Soft Sourdough Discard Molasses Cookies

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You’ll love these soft sourdough discard molasses cookies! They have a soft and chewy middle with a delicious sugar-laden crunchy outside. Soft sourdough molasses are the perfect holiday cookie to bake during the holiday season. 

At our home, amid the Christmas trees and pretty packages, you’ll find plenty of cookies and hot chocolate, for there’s much to celebrate. We pause to remember the birth of our Savior, giving thanks and celebrating His birth. In addition, this time of year comes with many festive gatherings with those you love, cozy nights around the fire, and a slowness to enjoy a good book or puzzle. So many good things. So much to celebrate. Such a grateful heart. 

But back to cookies! I love baking cookies! They were my introduction to baking many years ago and they are still my favorite thing to bake. Somewhere throughout my cookie-baking adventures, (I’ve made a lot of cookies!) my oldest son declared these sourdough molasses cookies are his favorite cookie. That was all I needed for them to become a yearly staple. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

​Why Add Sourdough Discard To Cookies?

If you’ve been around for a bit, you know I’ve been slowly working my way through all of my favorite tried-and-true recipes and transforming them into delicious sourdough recipes. Some recipes use active sourdough starter, while others use sourdough discard, a starter that hasn’t been fed recently. Not only is this process a source of joy for me and a fun challenge, but I love finding ways to add value to our lives with minimal effort. 

Adding sourdough discard to cookie dough inoculates the dough with a colony of bacteria. Given time to multiply, these bacteria work to make the grains in the dough easier to digest. The by-product is a lovely-tasting cookie. Not too much sour flavor, but a little something that you can’t quite put your finger on, creating something special. This is just one of many small tweaks over many years that have a compound effect, resulting in better quality, delicious food. 

What’s the Difference Between Molasses Cookies and Ginger Cookies?

While many people name these two cookies interchangeably, and even though they have some similarities, they are in fact, two different cookies. Both cookies are flavored with warm spices and have molasses that give them their signature coloring.

However, molasses cookies have a soft, chewy texture and deeper flavor. Ginger cookies, often called ginger snaps, typically have a crisp, snappy texture with a spicy ginger flavor. A good way to keep track is to remember a gingerbread house and gingerbread men cookies are both baked until crisp so they can support their array of decorations.

Ingredients

• Sourdough starter – Sourdough cookies are typically made using sourdough starter discard because cookies rely on a separate leavening agent, usually baking soda or baking powder. Whereas, you use active starter in baked goods that rely on the starter for its lifting power, like loaves of bread or cinnamon rolls.
• Butter – Use unsalted butter softened to room temperature for easy creaming.
• Sugar – Softens the cookies and provides sweetness. I like to use a cane sugar, but white, granulated sugar will work too. 
• Molasses – Adds a rich flavor that gives the molasses cookies their coloring and flavor.  Make sure you’re using unsulphured or dark molasses. Do not use blackstrap molasses because its flavor is too intense.
• Egg yolk – Omit the egg white to compensate for the additional liquid in the sourdough starter discard.
• Flour – All-purpose flour creates the perfect chew.
• Salt – Flavors all baked goods.
• Baking soda – The leavening agent for the cookies.
• Cinnamon – A classic warm spice for molasses cookies.
• Cloves – Ground cloves add dimension to the cookies.
• Ginger – Ground ginger is warm, earthy, and slightly peppery.

How To Make Soft Sourdough Molasses Cookies

Mix the Cookie Dough

Add 170 g (3/4 cup) of unsalted softened butter and 200 g (1 cup) of cane sugar to a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.

Add 85 g (1/4 cup) molasses, 1 large egg yolk, and 62 g (1/4 cup) sourdough discard and mix to incorporate. 

In a separate bowl, combine 282 g (2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground cloves, and 1 tsp ground ginger.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. 

Chill the Dough

Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap (I use a large plate to reduce waste) and place in the refrigerator to chill the unbaked cookie dough for at least one hour and up to 24 hours. 

Bake 

Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, add 100 g (1/4 cup) sugar to roll the cookie dough. 

Scoop dough balls using a cookie scoop and roll in cane sugar until coated completely. Place on the prepared baking tray 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The cookies are done when the tops of the cookies will crackle and the middles will look soft and underbaked.

Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to finish baking.

Place cookies on a cooling rack to cool. The cookies will firm up as they cool, but still be soft, chewy cookies.

Storage

Once the cookies are completely cool, place them into an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 5 days. 

Can I Freeze Soft Sourdough Molasses Cookies?

Yes! Freezing cookie dough is a great way to have freshly baked cookies in minutes, anytime you want! Scoop cookie dough balls and place them onto a baking tray. Freeze for an hour until frozen. Remove the cookie dough balls and place them into a plastic freezer-safe bag, removing as much air as possible. Because the frozen cookie dough dries out a bit, lightly dampen the cookie surface with a bit of water before rolling in sugar. Bake as directed. You may need to increase the baking time by 1 or 2 minutes.