Sourdough Christmas Cookies are the perfect addition to any holiday gathering. Whether you love a classic gingerbread or a decorated sugar cookie, there is a sourdough version that you will love.
There’s nothing quite like Christmas time. I love all the lights and decorations. But my favorite part? All the goodies I get to bake with family and friends!
One of the best parts about the holidays is getting to enjoy cookies that you don’t typically have throughout the rest of the year. While traditional cookies recipes are great, you can’t beat the added flavor (and health benefits, if you long ferment your dough) of sourdough cookies!
So, grab your favorite cookie cutters and your trusted apron. It’s time to get baking!
Why You’ll Love These Recipes
A great way to use extra sourdough discard – All of these Christmas cookies utilize sourdough discard. Many of them have versions if you prefer to long ferment your dough. Regardless, I am convinced that sourdough makes every cookie better. The flavor and texture of a sourdough cookie just can’t be beat.
Something special for the holiday season – While you could stick with simple sourdough chocolate chip cookies to enjoy around Christmas, the recipes below make the time of year extra special. This is especially true if you only make them once a year.
Makes a perfect gift for friends – Whether you want to give your neighbors something sweet or you have a few holiday parties to go to, a cookie tray is always a crowd pleaser!
Key Ingredients for Sourdough Christmas Cookies
Vanilla extract – Vanilla is what gives so many baked goods flavor. If you plan to do a lot of baking during the holiday season, I would get a large container of vanilla. Better yet, prep a few months ahead by making homemade vanilla extract.
All purpose flour – I find that all purpose flour is the best option overall for most cookies. If you are interested in trying out some ancient grains in your cookies, check out my einkorn chocolate chip cookies.
Sourdough starter discard – You can also use active starter, but for these recipes, you can pull your starter right out of the fridge. New to sourdough? Learn how to make a sourdough starter here.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts for each recipe can be found at the links below.
Tools You May Need
Cookie sheet – I like to line my baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper for an easy clean up.
Cooling Rack
Stand Mixer – If you don’t want to invest in a stand mixer, a hand mixer works great, too.
Sourdough Cookie Recipes for Christmas
Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies
Sourdough Sugar Cookie Recipe
Discard Sourdough Shortbread Cookies
Sourdough Thumbprint Cookies
Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies
Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies
Tips
- Some of these recipes include chilling the dough in the refrigerator before rolling out. Don’t skip this step! This will make your dough easier to roll out. Plus, it helps to keep your cookies from spreading out too much during baking.
- Be careful to never over mix the dough. This can cause texture issues with your cookie.
- Want to long ferment your cookie dough? Follow the instructions included in each cookie recipe. Just note that long fermentation typically requires time in the fridge. So if you plan to long ferment your dough, make these plenty ahead of the time when you need will them.
Recipe FAQs
If you long ferment your dough, the fermented grains in the discard and dough will be more easily digested. Fermentation also adds flavor. Even if you do not long ferment your dough, there is still the added flavor from the discard.
Many of these cookie recipes freeze well. If you plan to freeze them in a freezer safe bag, I suggest flash freezing them on a cookie sheet first. Then you can take the frozen cookies and add to the bag. You can also freeze the cookies in an airtight container.
This is a personal preference. Most cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. So if you know you are going to have a busy holiday season, that’s a great reason to prep these ahead.
If you try these recipes and love them, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Thank you for always making your items easy to print and everything so organized. I love your cookbook too!