A winter classic! These sourdough gingerbread cookies are heavily spiced with ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. They're not overly sweet on their own, so don't skimp on the decorating!
Since the flavor gets better and better the longer they sit, they're a great make-ahead treat, and are even better to have on hand for whenever you need a cookie.
If you're iffy about using discard in sweet things, these cookies are perfect for you! They're so chock full of warming spices and molasses, you really can't detect the sourdough.
Gingerbread cookie dough
The dough here is so quick and easy to whip up - just keep in mind that it is STIFF. Like, I've broken spatulas in it thick.
One step you MUST NOT SKIP is chilling the dough. After it's mixed, divide it in two, shape it into discs, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 3 hours. Overnight is even better! Warm dough doesn't hold its shape well while baking.
Rolling + Cutting Gingerbread Cookie Dough
You can roll this dough out several times after cutting - just be careful not to add too much flour. It will get easier to roll once it warms up slightly. You have to put some muscle into it for the initial rolling!
My favorite thing to do once I'm left with minimal scraps is to gather them up, roll them out into a square (I use my bench scraper to square up the perimeter), then cut into 2-inch squares to decorate into houses.
It's way easier than rolling scraps to get one cookie. Plus, no scraps are wasted!
Oh, and here is a gingerbread man cookie cutter if you need one!
Perfectly baked gingerbread cookies
How long these will take to bake depends on the size of your cookie cutter. Small cookies might only take 6 minutes. Extra large ones might take more than 10.
You'll be able to tell they're done when they're puffed up. These cookies are better slightly overbaked vs. underbaked, so if you're not totally sure if they're done, give them 1-2 minutes more.
Decorating Gingerbread Cookies
I love these decorated with store-bought white icing, but an even easier method is dipping them in a glaze (see how here!).
Kids LOVE to decorate gingerbread men. Use whatever icing/glaze/sprinkles/candy you like.
Oh, and if you're making and eating gingerbread men with kids, you're going to want to read the classic story.
Happy cookie season!
Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dried ginger
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅔ cup molasses
- ⅓ cup sourdough starter discard
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and molasses and beat until well combined. Mix in the discard, egg, and vanilla (the butter may separate here - this is okay!).Add the dry ingredients and mix until no dry flour remains. It will be stiff! Divide in half, shape each half into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 3 hour, up to 2 days. I highly recommend chilling this dough overnight.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.Working with one disc at a time, unwrap and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Rotate the dough between rolls to ensure it doesn't stick to the work surface, adding more flour to the counter or top of the dough as needed. Roll it out to ¼-inch thickness. If the dough edges begin to crack, you can press them back together with your hands. Cut out your desired shapes and place on the prepared baking sheet. Gather the scraps into a ball and re-roll. You can re-roll this dough a few times after cutting your shapes out - just be careful not to add too much flour when rolling or it will dry out your dough. When I've gotten as many shapes as I think I can from a piece of dough, I like to roll the remaining scraps into a square (using my bench scraper to straighten out the edges), and cut into 2-inch squares to bake and decorate as houses.Bake for 8-10 minutes, until puffed up. If you have particularly small cookie cutters, you'll want to start checking around 6 minutes. If you have extra large cookie cutters, it could take upward of 10 minutes. I think these cookies are better slightly over-baked vs. under-baked, so if you're not sure if they're done, give them a minute or 2 longer. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once they're completely cool, you can decorate! Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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