Extra Chewy Ginger Molasses Sourdough Cookies

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Some recipes start with a moment. And this one began with me writing a holiday gift guide and suddenly craving a sourdough ginger molasses cookie that was unapologetically chewy – the kind that bends before it breaks, and is full of personality – just like my reader favorite, Chewy Gooey Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I knew I wanted ginger to be the star: bright, warm, and a little spicy. But during those first rounds of testing, molasses had other ideas. The chewiness was great, but I could barely taste the ginger and cinnamon, so I knew I needed to dial it back. I had also rolled them in sugar, but found them a little too sweet and crunchy.

I went back to testing and played with different ratios of discard, flour, and molasses to keep the cookies super chewy. Then I brought in both fresh AND ground ginger to give the cookies the depth and punch they were missing. One final touch – flaky salt on top – and suddenly the balance clicked —chewy, bold, cozy, and properly ginger-forward. Yum! I dipped one in my morning coffee and promptly turned on holiday music. 😊

The sourdough discard quietly does a lot of heavy lifting, making the cookie taste richer (because of its acidity) and more interesting without ever stealing the spotlight from the ginger. It doesn’t make them taste “sour” (I promise), but it does add this subtle depth that you can’t quite put your finger on… in the best way.

And what I really love about using sourdough discard in cookie recipes is that it gives the dough a softer, almost plush texture that bakes into that extra-chewy gooey center. That’s what people love about my rich and nutty White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Sourdough Cookies, too.

One simple trick gives these cookies the prettiest ripples and chewiest centers

Years ago I learned the viral pan-banging cookie technique from Sarah Kieffer, an exceptional baker and cookbook author. Pan-banging simply means that 10 minutes into baking, you lift the corner of the cookie sheet up about 4 inches and drop it onto the rack, making wrinkly, rippled edges on the cookies as the puffiness from the baking powder/soda is disrupted and the middles deflate. You bang them one more time on the counter when you take them out of the oven, resulting in buttery, rippled edges and chewy, gooey centers. I use this same method in my rich and chewy Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies.

My rule of thumb for keeping sourdough discard

I keep my discard in a closed jar in the refrigerator and add to it for up to 10 days. (Longer than that and it will get pretty sour, and isn’t great for baking with.) I love having it on hand so I can make things that don’t take a full day of prep, like sourdough bread – instead I can quickly whip up a batch of flaky sourdough discard biscuits and our weekend staple; quick and fluffy sourdough pancakes that are better than the diner. 

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Chewiest Sourdough Ginger Molasses Cookies

These extra chewy ginger molasses cookies are made with sourdough discard and both fresh and ground ginger for incredible flavor. The edges are crisp and their middles are dense and chewy, with beautiful crackles on the surface. A little flaky salt brings out all the warm, spiced notes.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time :15 minutes minutes

Cook Time :13 minutes minutes

Fridge Time :30 minutes minutes

Yield: 18 cookies

Author: Amanda Paa

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Equipment

• Half Sheet Pan

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 140 grams light brown sugar
• 140 grams granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 80 grams unsulphured molasses
• 80 grams sourdough discard, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon minced, fresh ginger
• 300 grams all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• flaky maldon salt, for topping

Instructions 

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl. Add the brown and granulated sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl.
• Then add egg, molasses, sourdough discard, vanilla, fresh ginger. Mix on low speed until mostly combined.
• Grab a bowl and add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir, then add to the bowl that’s on the stand mixer. Mix on medium speed until mostly combined, a few flour streaks are okay. Remove bowl and use spatula to clean the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
• Cover and refrigerate dough for 45 minutes (up to overnight – the longer you refrigerate, the more flavor they will have). When the 45 minutes is up, keep the dough in the fridge and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• When oven is preheated, line sheet pan with parchment paper and scoop dough into 55 gram balls; place 8 of them onto baking sheet. Press a little flaky salt into the top of each dough ball.
• Turn oven down to 375 degrees F and bake cookies for 10 minutes, open oven and pick edge of baking sheet up and drop onto rack. Shut oven door and bake for another 3ish minutes until edges are just golden and center looks melty and slightly underbaked. Remove pan from oven and bang pan on the counter. Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, as they will continue to bake on the sheet. Then move cookies to a cooling rack.