Iced Oatmeal Sourdough Discard Cookies

Soft, chewy, and lightly spiced iced oatmeal cookies made with blended rolled oats, molasses, and sourdough discard, finished with a thin vanilla icing dip for the perfect old-fashioned bakery texture.

Ingredients

• 226g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 150g brown sugar
• 70g granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk (20g)
• 100g sourdough discard
• 25g molasses
• 4g vanilla extract
• 175g all-purpose flour
• 250g rolled oats (pulsed in a blender until coarse)
• 5g baking soda
• 4g salt
• 3g ground cinnamon
• 1g ground cloves
• Icing: 150g powdered sugar
• Icing: 30g milk
• Icing: 4g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• Icing: pinch of salt

Directions

Key ingredients

Baking Soda & Baking Powder · Cinnamon · Molasses · Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat oven to 375F convection (400F conventional). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Beat the softened butter until light and fluffy. Add the brown and granulated sugars and cream together until smooth.
3. Add the sourdough discard, egg yolk, molasses, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
4. Pulse the rolled oats in a blender until coarse. Combine with the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until combined.
6. Scoop the dough into balls and place on the parchment-lined baking sheets (about 15 per sheet).
7. Bake 9-10 minutes at 375F convection, until puffed and the edges are lightly golden.
8. Cool the cookies 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.
9. While the cookies cool, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt to make the icing.
10. Once the cookies are completely cooled, dip the tops into the icing for about 1 second. Let the excess drip off and set on parchment to harden.

Notes

Blending the rolled oats to a coarse meal is what gives these their classic soft, old-fashioned iced-oatmeal texture, rather than a hearty whole-oat cookie. Use fresh sourdough discard (or active starter) for a milder flavor; older, more acidic discard will give a tangier cookie. The molasses and cloves add the signature warm-spice depth, so don’t skip them. Dip the tops only briefly in the thin icing so it sets as a delicate glaze. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 24-48 hours, then freeze for extended freshness; the raw dough can also be refrigerated overnight or scoop-frozen to bake later. Adapted faithfully from Amy Bakes Bread (a sourdough discard coconut macaroon recipe was not available from a cleanly citable source, so this well-reviewed discard cookie was chosen instead).