Sourdough Discard Iced Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

These iced sourdough oatmeal cookies are the absolute best, chewy cookies made with either active sourdough starter or discard.

Old-fashioned, iced oatmeal cookies just got an upgrade with a sourdough starter!  I believe sweet treats should be sweet, not sour, and prefer soft cookies over cakey ones.  For this reason, I’m very careful in writing my sourdough discard recipes to maintain the sweetness that everyone loves.  These cookies are the perfect sweet treat and the recipe uses 3/4 cup of sourdough starter!

This is the perfect Christmas cookie, especially with the addition of cinnamon chips – but they’re great as sourdough oatmeal raisin cookies as well.  They’ve earned a permanent spot in my Christmas cookie lineup and are husband and children approved.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• These sourdough discard oatmeal cookies are soft, sweet, and chewy – not sour, dry, or cakey…the perfect cookie!  The sourdough does add some depth and tang, but you don’t sacrifice any of the classic cookie qualities.
• This recipe can be modified to add raisins, chocolate chips, coconut, or any add-in you can think of.  
• You can use either active starter or discard.  This cookie dough is not long-fermented at room temperature, but rather cold-proofed.  So it doesn’t matter if the starter is active or not.

Spend the day with me trying out new cookie recipes before Christmas (including this one!) and decorating our farmhouse.

What You’ll Need

COOKIE DOUGH INGREDIENTS

2 cups (160 grams) old-fashioned oats, roughly chopped

1.5 cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder

1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda

2 teaspoons (4 grams) cinnamon

1 cup (225 grams) unsalted butter, browned

1 cup (220 grams) dark brown sugar

1/2 cup (100 grams) white sugar

2 egg yolk (about 34 grams each)

3/4 cup (180 grams) sourdough starter

1 teaspoon (5 grams) vanilla

1 cup (170 grams) cinnamon chips

ICING INGREDIENTS

2 cups (400 grams) powdered sugar

2 tablespoons (30 grams) milk

TOOLS

Medium Bowl or Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment

Food Processor or Blender

Cookie Sheet

Parchment Paper

Wooden Spoon or Cookie Scoop

Wire Rack

(optional if you prefer weighing ingredients) Kitchen Scale

(optional if using a bowl) hand mixer

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make the Cookie Dough

Brown the butter by simmering on low until brown flecks appear.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Pulse the old-fashioned oats a few times in a food processor or blender until roughly chopped.  Do not overpulse into oat flour, this will ruin the texture of the cookies.

In a small bowl, whisk together roughly chopped oats, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl with a hand mixer on medium speed or in the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the browned butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.  Add in the egg yolks, sourdough starter, and vanilla, and mix well.  

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated, do not over-mix or the cookies will be tough.  Add the cinnamon chips and stir into the dough.

Bake the Cookies

Use a cookie scoop or spoon the dough onto a parchment paper prepared baking sheet and use the back of a spoon to flatten the dough to 1/4” thick circles, or roll the dough into balls and flatten it before baking.

Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Set the cookies on a wire cooling rack to cool completely before icing.

Prepare the icing

In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar and milk to make a thick icing that runs off of the whisk in ribbons.

Quickly dip each cooled cookie into the icing face down and use a fork to lift it if necessary to prevent breaking.  

Place the cookies back on the wire rack with parchment paper underneath to catch drippings.  Allow the icing to set and dry for 15 minutes.

FAQ

• Do I have to use sourdough discard or can I use active sourdough starter in sourdough oatmeal cookies?
  • You can use either.  These cookies do not need to be fermented because they include baking powder and baking soda which will do the leavening.  You can ferment the dough in the fridge overnight or for a few days if you want sourdough flavor.
• Do I have to brown the butter to make sourdough cookies?
  • Yes. If you want chewy, soft cookies.  If you don’t mind a cake-like consistency, you can skip browning the butter.  Browned butter will not only result in a better texture but also a better flavor.
• Can I use bread flour to make oatmeal cookies?
  • Yes. You can use bread flour to make sourdough chocolate chip cookies.  But it will change the texture since bread flour is higher in protein.  The final product will be dense rather than soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies.  If you don’t mind the difference in texture, go for it!
• Can I use instant oats to make oatmeal cookies?
  • Yes.  You can use instant or quick oats to make oatmeal cookies but you should still pulse them.  The texture may be a little different.
• Can I make sourdough oatmeal cookie dough in advance?
  • Yes.  You can make this cookie dough in advance.  Store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days before baking.
• Can I freeze sourdough oatmeal cookie dough?
  • Yes, you can freeze this cookie dough.  Roll into a log for easy cutting and baking, then wrap with plastic wrap and store for up to 3 months.  Or, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
• Can I freeze Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies?
  • Yes, you can freeze these cookies.  Allow the cookies to cool completely after baking.  Do not ice the cookies.  Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.  Thaw at room temperature and ice the cookies before serving.

Tips

• Do NOT over-pulse the oats.  The oats should NOT be powdery like oat flour.  This will make the cookies dry and prevent them from flattening.  Less is more, the oats should just be roughly chopped so a few pulses in the blender or food processor will do.
• Let the dough cold-proof in the fridge overnight or for a few days to develop some of that rich, sourdough flavor without losing sweetness.
• Get creative with add-ins.  This recipe can be made with raisins, chopped nuts, and various spices such as nutmeg or allspice.  I’m personally a fan of the cinnamon and cinnamon chip combo, but there are many possibilities!
• Flatten the dough on the baking sheet before baking.  Don’t just drop the dough on the baking sheet and bake.  Either drop the dough and use the back of your spoon to flatten it to 1/4” thick before baking, or roll the dough and flatten it.  This gives you a flat surface to dip the cookies when it’s time to ice them.
• Allow the cookies to cool completely before icing them and use a fork to lift them out of the icing to prevent them from breaking.

Storage

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, in the fridge for one week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.  If you will be freezing the cookies, don’t ice them until you’re ready to serve them.

More Sourdough Cookie Recipes

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sourdough Lemon Drop Cookies

Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Cookies (coming soon!)

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