Sourdough Molasses Cookies

Chewy sourdough molasses cookies with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Made with sourdough discard, the dough can be refrigerated overnight if you'd like to do a long ferment.

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How This Recipe Works

Lightly adapted from our Canadian molasses cookies, these sourdough molasses cookies are virtually identical but with added sourdough starter or discard. This is one of those special discard recipes that really works with just adding some discard to the mix - usually we need to test several variations to make sure the recipe works properly with added discard (which changes acidity, moisture level, and so on).

The original recipe comes from my grandmother-in-law, who was an excellent baker, and she made them for decades. I've been making them for years now too and started making the sourdough version a couple of years ago. I'm happy to report that added starter makes these little cookies even better.

They have a traditional gingerbread flavour, with ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in addition to fancy molasses. The dough balls are rolled in sugar before baking for a beautiful crackled look and nice crunchy texture. These are great for gifting or to have in the house around the holidays, or any time of year!

Ingredients You'll Need and Why

These cookies are made with shortening or coconut oil instead of butter, so they're easy and convenient to make. These are our notes from recipe testing. See below for the full recipe card with complete measurements and instructions.

• Flour: this should be plain all-purpose white flour. Pastry flour makes the cookies too delicate. We haven't tested with a gluten-free substitute.
• Oil: use coconut oil, refined or unrefined, or shortening. Both work well. If you want to avoid any slight taste of coconut be sure to use refined oil or shortening.
• Molasses: this must be fancy molasses, not blackstrap, which isn't meant to be used for baking.
• Sugar: plain white granulated sugar. If you want a more noticeable crunch, you can roll the cookies in raw sugar instead of finer granulated sugar. Don't use brown sugar, as the added molasses in it throws the ratios off.
• Egg: this should be a large egg, 57 grams with shell. The egg should be at room temperature, as a cold egg can harden the oil when it's added. To quickly bring cold eggs up to room temperature, submerge them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
• Discard: active sourdough starter or sourdough discard can be used but it's best to weigh rather than use the volume measurement, as they have different volumes. Use relatively fresh discard for the best taste.
• Spices: ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Feel free to change these up slightly to suit your taste (try cardamom in place of cloves, for example). We have tried with finely grated fresh ginger, and it's very nice. The amount is noted in the recipe card if you want to try that.
• Baking soda: the cookies must be made with baking soda, not baking powder, for the right texture. Baking powder makes them rise too much and the resulting cookies are cake-like.

Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.

How to Make Sourdough Molasses Cookies

This dough comes together more quickly than cookie dough made with butter, because oil and sugar don't cream together in the same way as butter and sugar. The mixing time is quick and easy.

Step 1: mix the oil and sugar on medium-high with electric beaters for a full 2 minutes. It won't get as fluffy as butter would, but will increase in volume slightly.

Step 2: beat in the egg and molasses to combine. If using measuring cups, very lightly oil the measuring cup before adding the molasses to help it release more easily. You don't need to worry about this if using gram measurements.

Related: Sourdough Sugar Cookies

Step 3: beat in the sourdough starter on low speed, until combined. The mixture will already be fairly stiff and should be glossy. If it looks dull it's probably due to a cold egg causing the oil to harden too much.

Step 4: add the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices, then mix on low speed until just combined. The dough will be stiff and you might need to switch to a wooden spoon or spatula to finish mixing.

Step 5: roll into small balls, a tablespoon each, then roll each ball in more sugar before placing onto a lined baking sheet. Space must be left between each ball to allow for spread - you can see here how much the cookies do spread during baking.

Step 6: bake until the edges are just set. The centre should still be soft. If the cookies are over-baked, they'll still be tasty, but will lose their chewy texture and be more crisp. That's also good, just different.

Related: Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Expert Tips for the Best Cookies

• Don't skip the sugar: rolling the cookies in sugar before baking improves the texture and look. The original name for these cookies was ginger crackles, and that crackle look comes partly from rolling in sugar. You can try rolling them in cinnamon sugar, like sourdough snickerdoodles, if you want a more cinnamon-forward flavour.
• Try a long ferment: if you'd like to, you can refrigerate the cookie dough for up to 24 hours before baking. This will give the cookies a more noticeable sourdough taste and makes them chewier.
• Use the right molasses: unless otherwise specified - and it never should be - you should always use fancy molasses for baking, not blackstrap. If a recipe calls for blackstrap the recipe developer should be very clear about why they're using it and explain the science behind that choice.

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