One of the simple joys of the season is a warm cup of coffee with plenty of cream and a good cookie. It is especially joyful if there’s a fire going and the Christmas tree lights are twinkling. These Sourdough Ginger Molasses Cookies have stolen my heart this season. I’ve made them three times already and they disappear faster than a snowman in Arizona. You’ve got to make these!
Sourdough bakers, rejoice… the texture and flavor of this cookie are enhanced by that sourdough discard you hate to waste. The recipe calls for 80 grams of sourdough starter that is past its peak rise. But no worries to those of you who haven’t jumped on the sourdough bandwagon yet, because my Old Fashioned Ginger Snaps will satisfy your cravings for sure!
The texture of these Sourdough Ginger Molasses Cookies is soft and chewy with a slightly crisp edge. The flavor is warm and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. They are the perfect winter cookie! They would make a cozy little gift to bring to neighbors and friends to let them know you are thinking of them.
I do hope you will make these, and because I want you to have the best experience possible I’ll offer you a few tips. First of all, spray your measuring cup with some nonstick spray before pouring in the molasses. This will ensure that it pours out without clinging to the measuring cup itself.
Second, once your dough is mixed, you can expect it to be a little sticky. You can chill it for 30 minutes to make it easier to handle, but I found I can just use a spring-loaded cookie scoop and release the unchilled dough directly into the sugar bowl without touching the dough with my hands at all. Then I gently toss the dough balls around in the bowl to coat them in sugar. They are much easier to handle when they are coated in sugar. Don’t worry about rolling them into perfectly round balls, as they will even out while they bake.
I’m hoping to share more Christmas cookie recipes in the next couple of weeks if all my testing goes well. Thanks for baking along with me and for all your feedback, ideas, and encouragement!
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Sourdough Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 41 minutes
- Yield: 3 dozen 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Sourdough Ginger Molasses Cookies have a soft, chewy texture and are perfectly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups softened salted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 80 grams sourdough discard (about 1/3 cup)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- Additional 1/2 cup sugar to coat dough balls.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or Silpat.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed. Add egg, molasses, and sourdough discard and mix.
- In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger together.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl on low speed until everything is incorporated and a dough forms.
- Scoop dough into balls. I used a scoop that measures about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Roll the dough ball in the sugar and place on the baking sheet (12 per sheet). No need to flatten the dough balls. They will spread out as they bake.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes. Allow them to cool on a cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 111
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 118mg
- Fat: 4.1g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.3g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 0.4g
- Protein: 1.3g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
Jackie S says
I don’t know what sourdough discard is
Jamie says
These are fabulous! This is now my new favorite discard recipe. Thank you!
Steph Walp says
I have no idea what went wrong but these were vet sticky after several hours in the fridge and they flatted out into each other during backing. So sad
Jeannie says
These are delightful and just the tastiest cookie ever. Second time baking these and they are surely the crowd pleaser, everyone just loved these. Crispy on the outside and soft and chewy in the inside with the perfect spice. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed in baking these. Just so yummy!!!