Sourdough Sugar Cookies

Sourdough sugar cookies make the best soft, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth delicious treat. With an easy Royal icing, these elegant cookies are simple to make and decorate.

Who doesn’t love baking and decorating sugar cookies at Christmas time? There’s just something so relaxing and satisfying about rolling out cookie dough and cutting out shapes with cookie cutters. The only way to make this classic holiday treat better? You guessed it – add sourdough! 🙂

Often, sugar cookies can be a little too sweet, but the sourdough in these cookies adds just enough tang to keep the sugar from being overpowering. The addition of almond extract to the cookie dough and icing also lends a slightly fruity hint and balances out the sweetness. And with just the right amount of butter in the dough, these cookies hold their shape well without being too hard. Once you try making sourdough sugar cookies, you won’t be able to go back!

Tips for making Sourdough Sugar Cookies

• To make sure the cookies don’t spread out when you bake them, make sure the dough is chilled before you cut out the cookies. If the dough warms up a lot while you’re cutting out the cookies, pop them back in the fridge for a few minutes before baking.
• I like to use plain white icing, but you can definitely mix it up by adding a few drops of food dye to the icing for some color.
• These cookies will last in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. They really do taste best though if you eat them the first or second day. 🙂

Tools you will need

To make these cookies, you’ll need an electric or stand mixer, mixing bowl, measuring cups, a rolling pin, cookie cutters, plastic wrap, and a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

To decorate the cookies, you also will want a piping bag with a round piping tip.

Ingredients you will need

Cookies:

• 2 cups flour – All-purpose flour works best here.
• 1/2 cup sourdough discard – Active or discard sourdough starter is fine here.
• 1/2 cup softened butter – You could also substitute coconut oil here if you prefer.
• 1/2 cup sugar – Just plain white sugar here.
• 1 egg – If you have time, leave the egg out for a few hours before you make the cookie dough!
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp almond extract – Optional, but it adds such a fun flavor to these cookies!
• 1/4 tsp salt – Kosher salt works well.

Icing:

• 3 cups powdered sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar.
• 1 tbsp maple syrup – This adds a little glossiness to the icing.
• 1 tsp vanilla –
• 1/2 tsp almond extract – Again, this is optional, but it makes the frosting so yummy.
• 3-4 tbsp water – You can also use milk if you want instead.

Sprinkles are also a fun touch to add if you like! 🙂

How to make Sourdough Sugar Cookies

In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and the sugar until fluffy. This should only take 1-2 minutes.

Add the egg to the bowl with the sugar and butter, and mix it in until well combined.

Next, add in the sourdough starter, vanilla, and almond extract to the cookie dough, and mix until there are no lumps of sourdough left.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the bowl with the rest of the cookie dough, and stir together until just combined.

Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before you cut out the cookies.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and use the convection setting if you have it!

First, line your baking trays with parchment paper. Roll out the cookie dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out the cookies. I love mini Christmas trees, stockings, and candy canes. 🙂

Place the cookies on the baking tray, leaving about an inch between the cookies so that they don’t touch when they bake.

If the cookie dough seems warm after rolling and cutting out the cookies, refrigerate or freeze the dough for 10 minutes. This will prevent the cookies from spreading out too much when you bake them.

Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes, until they’re golden and the bottoms are lightly browned.

While the cookies cool, stir together the powdered sugar, vanilla, almond extract, maple syrup, and water to make the icing. It’s better to make the icing thicker at this point rather than too thin.

Once the cookies have cooled completely, you can decorate them with the icing. Fit a piping bag with a round tip, and fill it with some of the icing. Pipe a border around the edges of the cookies and let it harden a bit.

Stir a little more water into the icing to make it a bit thinner. Fill another piping bag with this icing. Use this icing to fill in the outlines on each of the cookies. If you want to use sprinkles for decorations, add them on now so that they stick.

Let the icing set for a few minutes to harden. Enjoy your Christmas cookies!

Looking for more Christmasy recipes?

If so, make sure to head over to the Kitchen Counter! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Sourdough Star Bread
• Sourdough Chocolate Babka
• Cranberry Dessert
• Sourdough Brownies
• Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

If you make this recipe and enjoy it, let me know in the comments section below! You can also tag me on instagram @oldfashionedinspiration with a picture of your creation.