Sourdough Molasses Cookies

These sourdough molasses cookies are soft, chewy, and filled with cozy spices like ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Rolled in sugar before baking, they have a lightly crisp exterior and a wonderfully tender center, with just a hint of sourdough tang to balance the rich molasses flavor.

And the best part? You can make them with sourdough discard straight from the fridge! No feeding your starter, waiting for dough to rise, or planing head. Just mix the dough, roll in sugar, and bake!

These cookies are especially delicious during the fall and winter months, but I fully support among them whenever the craving hits. They’re perfect for holiday cookie trays, sharing with friends, and enjoying with a warm cup of tea.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Soft and chewy for days. These cookies have a tender, slightly cake-like center and lightly crisp, sugar-coated edges. And they stay deliciously soft even after they’ve cooled.
• Full of warm, cozy spices. Molasses, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg create that classic spiced cookie flavor, with a subtle tang of sourdough that adds a little extra depth.
• An easy way to use sourdough discard. No active stater or overnight fermentation required.

Looking for other easy sourdough cookies to add to your holiday baking platter? I got you! Try these sourdough shortbread cookies for a classic holiday treat. These sourdough chocolate crinkle cookies are another great addition that will disappear quickly. And you can’t have a holiday tray without these sourdough peppermint and white chocolate cookies!

How to make these discard cookies

Here is brief overview of making these cookies so you know what to expect before you head into the kitchen. For the full set of instructions, please scroll down the recipe card below.

Step One: Make the dough

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Mix in the eggs, one at time, followed by the vanilla, molasses, and sourdough discard.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Step Two: Shape the cookies

Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, and coat each one in granulated sugar.

Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet, then gently flatten each one with the bottom of a drinking glass. These cookies puff up more than they spread, so this helps give them their shape.

Step Three: Bake

Bake in a preheated oven until they are mostly set, rotating the pan halfway through, about 12-14 minutes.

Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. They will firm up as they cool, but still stay soft.

Tips for great cookies:

• Use unsulphured molasses. Regular unsulphured molasses gives these cookies their rich, classic flavor. Avoid using blackstrap molasses, which is more bitter and can overpower the spices.
• Don’t over-mix the dough. Once the flour is just incorporated, stop mixing Overtaxing can make hte cookies tougher instead of soft and tender like we want.
• Don’t skip rolling in sugar. That sparkly sugar coating adds lovely contrast to the soft centers and gives their cookies their classic appearance.
• Flatten the dough before baking. These Cookes puff up more than they spread (thanks yeast!), so gently pressing them before baking helps create a more traditional cookie shape.
• Watch the baking time. For soft molasses cookies, remove them from the oven when they are mostly set rather than waiting for them to feel completely firm.

Storing these cookies

These cookies stay nice and soft for several days, making them a great cookie for baking ahead. Once cooled, store in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.

You can also place them in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 2 months.