking powder and salt, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Portion into golf-ball-size dough balls, cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Coating the chilled dough balls in the granulated sugar and evenly space on baking sheets.
- Bake 12-14 minutes or until edges are golden and middles no longer look raw. Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheet for several minutes before transferring cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
These were good and didn't spread much. As is often the case so far with the sourdough discard recipes I've tried to date, you can't taste the tang from the starter. Starter is basically flour and water that's fermented over time. I don't think my starter is particularly tangy, which is probably why I can't taste the difference between a discard recipe and a non-discard one, as it appears I'm just adding flour and water to the dough.
But that's okay by me as the flavor is still good, the texture is spot on with crisp edges and chewy middles and I like being able to use up the discard and not waste a gram of it.