Put your starter to work on something sweet with these soft, warmly spiced gingerbread cookies from The Pantry Mama’s Kate Freebairn.

If your sourdough starter usually spends December waiting patiently while the sugar cookies, fudge, and gingerbread get all the attention, consider this its Christmas invitation.

Sourdough gingerbread cookies bring together two things we already love: the warm spices and unmistakable molasses flavor of an old-fashioned Christmas cookie and the subtle tang of sourdough. Better still, they make delicious use of sourdough discard, so there’s no need to feed your starter or wait for it to become bubbly and active before you start baking.

Wait—What Is Sourdough Discard?
Sourdough discard is simply the portion of a sourdough starter that’s removed before the starter is fed with fresh flour and water. If you keep a starter, you probably already have discard to spare. If you don’t, ask a sourdough-baking friend to share some starter with you (trust us, they’ll probably be delighted), or purchase a starter and begin maintaining your own.

The recipe comes from sourdough expert Kate Freebairn, founder of The Pantry Mama and author of Easy Sourdough on Any Schedule. Freebairn has built her following by taking some of the intimidation out of sourdough baking, and these cookies are a particularly festive example.

The dough can be cut into classic gingerbread men, Christmas trees, stars, or whatever happens to be hiding in your cookie-cutter drawer. Once baked and cooled, decorate them as simply—or elaborately—as you like. A little white icing is all they need to look ready for Christmas, but we certainly won’t object to sprinkles.

They’re also made for sharing. Slip a few into a cellophane bag tied with ribbon, tuck them into a cookie tin, or add them to a plate of treats for a neighbor. And because sourdough discard gives you one more very good reason to bake cookies at Christmas, we’re counting that as a win.

A Note on Measurements

You may notice that this recipe uses grams rather than the cups and tablespoons most American home bakers are accustomed to. That’s intentional! Freebairn believes weighing ingredients is the most accurate way to bake, particularly when working with sourdough. For best results, she recommends using a digital kitchen scale (here’s one we found on Amazon) rather than converting the measurements to cups.

Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies

Makes about 40 cookies

Ingredients

120 g butter, softened
250 g dark brown sugar
1 egg
45 g molasses
120 g sourdough starter (or sourdough discard)
5 g vanilla extract or vanilla paste
400 g all-purpose flour
10 g baking soda
5 g salt
3 g ground cinnamon
9 g ground ginger*
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. ground cardamom
½ tsp. ground nutmeg

Royal Icing

3 egg whites
5 g vanilla extract or vanilla paste
430 g powdered sugar

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the butter, brown sugar, egg, molasses, sourdough starter or discard, and vanilla. Mix until thick, creamy, and glossy. You may also mix the dough by hand.
2. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, cardamom, and nutmeg. Using the dough hook attachment on low speed, mix until a dough forms. If mixing by hand, continue working the sticky dough until it comes together and can be formed into a ball without sticking to your hands.
3. Turn the dough out onto the counter and divide it in half. Form each half into a disc and wrap separately in parchment paper. Stack the two discs, wrap them together in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. When ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for a few minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 330°F.
6. Roll the dough to approximately ¼-inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your preferred texture. The cookies will still be soft when they come out of the oven and will firm as they cool. For softer cookies, bake for about 12 minutes; for crisper cookies, bake for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

To Make the Royal Icing

1. Place the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and continue whisking until the sugar is incorporated and the icing reaches a smooth consistency.
3. Transfer the icing to a piping bag and decorate the cooled gingerbread cookies as desired. Allow the icing to harden completely before packaging the cookies.

*For a milder ginger flavor, Freebairn suggests reducing the ginger to 6 g.

Recipe by Kate Freebairn, The Pantry Mama. Adapted for U.S. measurements by Pretty.

Looking for another homemade gift from Kate? In the Christmas issue of Pretty, she shows us how to turn a homemade sourdough loaf into a beautiful holiday present, complete with make-ahead tips, pretty wrapping ideas and whipped cranberry-orange butter. Read “The Gift of Sourdough” here.

Want a clever gift for a sourdough enthusiast? We love these tees available at Kate’s website.

Recipe and photos courtesy of Kate Freebairn, The Pantry Mama.