Sourdough Sugar Cookies

Toast the Sugar (optional):
For a slight caramel flavor to these cookies, toast the sugar. It's optional, but delicious and you can make any time in advance!
To toast, add an even ¼-inch layer of sugar (3 cups of sugar or so) to a large stainless steel skillet and bake at 350ºF (177ºC) for 30-40 minutes until it's fragrant, turns lightly golden, and has small clumps (but before melting).
Cool completely, store indefinitely, and use in this or other baking recipes!
Combine the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
270 g All-purpose flour, 28 g Cornstarch, ½ tsp Kosher Salt, 1 tsp Baking Soda
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar together until light, fluffy, and pale in color.
226 g Unsalted Butter, 250 g Granulated Sugar
On low speed, add the egg yolks and vanilla extract until combined. Then, pour in the sourdough discard.
Slowly dump in the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the sides. Mix the cookie dough just until no floury spots remain.
2 Egg Yolks, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract, 100 g Sourdough Discard
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to a couple of days to fully hydrate the flour, let the flavors meld, and make portioning easier.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a small bowl, add ½ cup of sugar and set aside.
Use a large cookie scoop or spoon to portion out 18-20 cookies (about 45g or 2 big TBS), roll into balls in the sugar, and place them onto the baking sheets with a couple of inches in between them.* They spread, so I usually fit 8 per sheet.
If you prefer smaller cookies, they will bake faster, so shave a minute or two off of the baking time.
Bake one sheet of cookies at a time in the middle rack for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and pan bang on the counter so the edges crinkle and the centers flatten. Then, put them back in the oven for another 2 minutes, pan bang again, bake a final 2 minutes (total of 12 minutes in the oven), and pan bang once more when they come out of the oven.
When done, the edges should just start to brown, and they will still look a little underbaked in the middle. This will ensure you get chewy and soft cookies!
For perfectly round cookies, use a large cookie cutter to swirl around the cookies immediately out of the oven to round out the edges.
Transfer the sourdough sugar cookies to wire racks to cool completely and repeat with the remaining cookies.

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes