Name: Pillowy Soft Sourdough Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 44 min
Yield: 18
Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, room temp; 1 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup cane sugar; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 2 eggs; 1 cup sourdough starter or discard; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt; 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour; 1/4 cup inulin powder, optional; 4 tsp sugar; 1 tsp cinnamon

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Say hello to these Pillowy Soft Sourdough Sugar Cookies!! Soft and chewy in the middle and crispy on the outside.

Sourdough Starter & Discard

I’m using the sourdough discard from my homemade sourdough starter. I like to include the discard when making cookies, pancakes, waffles and most baked goods rather than waste it.

The sourdough adds a deep rich flavor and goes well with the amount of sweetness from the brown sugar in this cookie recipe.

If you haven’t baked with a sourdough starter and looking for an easy recipe here is the one that I used from King Arthur Baking. The recipe is straightforward and easy to follow.

Ingredients Needed to Make Pillowy Sourdough Sugar Cookies

Grass-fed butter: not all butter is created equal so choose your butter wisely. My go-to brand is Kerry Gold organic grass fed butter. You can also use vegan butter or even a nut butter.
Brown sugar: the molasses in the brown sugar adds moisture and creates a more chewier texture.
Cane sugar: adding cane sugar with the brown sugar is getting the best of both worlds. They both have the same amount of sweetness too.
Vanilla extract: my go-to flavoring to make any baked good taste delicious.
Eggs: eggs are my preference but you can definitely make this recipe vegan and add flax eggs instead. To make a flax egg, whisk together 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds and 3 tablespoons water. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
Sourdough starter or discard: fermented sourdough makes it easier for the body to digest and contains healthy resistance starch that will not affect the blood glucose level.
Baking powder & baking soda: these little treats need to rise a little and boost it’s texture so don’t forget it.
All purpose flour: holds the cookie together and contributes to the shape.
Inulin powder: this is optional but I include to boost up the prebiotic fiber since the fiber has been stripped away from the all purpose flour.

How to Make Sourdough Sugar Cookies

This is super easy to make and you don’t even have to break out the food processor or kitchen aid.

First start with creaming the room temperature butter in a bowl with the brown and cane sugar, vanilla, and eggs together. Once you have a nice creamy consistency stir in the sourdough discard.

Next, combine the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and blend until well combined but do not over mix the batter.

Set in refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

Use a spoon or an ice cream scooper to scoop out cookies onto a lined baking sheet. The batter makes about 18 large or 36 medium size cookies.

Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture on top and bake at 350F for 14 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

And if sourdough cookies are not your cup of tea then try this easy chocolate chip pecan cookie skillet cookie recipe or better yet, this chocolate chip oatmeal cardamom cookie recipe. Delish!