Soft Glazed Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies
These easy, soft Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies are perfect for the holidays with a chewy texture, warm spices, and brushed with a vanilla glaze that highlights their intricate patterns and designs. They're perfect sourdough discard Christmas cookies for gifting!
Yield or Serving: 21 Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer, optional or a hand mixer
- Half Sheet Pans, lined with parchment paper
- 1 Pastry Brush, for brushing on glaze
- Cookie Stamps, or cookie cutters
- 1 3" Round Cookie Cutter, for trimming the cookies
Ingredients
- 85 g Unsalted Butter, softened, 6 TBS
- 75 g Dark Brown Sugar
- 100 g Unsulphered Molasses
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 120 g Sourdough Discard, or active starter, ½ cup
- 240 g All-purpose flour, 2 cups, plus more for flouring surface
- 1 TBS Dutch-process Cocoa Powder, or unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ground Allspice
- ⅛ tsp Ground Cloves
- ¼ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 150 g Powdered Sugar, 1 ¼ cup
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 TBS Warm Water, as needed
Instructions
- Beat the softened butter, molasses, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer) for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if needed.Add the egg yolk and sourdough discard and mix until combined.85 g Unsalted Butter, 75 g Dark Brown Sugar, 100 g Unsulphered Molasses, 1 Egg Yolk, 120 g Sourdough Discard
- In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Then, add to the stand mixer bowl and mix just until combined and no flour specks remain.Cover and chill the cookie batter for at least an hour.240 g All-purpose flour, 1 TBS Dutch-process Cocoa Powder, 1 ½ tsp Ground Ginger, ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon, ¼ tsp Ground Allspice, ⅛ tsp Ground Cloves, ¼ tsp Baking Soda, ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Freeze your cookie stamps while you roll out the dough.Scrape the chilled cookie dough onto a large, lightly floured piece of parchment paper and lay another piece of parchment paper on top. Roll the dough out to ¼" thickness, flouring the dough in between the parchment as necessary to prevent sticking (it's normal for gingerbread to be somewhat sticky!).Flour the chilled cookie stamps and press them down into the dough to create designs. Then, cut out the stamps with a round cookie cutter.Re-roll the scraps and repeat.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF (191ºC) with a rack in the middle.As the oven preheats, space the cookies a couple of inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and freeze them for at least 10 minutes before baking.Bake for 9 minutes until they're puffed and the edges are just set. They'll be soft but continue setting when out of hte oven.Let cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and warm water in a small bowl to the consistency of syrup or runny honey.Brush the glaze on the completely cooled cookies and allow the cookies to dry and set completely before serving.150 g Powdered Sugar, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract, 1-2 TBS Warm Water
Notes
- Follow my guide above for more detailed instructions, tips, and photos to make these soft glazed Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies.
- Store the sourdough gingerbread cookies for a week in an airtight container at room temperature. The glaze will change color over time, so they're best glazed within 24 hours of serving.
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