If you love classic ginger biscuits with crackly tops, crisp edges and a chewy centre, these sourdough ginger cookies are about to earn a permanent spot in your recipe card collection. They're warmly spiced, deeply flavourful and made with sourdough starter discard for extra chew and complexity.
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Long before I was elbow-deep in sourdough bread and bulk fermentation charts, I was baking cookies. One of my all-time favourites was a double ginger recipe from BBC Food. When sourdough took over my kitchen, it was only a matter of time before I created a sourdough version. Seb absolutely adores these - they disappear faster than any of my sourdough chocolate chip cookies and even my Triple Chocolate Sourdough cookies.
Great Cookies With Extra Moisture From Sourdough Discard
Adding sourdough starter discard to cookies isn't as simple as just stirring it in. A 100% hydration starter is equal parts flour and water - meaning it introduces extra moisture that traditional cookie dough simply doesn't account for.
To balance that:
- We omit the egg white and use just the egg yolk. That keeps the dough rich without making it loose or cakey.
- We brown the unsalted butter over medium heat, allowing some of its water to evaporate. This not only reduces excess moisture but also adds a nutty depth of flavour that pairs beautifully with warm spices.
Most sourdough ginger cookies rely on unsulphured or blackstrap molasses. I rarely have it at home, so I designed this version without molasses - yet still full of chew, warmth and depth. The stem ginger carries the flavour, and browning the butter creates complexity without the need for sticky syrups.
The result? Chewy cookies with crisp edges and a soft, almost fudgy centre - not cakey, not dry.
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter - Browned for flavour and moisture control. Start with softened butter only if you're skipping browning (not recommended for best results).
- Plain flour (all-purpose flour) - Keeps the texture tender. You can swap 20-30g for whole wheat flour next time for a slightly nuttier finish.
- Ground ginger - The backbone of the flavour. Fresh, aromatic spice makes a difference.
- Baking soda - The leavening agent that gives spread and crackly tops.
- Salt - I use fine sea salt or Diamond Crystal kosher salt. A tiny additional salt sprinkle on top is lovely.
- White sugar & light brown sugar - The combination gives structure and chew. Dark brown sugar works too and deepens flavour.
- Egg yolk - Richness without excess liquid.
- Sourdough starter discard - Use active starter or discard; avoid overly acidic starter with hooch. We always use 100% hydration starter for our sourdough cookie recipes.
- Stem ginger - Adds bursts of heat and sweetness (see section below).
Simple ingredients, but balanced carefully (tip: use a kitchen scale!) for the texture of the cookies. Ingredient quantities and nutritional information in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Stem Ginger and Its Substitutes
Stem ginger is young ginger preserved in syrup. It's sweet, spicy and soft - perfect for chewy sourdough cookies and classic holiday flavours.
If you can't find it, use finely chopped crystallised (candied) ginger in equal quantity.
Avoid fresh ginger as a direct substitute - it's sharper, tougher and lacks sweetness.
Step-By-Step Method
1. Brown the butter. Melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until foamy and golden brown. Cool slightly.
Top Tip: Don't walk away - butter goes from nutty to burnt quickly.
2. Cream sugars and butter. In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment), beat browned butter with cane sugar and brown sugar at medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add egg yolk. Mix in the egg yolk until glossy.
4. Stir in sourdough discard. Switch to a hand mixer briefly or a rubber spatula - avoid overmixing to prevent gluten development.
5. Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt and ground ginger.
6. Bring dough together. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix just until combined. The dough will be slightly sticky. Fold in stem ginger to distribute evenly.
7. Chill. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Top Tip: Chill time improves flavour and controls spread.
8. Shape and bake. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (degrees F). Line prepared baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop to scoop dough into balls (about 60g each) and place balls in on a large baking sheet, leaving plenty of space for them to spread.
9. Bake. Bake time: 12-14 minutes. Edges should be golden; centres slightly soft.
Top Tip: Drop the tray gently on the counter once baked to create crackly tops.
10. Cool. Rest 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack (although I'll admit, I often cool them directly on the cookie sheet).
Storage
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. They actually develop even more depth of flavour the next day.
To freeze:
- Freeze unbaked cookie dough balls on a tray in a single layer.
- Transfer to a freezer bag once solid.
- Bake from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to bake time.
You can also freeze baked cookies and thaw them at room temperature. They retain their chewy texture beautifully.
More Sourdough Discard Cookie Recipes
If you love these sourdough ginger cookies, explore more sourdough discard recipes like sourdough sugar cookies, sourdough oatmeal cookies, sourdough snickerdoodles and sourdough gingerbread cookies. There's something deeply satisfying about turning discard into classic cookies - pure sourdough love, without waste.
Sourdough Ginger Cookies
Equipment
- Small Saucepan
- Large Bowl
- Rubber Spatula
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 125 g plain flour all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 75 g granulated sugar
- 70 g light brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk large
- 80 g sourdough discard 100% hydration
- 80 g stem ginger *see notes drained and finely chopped (about 4 balls)
Instructions
- To make browned butter, place the butter in a small pan and heat it over medium heat. The butter should melt, then foam, and finally brown. Leave the butter to cool down slightly.
- Add both brown and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl. Pour the browned butter over the sugar, and using a handheld electric mixer, beat the mixture for 2-3 minutes until the sugar starts dissolving (it will still be grainy, and it's ok).
- Add an egg yolk and whisk again for approx 2 minutes.
- Add the sourdough discard and mix with a balloon whisk until combined (you don't want to use an electric mixer here as it will promote gluten development).
- In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and ground ginger.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just enough to combine.
- Finally, add the chopped stem ginger and mix to distribute them evenly throughout the sourdough cookie dough.
- Cover the dough and place it in the fridge for 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350℉). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide the cookie dough into 8 even pieces (about 60g each) and shape each into a ball.
- Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving plenty of space in between them
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes. The cookies should have browned crispy edges, but the centre should still be a little soft and puffy. As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, drop the tray from 20cm height onto a kitchen worktop - this creates that signature cracked tops.
- Leave them on the tray for 10 minutes to firm up, then transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
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