Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies

Snowflakes and gingerbread women are decorated on baking sheets.

5 from 48 votes

A classic cookie during the holidays, these Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies are the perfect cookie for cookie cutters. It's also a great use for the sourdough starter you have left in the refrigerator!

Prep Time1 5

Cook Time10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: Cookies

Calories: 107kcal

Author: Lynn Polito

Equipment

Ingredients

2 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Cloves
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
1 cup Unsalted Butter
¾ cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
⅓ cup Molasses
½ cup Sourdough Starter Inactive

Instructions

In a medium bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix all the ingredients to combine, set that aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the egg, molasses, and sourdough discard. Mix again for 1 minute.
Carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the stand mixer. Mix for 1 minute on low speed until the dough comes together into a ball.
Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and make the dough ball into a disc. Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or up to overnight.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly flour your countertop and place the dough on the flour lined counter. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough out so the thickness of the dough is about ¼ inch thick.
With your favorite cookie cutters, cut the dough, and place the cut outs onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of your cookies.
When they are baked, allow them to cool to room temperature on a wire cooling rack and then decorate with royal icing.

Video

Notes

Thinner cookies will take less time to cook than thicker cookies. Watch the oven closely to make sure the cookies do not burn if they are thin.
Keep cooled and decorated cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
The size of your cookie cutters depends on how many cookies you will get out of this dough. I was able to get almost 3 dozen cookies with standard sized cookie cutters.

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