Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Spice Cookies [with a maple glaze]

For all the pumpkin lovers out there, these sourdough discard pumpkin spice cookies are going to be your new favorites!

With a soft texture, these sourdough pumpkin cookies will warm your heart with their gentle fall spice and sweet maple glaze. Perfect to gift and share, or enjoy in those special moments with your favorite hot drink.

If you love sourdough and pumpkin, then why not try some of these sourdough fall recipes including easy sourdough pumpkin bread, sourdough discard pumpkin spice quick bread and sourdough pumpkin waffles.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

Fermented Cookie Dough - this sourdough pumpkin cookie recipe allows you to ferment the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days giving you lots of sourdough benefits.

Pumpkin Flavor - if you love all things pumpkin, you're going to love the flavor of these sourdough pumpkin cookies, paired with delicious fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.

Delicate Texture - these cookies have a soft, delicate texture, rather than a typical crunchy or chewy cookie texture. They kind of remind me of Pfeffernusse that we eat at Christmas time (but a more pumpkin flavored version!).

What is Sourdough Starter Discard?

Sourdough discard is the portion of unfed starter that you remove from your sourdough starter before you feed it. You can use sourdough discard in many sourdough discard recipes, so long as your sourdough starter is at least 7 days old. You can read more about sourdough discard here.

The practice of discarding sourdough is essential to create a thriving sourdough starter, with a happy colony of wild yeast.

The good news is that you can make these sourdough pumpkin cookies using either sourdough discard or active sourdough starter - it won't make a difference to the sourdough cookies because they use baking powder and baking soda as their leavening agents.

Fermentation of Sourdough Pumpkin Cookies

These sourdough discard pumpkin spice cookies work best when you ferment the dough in the fridge for at least a few hours.

I find they work best when you chill the dough down at least 2 hours, but the dough will be fine in the fridge for up to 2 days.

The longer ferment time for these cookies will allow them to provide some of the health benefits of sourdough, much like these chewy sourdough chocolate chip cookies and these sourdough gingerbread cookies.

How To Make Sourdough Pumpkin Cookies

I have tried to keep this recipe as simple as possible. Through creating and testing this recipe, I tried using a stand mixer and electric hand beaters, but found that it made no real difference to the end product and so I've written the instructions using just a fork to whisk the ingredients together.

This means that it is a simple recipe to make and creates much less washing up (hands up if you hate washing the paddle attachments and beaters ... or is it just me?).

Using a fork or whisk to make this recipe means it's also an easy one to include the kids in - teaching kids about sourdough is so rewarding and a great way to encourage their curious minds.

Of course, you can use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer if you prefer, but the recipe works perfectly well with just a fork or a whisk too. Even a wooden spoon is fine if you prefer.

I have used a digital kitchen scale to weigh all of the ingredients. It's so easy to place a large mixing bowl on top of the scale and weigh everything into the bowl - so much less washing up than using measuring cups!

Let's Make Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Spice Cookies!

In a large bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, brown sugar and egg.

Now add your sourdough starter, pumpkin puree and vanilla to the butter mixture and whisk through until really well combined. The batter should be light and fluffy.

On top of this, add the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Mix well to combine and form a cookie dough.

This soft dough might feel a bit loose or wet and that's ok. Pop the dough into the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours to firm up.

You can leave the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Once the dough has firmed up, preheat your oven to 190C (375F) and line 2 cookie trays with parchment paper.

Using a cookie scoop (or small ice cream scoop), form balls of dough (I've made mine 25g) and place onto the prepared baking sheets around 2" apart. These cookies don't spread too much, particularly because the dough is cold.

Bake in the oven at 190C (375F) for around 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. The cookies will still be soft when you remove them from the oven.

Allow baked cookies to cool on the tray for around 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to firm up further.

Making the Maple Glaze (Optional)

Add powdered sugar, maple syrup, softened butter, vanilla extract and cinnamon to a small bowl and whisk together using a fork until a glaze is formed. You may need to add additional maple syrup if the glaze is too thick (you want it runny, but not too runny so you can still pipe it).

Add to a piping bag and drizzle over the sourdough pumpkin spice cookies. Allow to set before serving.

Ingredient Notes

Butter - I have used salted butter in this recipe, for both the cookies and the glaze, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer. I leave my butter out at room temperature to soften.

Pumpkin Puree - this recipe uses pumpkin puree, not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling. I have used homemade pumpkin purée made with fresh pumpkin, but you can use canned puree with no problems.

Spices - you can use a teaspoon or two of pumpkin pie spice if you prefer, rather than the separate spices listed in the ingredients list.

How To Store + Freeze

These sourdough pumpkin cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. I find they store best in a tin or glass jar rather than plastic (I find plastic makes them taste stale after just a few days).

They freeze really well. I prefer to freeze them un iced and then add the icing once they have defrosted.

You can also freeze the balls of cookie dough and bake them when you need them.

Want More Cookie Recipes?

If you're a cookie monster, then check out this collection of sourdough cookie recipes including these chewy sourdough chocolate chip cookies, sourdough cowboy cookies and sourdough sugar cookies!