Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies

Soft, chewy rolled-and-cut gingerbread cookies made with sourdough starter discard, warm with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Perfect for cutting into gingerbread men and other shapes and decorating with royal icing.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (140g) molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup (142g) sourdough starter discard
• 1 teaspoon (5g) vanilla extract
• 3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (5g) salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice

Royal icing (optional): 4 cups powdered sugar

• Royal icing (optional): 6 tablespoons room-temperature water
• Royal icing (optional): 3 tablespoons meringue powder

Directions

Key ingredients

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

1. Beat the butter, brown sugar, and molasses on medium speed until creamy.
2. Add the egg, sourdough starter discard, and vanilla; mix on medium speed until incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice.
4. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined.
5. Divide the dough in half and form two discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days for a stronger, more fermented flavor).
6. Remove one disc and let it come to room temperature before rolling.
7. Preheat the oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness.
9. Cut into desired shapes and space 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
10. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are golden; the cookies will still look slightly underdone in the center.
11. Let cool completely (about 30 minutes) before decorating.
12. For royal icing, beat the powdered sugar, water, and meringue powder on high speed for 2 minutes; add more powdered sugar if too thin.
13. Decorate the cooled cookies as desired; the icing typically dries within about 2 hours.

Notes

Chilling the dough lets the flour hydrate for a chewier cookie and makes it easier to roll and cut. Either unfed sourdough discard or fed active starter works; unfed discard gives a stronger sourdough tang, and refrigerating the dough up to 3 days deepens the fermented flavor. Don’t overbake, cookies firm up as they cool. Store royal icing sealed in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before use, adding more powdered sugar if it won’t thicken. Unfrosted baked cookies freeze up to 2 months (decorate after thawing); store decorated cookies in glass or metal containers at room temperature for several days. Adapted from Farmhouse on Boone (Lisa Bass), Chewy Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies.