Half Pint Mama

There’s something so comforting about finding new ways to use up sourdough discard and this batch of soft, spiced pumpkin cookies do just that. These are everything I love about fall baking. Super cozy, fragrant, and just a little tangy from the sourdough.

These spiced cookies are perfectly soft, with a little chewiness that my toddlers couldn’t stop asking for (and honestly, neither could I). These do not last long in my house.

If you’ve never baked cookies with sourdough discard before, this is a great place to start. The discard doesn’t make the cookies sour, it just adds a depth of flavor and helps keep them tender. If you plan ahead, I highly recommend a longer fermentation on these cookies. If you’ve ever made sourdough cookies and you feel like they are too “bread” like, longer fermentation will be your friend. However, if you don’t have the time these still work out great with only an hour in the fridge to firm up.

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Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Cream the butter and sugars

Start by adding ½ cup of softened (room temp) unsalted butter, ⅔ cup brown sugar, and ¼ cup granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat until the mixture is light, creamy, and slightly fluffy. This will take about 2 to 3 minutes.
This step is key for getting soft, tender cookies. Properly creamed butter traps little pockets of air that give your cookies lift and a beautiful texture.

Step 2: Add the wet ingredients

Next, mix in ¼ cup pumpkin purée and ½ cup sourdough discard (unfed discard, straight from the fridge works too). *Pro tip is to put your pumpkin purée in a paper towel first and squeeze out some of the liquid before adding it to your batter.
Mix until smooth and fully combined. The discard may loosen the dough slightly, don’t worry, it will firm back up once chilled.

Step 3: Combine the dry ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together:

• 1¼ cups (165 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp fine salt

These spices are what make your kitchen smell like pure fall happiness.

Step 4: Bring the dough together

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined. Avoid over-mixing, you don’t want tough cookies!
The dough will be soft and slightly sticky, which is exactly what we want.

Step 5: Chill the dough

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight for deeper flavor). My favorite bakers timing on these cookies is to prepare everything in the morning and let them ferment in the fridge throughout the day. Then bake them that night after dinner. If you plan ahead, I highly recommend a longer fermentation on these cookies. If you’ve ever made sourdough cookies and you feel like they are too “bread” like, longer fermentation will be your friend. However, if you don’t have the time these still work out great with only an hour in the fridge to firm up. Chilling helps the butter firm up, the flavors meld together, and the cookies bake thicker without spreading too much.

Step 6: Bake

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silicone Sheet. I also love using our Caraway Stainless Steel Baking Sheet because I don’t have to put anything else down and it’s already nonstick. This is the larger one that I used for these cookies. In a separate bowl make your cinnamon sugar coating by combining 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. Whisk all together.

Scoop the dough into about 3 tablespoon sized balls, and roll into your sugar coating mixture. Space them a couple inches apart on your cookie sheet. I use this 3 tbsp cookie scoop, now keep in mind that these make pretty big cookies. Feel free to use a smaller cookie scoop, just adjust your cooking time. I will then flatten out the cookies just a little with my fingers.

Bake for about 15 minutes, just until the edges are set and golden brown. The centers may look a little soft and slightly underdone, that’s okay because they will finish setting as they cool.

Step 7: Cool and enjoy

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. The texture settles into this perfect balance of soft, chewy centers with lightly crisp edges.

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Quick Reference Recipe

Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups (165 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda (3 g)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon (2 g)
• ¼ tsp ground ginger (1 g)
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg (1 g)
• ¼ tsp fine salt (1 g)
• ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ⅔ cup (133 g) packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (60 g) pumpkin purée
• ½ cup (100 g) sourdough discard (unfed)

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar (66g)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (2g)
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger (1g)

Instructions

1. Cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in pumpkin purée and sourdough discard until smooth.
3. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
4. Stir dry mixture into wet until just combined.
5. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour or overnight for best results.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Scoop dough (about 3 tbsp each) and roll into cinnamon sugar coating. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and press slightly with fingers.
7. Bake 15 minutes, until edges are set/browned and centers soft.
8. Cool 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a rack.