Buttery, nutty, and irresistibly chewy, Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies are the kind of treat that disappears fast. And they are equally good with a glass of cold milk and a strong espresso coffee! The sourdough discard adds a subtle tang that balances the sweetness, while the sugar-coated tops crack beautifully as they bake. Grab your mixing bowl and get ready for some happy baking!
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I will admit, this peanut butter cookie recipe took a while to get right. First, I tried to simply adapt my Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, but the proportions just didn't work, and the butter would leak out of the dough.
Then I tried to incorporate sourdough into my Peanut Butter Miso Cookies, but adding a whole egg made the dough too wet, and the cookies had a cakey texture. So after numerous batches, I think I got it - this is it!
Soft and chewy in the middle with the crispy edges and tons of amazing peanut butter flavour!
I use a similar formula to make Sourdough Tahini Cookies too.
Recipe Highlights
TASTE & TEXTURE: Nutty and buttery with a subtle sourdough tang, crisp edges and a chewy, crackled top.
DIFFICULTY: Easy, only requires patience for chilling, not skills.
TOP TIP: Don't skip the fridge time. It firms the dough enough to hold that crackled top when you bang the tray.
SEB'S RATING: 9/10. Not usually a peanut butter fan, but in cookie form, delicious.
Using Sourdough Starter In Cookies
So it's no surprise that baking sourdough discard peanut butter cookies is the perfect way to reduce food waste and use up excess sourdough discard in a delicious way. But what else?
- Discard improves the texture of the cookies - fermented flour is an amazing binder that produces the best chewy peanut butter cookies.
- Subtle tangy flavour helps cut through the sweetness of the sugar and the richness of the peanut butter.
- Sourdough discard recipes tend to have a slightly longer shelf life. Due to the good bacteria in the discard, they stay fresh for longer.
Ingredient Notes
Here's everything you'll need to make these peanut butter sourdough cookies:
- unsalted butter: softened.
- sugar: white sugar, like caster or granulated sugar.
- light brown sugar.
- creamy peanut butter: not the all-natural peanut butter - it is too thin and oily for this recipe, unfortunately. We used smooth, but crunchy peanut butter will also work.
- sourdough discard: at 100% hydration. Since the cookie dough isn't fermented at room temperature, you can use active sourdough starter too.
- egg yolk: from a large egg.
- vanilla bean paste: or vanilla extract.
- plain flour: also known as all-purpose flour.
- bicarbonate of soda: a.k.a. baking soda, NOT baking powder.
- salt.
You will also need a kitchen scale, hand mixer, a large bowl, and a couple of large baking sheets, plus a cooling rack.
Find the ingredient quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional information in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
EXTRAS: Feel free to add approximately 150g of chocolate chips or peanut butter chips to the soft dough before chilling! Or try our Sourdough Peanut Butter Blossoms!
Step-By-Step Method
1. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the softened butter until fluffy.
2. Add both types of sugar and beat again for 1-2 minutes on medium speed, until fully incorporated.
3. Tip in the sourdough discard, peanut butter, egg yolk and vanilla and beat again, until combined. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl midway through.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt.
5. Gently fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just enough for there to be no dry pockets of flour.
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 4 hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. Shape 12 even-sized ball of cookie dough. I tend to shape them with my hands by eye, but you can use a cookie scoop or a large spoon. Roll cookie dough balls in a little sugar and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet, giving them plenty of space in between.
9. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown but the centre looks slightly undercooked (this will give them that chewy texture we all love). Have a look at how to create a crackled cookie top below - you may want to add an additional step!
10. Sprinkle the top of the cookies with a little bit of flaky salt, if you wish. Allow the baked cookies to firm up for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet. Then place them on a wire rack to cool down to room temperature.
Recipe FAqs
Yes. Cover the bowl tightly and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before shaping and baking. The flavour actually deepens the longer it sits, thanks to the discard, but don't leave it too long, of the dough will go sticky.
Yes. Shape into balls first, freeze on a tray until solid, then move to a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the bake time.
Almost always overbaking. Pull them out while the centres still look slightly underdone. They'll firm up as they cool on the tray. All-natural peanut butter can also dry cookies out, which is why this recipe calls for regular creamy peanut butter instead.
Yes, this recipe isn't relying on the starter for rise, so either works. Just make sure it's at 100% hydration to keep the ratios right.
Yes. Fold in around 150g of chocolate chips or peanut butter chips with the dry ingredients if you want to bulk them up.
Want Crackled Cookie Tops?
You need to bang the baking sheets! Yes, that's right! I've borrowed this tip from The Vanilla Bean Blog. After 10 minutes, take the baking sheets out of the oven and drop them from 20cm height onto a kitchen worktop. Like, really drop it like it's hot! This creates the signature cracked tops.
Return them to the oven and repeat the banging after your cookies are fully cooked for the best results. I use this method in my Sourdough Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookie recipe and Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Sourdough Cookies too!
Storage
Store these delicious sourdough peanut butter cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze them, separated with sheets of parchment paper, in a ziplock bag.
Want to bake later? The raw dough balls freeze well too. Roll and shape them as normal, freeze on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes.
More Sourdough Discard Cookie Recipes
If you bake a lot of sourdough bread, you will probably be constantly looking for delicious recipes that use sourdough starter discard. And a great way to put it to good use is to make delicious cookies! We are even making Sourdough Easter Cookies this spring! Hope you find more inspiration for sourdough cookie recipes below:
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Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies (Soft and Chewy)
Ingredients
- 80 g (⅓ cup) butter softened
- 80 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) granulated sugar plus extra for coating
- 80 g (⅓ cup, packed) light brown sugar
- 120 g (½ cup) peanut butter creamy, not the all-natural type*
- 125 g (~½ cup + 1 tbsp) sourdough discard 100% hydration
- 1 egg yolk large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 140 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) plain flour all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda a.k.a. baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the softened butter until fluffy.
- Add both types of sugar and beat again for 1-2 minutes, until fully incorporated.
- Tip in the sourdough discard, peanut butter, egg yolk and vanilla and beat again, until combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt.
- Gently fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just enough for there to be no dry pockets of flour.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Shape 12 even sized balls of cookie dough (about 50g each). Roll each of them in a little sugar and arrange them on a baking sheet, giving them plenty of space in between.
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown but the centre looks slightly undercooked (this will give them that chewy texture we all love).
- OPTIONAL, BUT RECOMMENDED: After 10 minutes, take the baking sheets out of the oven and drop them from 20cm height onto a kitchen worktop - this creates that signature cracked tops. Return them to the oven and repeat the banging after your cookies are fully cooked.
- Allow the baked cookies to firm up for 10 minutes on the baking tray. Then place them on a wire rack to cool down completely.
Video
Nutrition
Andrea says
Loved how soft and chewy these cookies turned out—just the right mix of sweet and nutty.
Ieva Greber says
So glad you liked them 🙂
Liz says
Wow!!! These are wonderful! I never knew the subtle depth of flavor sourdough discard would add to cookies. Genius!
Ieva Greber says
Thank you, Liz! Glad you now have another use for your discard! 🙂
Swathi says
Sourdough peanut butter cookies are yummy. my kids asked me to make it again.
Lathiya says
These cookies were amazing. Chewy, delicious, and perfect texture.