Sourdough Lemon Drop Cookies
Lemon drop cookies made with sourdough discard are a light and fluffy cookie with lovely lemon flavor.
Lemon drop cookies are a soft and delicate pillowy cookie with a lovely lemon flavor and a slight sourdough tang. These cookies are seriously like a soft breeze and are easy to make with any leftover sourdough discard.
Making cookies with sourdough is one of my favorite ways to use discard – I mean, I have about a dozen sourdough cookie recipes, and I just can’t stop making more of them. Whether you make classic cookies like sourdough cowboy cookies or a fun new twist like sourdough snickerdoodle, adding discard to your cookie recipes is a delicious idea.
Adding sourdough starter to your cookies is such a great use of discard! Not only does it help improve the texture of the cookies – making them lighter and softer, but it also adds a little something extra to the flavor, helping to deepen the flavors of the cookie.
How to make these cookies
Here is a brief overview of how to make these cookies. For the full recipe, please make sure to scroll down to the recipe card below.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
- Add in the sourdough discard, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Combine until mixed. It will look lumpy but will smooth out after you add in the dry ingredients.
- Add in the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until just combined.
- Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- Scoop 2 Tablespoons scoops of dough onto the prepared baking mat, about 2″ apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookie are just starting to turn golden brown and the top of the cookies are set.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, and then move to a wire rack.
- While still warm, dust with powdered sugar.
- Cool completely.
Do I need to chill the dough? I highly recommend chilling this dough before baking. This cookie batter is very soft and chilling it makes it easier to work with. It will help reduce the cake like quality of the cookies and the yeast activity.
Storage information:
These cookies will keep well for 3-5 days when stored in an air tight container at room temperature.
They also freeze well for up to 6 months. You can also freeze individual scoops of unbaked cookie dough.
Recipe tips
When baking these cookies, the following tips will ensure that your cookies turn out perfect every time:
- Make sure your butter and eggs are truly room temperature. This will help to create soft and chewy cookies with the perfect texture.
- Do not overmix the dough, as this can lead to tough cookies. Make sure to mix until just barely combined.
- Don’t over bake the cookies. When you take them out of the oven they might appear under-baked, but don’t worry – the cookies will continue to finish baking while they sit on the baking sheet. Allow them to cool on the sheet for a full 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
Sourdough is better when shared
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and rating below.
Love and links are always appreciated! If you’d like to share this recipe, please link to the post directly for the recipe, please do not copy and paste or screenshot. Thank you so much for supporting me. XOXO – Jenni
Sourdough Lemon Drop Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
- Add in the sourdough discard, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Combine until mixed. The mixture will look lumpy.
- Add in the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until just combined.
- Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- Scoop 2 Tablespoons scoops of dough onto the prepared baking mat, about 2″ apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookie are just starting to turn golden brown and the top of the cookies are set.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, and then move to a wire rack.
- While still warm, dust with powdered sugar.
- Cool completely.
