Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies
Gingerbread dough wants a little acid, and discard brings it. It softens the molasses edge, and it gives the baking soda something to react with so the cookies puff slightly instead of baking flat and hard.
This dough is built for cutters. A 2-hour chill and a short freeze on the tray keep the edges sharp, so the gingerbread people still have their arms when they come out of a 350°F (175°C) oven. Decorate them or hang a few on the tree.
Why You’ll Love It
- 100 g of discard goes into one batch, straight from the refrigerator.
- Crisp edges and soft centers at a ¼ inch (6 mm) thickness.
- The dough holds its shape, so cut-outs stay sharp.
- The dough keeps 3 days in the refrigerator, which makes cookie decorating day easy to plan.
Ingredients
Use unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap, which tastes bitter in cookies. Discard can be up to 2 weeks old. Weigh the flour, since gingerbread dough turns dry and cracks quickly when a cup is packed too full.
- Unsalted butter, softened (113 g (8 tablespoons)): flavor and tenderness.
- Dark brown sugar (100 g (½ cup packed)): sweetness and a little extra molasses depth.
- Unsulphured molasses (120 g (about ⅓ cup)): the classic gingerbread color and flavor.
- Sourdough discard (100 g (about ½ cup)): acid for the baking soda and a mild tang.
- Egg (50 g (1 large)): binds the dough so it rolls without cracking.
- All-purpose flour (360 g (about 3 cups)): enough structure to hold sharp cut-out edges.
- Ground ginger (6 g (1 tablespoon)): the main spice.
- Ground cinnamon (5 g (2 teaspoons)): warmth that rounds out the ginger.
- Ground cloves (1 g (½ teaspoon)): a small amount goes a long way.
- Baking soda (3 g (½ teaspoon)): a slight puff and a softer center.
- Fine salt (3 g (½ teaspoon)): sharpens the spices.
- Powdered sugar, for the icing (120 g (1 cup)): optional, for a simple piping icing.
- Milk, for the icing (20 g (about 4 teaspoons)): optional, loosens the icing to piping thickness.
Equipment
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- Kitchen scale: for weighing the flour and molasses accurately.
- Stand mixer or hand mixer: for creaming the butter and sugar.
- Rolling pin: for rolling the dough to an even ¼ inch (6 mm).
- Parchment paper: roll the dough between two sheets so it never sticks.
- Cookie cutters: gingerbread people, stars or any shape about 3 inches (7.5 cm) across.
- Two baking sheets: one bakes while the next tray chills.
- Wire rack: for cooling the cookies before icing.
- Piping bag: optional, for the icing details. A zip-top bag with a corner snipped works.
Sample Schedule
Day 1
- Make the dough, about 15 minutes
- Chill at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days
Baking day
- Roll and cut the shapes, 10 minutes
- Bake in batches, 8 to 10 minutes each
- Cool and decorate
Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies
Method
- Beat the butter and brown sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy.
- Beat in the molasses, then the discard and egg, until smooth.
- Whisk the flour, spices, baking soda and salt, mix into the wet ingredients on low, then divide in half and flatten into discs between parchment.
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
- Roll the dough ¼ inch thick between parchment, cut shapes, set them 1 inch apart and freeze the tray 10 minutes.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are set.
- Cool 5 minutes on the tray, then completely on a wire rack.
- Whisk the powdered sugar and milk into a thick icing, pipe the details and let set 1 to 2 hours.
Notes
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How to Make It
1Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the softened butter and dark brown sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until lighter in color and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl so no butter hides at the bottom.
2Beat in the molasses and discard. Add the molasses and beat until combined. Add the discard and the egg and beat for another minute until the mixture is smooth and glossy, with no streaks of discard. It may look slightly curdled at first. It comes back together as soon as the flour goes in.
3Add the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add them to the molasses mixture on low speed and mix just until a soft dough forms and no dry flour remains. Divide the dough in half and press each half into a flat disc between two sheets of parchment.
4Chill the dough. Refrigerate the discs for at least 2 hours. Up to 3 days is fine, and the flavor deepens a little each day. In a warm kitchen, keep the second disc in the refrigerator while you work with the first.
5Roll and cut. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line the baking sheets with parchment. Roll one disc between its parchment sheets to an even ¼ inch (6 mm). Cut out shapes and set them 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on the lined sheets. Freeze the tray for 10 minutes before baking so the edges stay sharp. Gather and reroll the scraps once, chilling them again if they turn soft.
6Bake. Bake one tray at a time for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers look just dry on top. They firm up as they cool. For crisp cookies, give them 1 to 2 minutes longer. In a humid kitchen, the crisp version holds up better over the next few days.
7Cool. Leave the cookies on the tray for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes, before icing.
8Decorate. Whisk the powdered sugar and milk until smooth and thick enough to hold a line. Spoon it into a piping bag, snip a small opening and pipe outlines and buttons. Let the icing set for 1 to 2 hours before stacking.
Tips & Troubleshooting
- Cookies spread and lost their shape: the dough was too warm. Chill the cut shapes for 10 minutes on the tray before they go in the oven.
- Dough cracks when rolling: it came straight from the refrigerator. Let it sit 5 to 10 minutes and roll between parchment.
- Cookies taste bitter: the molasses was blackstrap or the cloves were heaped. Use unsulphured molasses and weigh the cloves.
- Icing runs off the edges: it is too thin. Add powdered sugar a spoonful at a time until it holds a piped line.
How to Store
To store: Keep decorated cookies in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 1 week, with parchment between layers once the icing has set. In a humid kitchen, close the tin tightly after every opening, since crisp gingerbread left out softens within a day.
To freeze: Freeze the dough discs for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Baked, undecorated cookies freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated per cookie with icing, for 30 cookies about 3 inches (7.5 cm) across, and will vary with cutter size.
120
CALORIES
21
CARBS (G)
2
PROTEIN (G)
3
FAT (G)
2
SAT. FAT (G)
0.5
FIBER (G)
10
SUGAR (G)
70
SODIUM (MG)
Desi’s Notes
This recipe is Research-backed and has not been through a Bake-Keeper kitchen test yet. The proportions follow well-tested discard gingerbread doughs, adjusted slightly stiffer so cut-outs keep their shape.
If you like a stronger tang, mix the dough and let it rest in the refrigerator for the full 3 days. The discard keeps working slowly in the cold.
Before You Bake
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