Glazed Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies with Discard

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Make these glazed sourdough gingerbread cookies for your next holiday party or special family night. The smell of molasses and spices will fill your home with a cozy, festive feeling for the holiday season!

I have been making gingerbread men with my kids during the Christmas season ever since they were tiny. It’s such a happy memory that I have and hold dear now that they are almost all grown up and out on their own.

I am so happy to have turned my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe into a sourdough recipe. Tangy sourdough starter adds so much flavor to recipes that just can’t be beat. I know you will love it too, and I sincerely hope you make beautiful memories this time of year with your family members either as you bake these classic cookies, decorate them, or share them with loved ones.

Tips for Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies :

• You can make this recipe with either active starter or sourdough starter discard. Either will work because this recipe doesn’t rely on the starter to help the cookies rise. These Sourdough Pop Tarts are another of my favorite sourdough discard recipes.
• When rolling out the dough, try not to add any extra flour to the rolling pin. If you add too much flour during the rolling process, your dough will become tough and dry.
• You have the option to ferment the sourdough cookie dough if you need to due to gluten sensitivity, or if you would like the health benefits. Scroll down for the long-ferment instructions.
• Gingerbread cookie dough should be chilled so the butter has a chance to solidify. The long chill period time of 2-3 hours will remedy the slightly sticky dough and make it easier to roll and cut out. It will also help prevent the cookies from spreading and becoming flat during baking.
• If you want a crispier gingerbread cookie, roll the dough out thinner (to about 1/8-inch thick) and cook for the same time or a little bit longer.

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Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup sourdough starter discard or active sourdough starter

One-half cup Unsulphured molasses

1 egg

One Tbsp vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

Dry Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

Glaze: (optional)

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbsp honey or light corn syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp Milk

Sugar crystals (for decorating)

Tools You May Need:

Stand mixer with paddle attachment

Non-stick ceramic rimmed baking sheets

Perfect cookie rolling pin

Bench scraper

Cookie cutters (Christmas trees, stars, gingerbread men, hearts)

Parchment paper

Cooling rack

How to Make Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. To the butter mixture, add the sourdough discard, molasses, egg, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix again at a low speed until the mixture is smooth. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix.

In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix together with a wooden spoon or whisk. Slowly add the flour mixture to the ingredients in the mixing bowl. For best results, mix at medium speed just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. 

Next, divide the dough in half, shape into discs, and cover with plastic wrap. Finally, chill the dough in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours until it is easy to handle. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time to ¼ inch thickness. Use cookie cutters or a biscuit cutter to cut into shapes. Place cookies on prepared baking sheet.  

Bake cookies at 375 for 8-10 minutes on the middle oven rack just until the edges of the cookies are set. Remove from the oven and transfer cookies immediately to a wire rack to cool.

Make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, 1 tbsp butter, vanilla, and milk in a medium bowl. 

Using a piping bag or knife, apply a thin layer of glaze to cooled cookies and let set before moving to a plate.

Storage:

Store sourdough discard cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. If you can’t eat your cookies fast enough, you can freeze the leftover cookies in ziploc bags.

You can also freeze the dough for a great way to make sourdough cookies later. To do this, shape the dough into two discs, wrap each disc in plastic wrap, place the discs into a ziploc bag, and freeze until ready to use. When ready to bake, thaw dough in the refrigerator and then proceed with rolling out the dough and cutting the cookies as mentioned in the instructions above.

Long-Fermented Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies:

If you would like to long ferment these simple sourdough sugar cookies for the health benefits, simply follow the steps above up to the point where you have added all of the ingredients to the stand mixer bowl and have mixed the dough just until everything is incorporated. Transfer the dough from the bowl into an airtight container and allow the dough to ferment for up to 3 days. The longer you allow the dough to ferment, the tangier your cookies will taste. Once you have fermented your dough, remove from the refrigerator and divide in half. You do not need to place the dough in the refrigerator to chill again. Instead, move on to rolling the dough out and continue the rest of the steps as outlined above.

Common Questions:

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft?

Gingerbread cookies can be made to be crispy or soft, depending on preference. They should be cooked long enough to be firm and hold their shape after baking.

What kind of molasses is best for gingerbread cookies?

If you are wanting to make a gingerbread cookie with a strong molasses flavor, choose a dark molasses but make sure it is unsulphured. If you would like a lighter molasses flavor, choose a light molasses. Blackstrap molasses is another type of molasses, but it is very bitter and will make your cookies inedible.

Which is better: sulphured or unsulphured molasses?

Sulphured molasses has been treated with sulphur dioxide as a preservative. This not only makes the molasses less sweet, but it gives it a chemical flavor. Unsulphured molasses is more natural and a better choice for healthy cooking and baking.

Why do you add vinegar to gingerbread cookies?

The acid in vinegar helps make a softer gingerbread cookie by triggering the baking soda to create carbon dioxide and help the cookies to rise.

More Sourdough Cookie Recipes:

• Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Spiced Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Perfect Sourdough Sugar Cookies

If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars!