Sourdough Cut Out Cookies

Name: Sourdough Cut Out Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 24 min
Total time: 279 min
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter (cold and cubed (2 sticks), about 227 grams); 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar ((about 300 grams)); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ((about 10 grams)); 2 large eggs; 1/2 cup sourdough discard ((about 120 grams)); 4 cups flour (spooned and leveled (about 480 grams)); 1 teaspoon kosher salt ((about 6 grams)); 1- 2 pound bag of powdered sugar ((about 908 grams)); 5 tablespoons meringue powder ((about 53 grams)); 3/4 cup warm water ((about 180 grams)); gel food coloring (colors of your choice)

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These Sourdough Cut Out Cookies are a delightful way to use your discard during the Christmas and holiday season. Soft, flavorful, and perfect for decorating, they make a festive addition to any holiday cookie tray.

Sourdough cut out cookies on a wooden serving board.

For many years, I’ve been making sugar cookies with my children for each season. This is a tradition my kids have always looked forward to. If you use cookie cutters in different shapes, you can use this sourdough sugar cookie recipe for any time of year!

And, as an added bonus, this recipe for simple sourdough sugar cookies also includes a royal icing recipe that dries hard.

For more sourdough cookies, try these Sourdough Thumbprint Cookies, Sourdough Chocolate Cookies, Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies, and Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies.

Frosted sourdough cut out cookies in a metal cookie tray.

Why You’ll Love Sourdough Cut Out Cookies

Soft and flavorful – The sourdough discard adds a subtle tang that enhances the traditional sugar cookie taste.
Perfect for decorating – The dough holds its shape beautifully without spreading, making it ideal for holiday cookie cutters and icing.
Great way to use up discard – These sourdough discard sugar cookies are a great way to use extra discard.

Ingredients

Find the full list of ingredients, amounts, and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Butter: Cold, unsalted butter is key for creating a soft yet sturdy cookie that holds its shape during baking. It also adds rich, classic flavor to the dough. If you don’t have a stand mixer, room temperature butter is easier to cream with a hand mixer.
Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cookies and helps create that tender texture we all love in a traditional sugar cookie.
Sourdough Discard: This recipe uses sourdough starter discard, adding a subtle tang that balances the sweetness and enhances flavor depth. You can also use active starter if that’s what you have on hand—just be sure it’s 100% hydration.
Eggs: Eggs provide structure, richness, and moisture to the dough, helping it come together smoothly and bake up with a soft bite.
All Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour gives the cookies their structure while keeping the texture soft and easy to roll and cut. Be sure to spoon and level your flour for accurate measurement.
Powdered Sugar: Used for the royal icing, powdered sugar creates a smooth, glossy finish perfect for decorating. Its fine texture dissolves easily and sets beautifully once dried.

Equipment

Stand Mixer (optional)
Baking Sheets
Cookie Cutters (use Christmas cookie cutters or your favorite cookie cutters)

How to Make Sourdough Cut Out Cookies

Here are the step-by-step instructions for making cut-out sourdough sugar cookies.

Recipe Tip

This recipe calls for cubed and chilled butter that is creamed with a stand mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer, allow the butter to come to room temperature before using a hand mixer to cream it.

Collage of four photos showing steps 1-4 for how to make sourdough cut out cookies.

Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes), add sugar and continue to mix until combined.

Step 2: Add vanilla extract, eggs, and discard to the bowl and mix until all wet ingredients are incorporated, scrape down the bowl as needed. Add flour and salt and mix on low until you can no longer see any flour and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (Photo 1).

Step 3: Divide sugar cookie dough into two equal pieces (Photo 2) and roll each piece out 1/4 inch thick between two sheets of parchment paper (Photo 3). Place the rolled out dough in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight before cutting out desired shapes. I like to let my dough sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Step 6: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and using cookie cutters, cut out your desired shapes (Photo 5) placing them on the prepared baking sheet (Photo 6). Place the tray in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Recipe Tip

You want to bake your cookies while the cookie dough is cold. I like to cut out all of my shapes and put them in my refrigerator while I preheat my oven. Then as I need the cookies I can get them out of the refrigerator to bake.

Collage of four photos showing steps 5-8 for how to make sourdough cut out cookies.

Step 7: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line an additional cookie sheet with parchment paper and remove cut cookies from the refrigerator and place on your baking sheet about 2 inches apart from each other. Put any cookies you are not baking at that time back in the refrigerator.

Step 8: Bake cookies in your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned and the tops of the cookies are no longer shiny (Photo 7). Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack (Photo 8).

Step 9: Continue baking cookies until all of your dough has been used.

Recipe Tip

Do not put raw cookies on an already warm baking sheet to bake. Make sure your tray is room temperature and not warm from a previous batch.

Stacks of baked sourdough cut out cookies on a baking sheet.

Royal Icing Instructions

Step 10: While your cookies are cooling you can make the royal icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add the 1 pound bag of powdered sugar, meringue powder and water (Photo 4). Mix on low until all of the ingredients are combined and then turn to medium and mix for 3 minutes.

Step 11: Use food coloring gel to color your royal icing. Separate out your desired amount of icing and add 1-2 drops of gel food coloring to color. Use a small spatula or spoon to mix. If you are not ready to use your royal icing right away make sure to place it in an airtight container so that it does not dry out. If your icing is too runny add a little more powdered sugar a teaspoon at a time. If it is too thick, add a little bit of warm water 1/4 teaspoon at a time.

Sourdough cut out cookies being decorated with royal icing.

Step 12: When you are ready to decorate your cookies use piping bags or ziplock bags to put your royal icing in. Cut a small hole in the tip of your bag. Carefully outline your cookie with the royal icing and allow the outline to dry for a couple of minutes. Fill in or “flood” the cookie with the royal icing. You can use a spoon or cut a larger hole in your bag to fill in your cookie with icing. I like to use a toothpick to spread out the icing and pop any air bubbles I might see.

Step 13: Allow decorated sourdough cut out cookies to dry at room temperature for about 6-12 hours. Once icing is completely dry you can stack cookies and package them.

Sourdough cut out cookies on a plate after decorating with royal icing.

How to Store

Baked & Iced cookies- Store finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To freeze, make sure icing is completely dry and store cookies in an airtight freezer safe container for up to 3 months. To thaw, allow cookies to come to room temperature on the counter in the container.

Leftover royal icing can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can store it for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Benefits of Rolling Dough Between Parchment:

Prevents sticking – No need to add extra flour, which can dry out or toughen the dough.
Even thickness – The parchment helps distribute pressure more evenly for consistent cookie thickness.
Easy handling – You can transfer the rolled-out dough directly to the fridge on a baking sheet, keeping the shape intact.
Cleaner process – Less flour, less mess on the counter, and easier cleanup.

This method is especially helpful with sourdough-based cookie doughs, which can be a bit softer or more delicate depending on the hydration of the discard.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use active sourdough starter instead of discard?

Yes, either one will work.

Why does the butter need to be cold and cubed?

Using cold butter can help control spread and improve texture—especially in cookies. In this sourdough cut out cookie recipe, creaming cold butter helps maintain a sturdy dough that holds its shape for cut-outs, while still incorporating air for a tender bite. See next question for what to do if you don’t have a stand mixer.

What if I don’t have a stand mixer?

If you don’t have a stand mixer, allow the butter to come to room temperature and then use a hand mixer to cream butter in step 1 of the recipe.

Do I really need to let my dough chill before baking?

Yes! This is a very important step if you want your cookies to hold their shape and not spread. Although tempting, do not skip this step.