Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Cookies

If you’re looking for a way to use up your sourdough discard, these peanut butter cookies are the perfect way to do so! Simple to make (you only need one bowl!) and absolutely delicious, this may be your favorite go-to peanut butter cookie recipe!

This recipe is about as straightforward as it comes. No special equipment is needed. No chill time for the dough. The family raved over these cookies. I think you’ll love them too!

Peanut butter cookies have always been a favorite of mine. Especially the peanut butter blossoms with the kiss in the middle. Gah! Perfection!

So, I knew I had to create my own peanut butter cookie recipe with sourdough. It’s not as simple as just throwing discard into a regular cookie recipe and calling it a day.

Adding discard also adds liquid, so the key is to remove excess liquid from the recipe. I did a few tests on this recipe, including only adding the egg yolk (didn’t love it to be honest) and browning the butter (did love it! though this recipe does not call for browning butter).

Ultimately, I found that keeping the recipe to one egg and upping the amount of flour did wonders.

If you try this recipe, please let me know what you thought of it! Reviews or comments are so helpful and are much appreciated!

And if you’re looking for more sourdough discard recipes, check out these banana chocolate chip muffins, sourdough discard lemon poppyseed cupcakes, and sourdough discard brownies.

Ingredients

• granulated sugar – I use half granulated sugar and half brown sugar in this recipe.
• brown sugar
• butter – salted butter is all I keep in the kitchen, so salted butter is all I use for baking! If you only have unsalted, simply add 1/2 teaspoon extra salt to the recipe.
• peanut butter – I used a natural creamy peanut butter in this recipe and it turned out lovely each time. You can also use chunky peanut butter if you wish.
• sourdough discard – active or inactive sourdough discard works in this recipe. Active sourdough will just add more of a tangy classic sourdough flavor.
• egg – only one egg is needed for this recipe!
• vanilla extract
• milk – any milk you prefer will work here. I used whole milk.
• all-purpose flour
• baking soda
• salt

Steps to Make The Best Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Cookies

Step One: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Cream together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and softened butter with an electric mixer on medium speed.

Step Two: Add the peanut butter, sourdough discard, egg, vanilla extract, and milk, as you continue to mix on medium.

Step Three: Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl of wet ingredients. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated.

Step Four: Scoop 2-teaspoon sized balls of dough on the parchment paper. Make a criss-cross mark with a fork now, if you’d like to add it. Bake for about 10 minutes. This recipe makes 18 cookies.

Check Out These Sourdough Discard Recipes

• Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls
• Sourdough Discard Brown Butter Maple Cookies
• Sourdough Discard Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Sourdough Discard Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes
• Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Cookies

Helpful Hints

• brown the butter – If you’re looking to take things up a notch, might I suggest browning your butter beforehand? Brown the butter on the stove, allow it to cool for about 10 minutes, then add it to the sugars. Browning the butter removes excess liquid and also adds a sweet, caramel flavor to these cookies.
• let the dough ferment – If you want to add a tangy flavor to these cookies, you can add active sourdough discard to the dough and then chill the dough overnight in the fridge. This will add a more sourdough-like flavor to these peanut butter cookies.
• add mix-ins – chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or white chocolate chips would be great additions to these cookies. Caramel bits would also be a great choice!