Sourdough Ginger Molasses Cookies (Soft and Chewy)

Soft and chewy on the inside, a tad crispy on the outside, with plenty of warm gingerbread spices and a sugary crackled top… Hellooo yum! Sourdough ginger molasses cookies are everything you’re hoping for, and more. They fit right in around the winter holidays, but are fantastic and welcome any time of year.

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that these sourdough ginger molasses cookies are not only the most delicious cookies I’ve personally made, but perhaps among the best I’ve eaten, ever. I realize that is a bold statement to make, so I guess you’ll have to give the recipe a try and let me know what you think! Even if they don’t end up to be your all-time favorite, I promise you won’t be disappointed. 

Should I use active sourdough starter or discard to make sourdough ginger molasses cookies?

You can use either active sourdough starter or sourdough starter discard for this sourdough ginger molasses cookies recipe. We’ve made them both ways and didn’t notice a huge difference between the two. Either way, use 100% hydration sourdough starter – or one that has been fed equal parts water and flour by weight (or about twice the flour as water by volume).

Tips: When using active sourdough starter (recently fed), add the starter to the recipe once it has reached peak activity (bubbly and fully risen) – just like you would when baking sourdough bread. As for discard, feel free to use discarded starter that hasn’t been fed in the last couple of weeks, but avoid using realllly neglected starter (that has gone 3+ weeks without care).

Need sourdough starter? Learn how to make your own starter from scratch here. Or, pick up an organic sourdough starter from our shop here – an easy and virtually foolproof way to get going! If you’re looking for other ways to use discarded starter, see our list of the 15 Best Sourdough Discard Recipes here.

Are sourdough ginger molasses cookies good for you?

Well, as a cookie with plenty of butter and sugar, I wouldn’t necessarily call them “healthy” per se. (Everything in moderation, right?) Yet this recipe has several added health benefits over other classic cookies!

First of all, molasses is loaded with essential vitamins and minerals that are otherwise missing in refined sugar, including calcium, iron, magnesium, selenium, and vitamin B6. Even more, ginger is rich in antioxidants and nutrients, known for its numerous health benefits. In fact, ginger can help regulate blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol levels, ease upset stomaches and aid in digestion.

Last but not least, any baked good that includes sourdough starter is better for you than its equivalent without starter. Sourdough starter culture, when allowed to ferment the ingredients around it (e.g. flour and sugar) has been proven to reduce the glycemic index and gluten content and in turn increase nutrient bioavailability and digestibility of the resulting baked good. Learn more about that in this article.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger powder
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• ⅛ tsp nutmeg (optional but recommended)
• 1/2 cup granulated white cane sugar (plus extra for rolling the cookie dough balls in later)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark
• 12 Tbsp butter, softened or room temperature (not melted)
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup molasses, unsulphured
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter, 100% hydration, active or discard (see notes above)
• Optional: 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger (or ginger chips) – for an extra ginger kick! 

This recipe makes about 30-32 sourdough ginger molasses cookies.  

INSTRUCTIONS

Mixing the Dough

• First, combine all dry ingredients in a bowl: the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix well.
  
  
• In a separate bowl, mix together the softened butter and both sugars. I like to cut the butter into about 1 Tbsp tabs before adding it to the sugar, which seems to help everything mix more smoothly.
  
  
• Once the sugars and butter are combined, beat in the egg followed by the called-for molasses and vanilla. 
  
  
• Finally, add the sourdough starter to the “wet” bowl. Mix thoroughly.
  
  
• Next, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet bowl, stirring to combine as you go. Fold and stir until everything is just incorporated, but do not over mix.
  
  
• If you’re adding the optional chopped crystallized ginger bits, mix those in now. Tip: After cutting up larger cubes of crystallized ginger, I like to toss the pieces around together on the cutting board so the loose sugar from the “crust” can coat each smaller piece, helping them to not all stick together.
  
  
• Cover and refrigerate the dough to chill for at least 2 hours, or up to a couple days. Use saran wrap, or better yet, a reusable beeswax wrap to prevent the dough from drying out. We typically make our cookie dough one afternoon, let it chill overnight, and then bake the cookies the following day. Remember, the longer that sourdough is allowed to sit and ferment, the healthier it is for you too.
  
  
• You can also freeze the raw cookie dough for up to 3 months, and bake sourdough ginger molasses cookies later!

Baking the Cookies

• Keep the sourdough ginger molasses cookie dough in the refrigerator up until you’re ready to form and bake the cookies.
  
  
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 
  
  
• Add about half a cup of white sugar to a small separate bowl.
  
  
• Pinch and roll the dough into 1-inch balls, and then roll the balls in sugar until they’re lightly but evenly coated. 
  
  
• Place the cookie dough balls in your baking sheet, spaced at least 3” apart (or 12 cookies per sheet). 
  
  
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies start to spread and the tops start to crack. Note that they’ll continue to flatten and crackle as they cool too. Bake for a shorter time (9-10 minutes) if you didn’t add crystalized ginger and/or prefer an extra gooey cookie, and slightly longer (11-12 minutes) if you did add crystallized ginger and/or for a more set cookie – though still plenty soft!
  
  
• Remove from the oven, but allow the cookies to stay and rest on the hot baking sheet for 4 or 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack thereafter. 
  
  
• Enjoy your chewy sourdough ginger molasses cookies fresh within 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Store the cookies in a sealed container.
  

Oh my ginger goodness gracious.

I hope you love these sourdough ginger molasses cookies just as much as we do. Please stop back by for a review after you try them! Also please share or pin this article to help spread the sourdough love. We appreciate you tuning in today. Happy baking!

Don’t miss our other delicious sourdough recipes:

• Sourdough Starter Feeding & Maintenance Guide
• Sourdough Pancakes recipe (discard or active starter)
• Cinnamon Spiced Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Basic No-Knead Sourdough Bread Recipe
• Simple Sourdough Focaccia Recipe
• Healthy Sourdough Spiced Pumpkin Bread (or muffins)
• Delicious Sourdough Zucchini Bread (or muffins) with optional nuts, seeds, chocolate or dried fruit
• Herb and Whole Wheat Sourdough Crackers
• Sourdough Cornbread