These Sourdough Discard Lemon Sugar Cookies are bright, tender sugar cookies flavored with fresh lemon and finished with a zesty lemon buttercream. They balance sweet and tart beautifully and are a perfect spring treat. The dough is chilled, rolled, and cut into any shape you like, then spread with frosting for a pretty, delicious dessert.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Sourdough Discard Lemon Sugar Cookies are light, lemony, and perfectly balanced. The lemon buttercream brightens each bite.
- These cookies use sourdough discard to add subtle depth; you can also use active starter if preferred.
- Flavor comes from fresh lemon juice and zest, so there’s no need for extract.
- They can be cut into any shape for holidays or celebrations, and the frosting can be colored or decorated with sprinkles to suit the occasion.
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Ingredients
These cookies come together with a handful of simple ingredients—high-quality lemon and properly handled sourdough discard make a big difference.
- Sourdough discard: Use unfed discard at room temperature. This recipe assumes a 1:1 starter feeding ratio; adjust if your starter is different.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest: Use fresh lemons for both the dough and the buttercream for the best bright flavor.
See the full recipe section below for complete ingredient amounts and step-by-step directions.
Substitutions & Variations
This recipe is flexible. A few easy swaps and ideas:
- Active sourdough starter: Replace the discard with 200g active starter and omit the instant yeast. Expect longer rise times.
- Use oranges: Swap orange juice and zest for lemon for a milder citrus cookie.
- Different shapes: Cut the dough with any cookie or biscuit cutters to match the occasion.
- Color and sprinkles: Tinted buttercream and sprinkles make these festive for parties and holidays.
- Cookie bars: If you don’t want to roll and cut, bake this as cookie bars instead.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Lemon Sugar Cookies
Below are the key steps — the full recipe with measurements and timing appears in the recipe card further down.
- Step 1: Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
- Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Step 3: Add the sourdough discard, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla; mix until mostly smooth.
- Step 4: Stir in the dry ingredients until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the dough, press into a disk, and chill at least 2 hours.
- Step 5: Divide the chilled dough and roll one piece at a time to ¼-inch thickness.
- Step 6: Cut shapes with cookie cutters and arrange them on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Step 7: Bake the cookies until the edges are set and bottoms just begin to brown, then cool completely.
- Step 8: Once cooled, prepare the lemon buttercream and spread it on each cookie.
- Step 9: Finish with a sprinkle of lemon zest or colorful sprinkles and serve.
Expert Baking Tips
- Weigh flour and discard when possible. Metric measurements for flour and starter give more consistent results than cup volume.
- Use room-temperature butter. Softened butter creams properly with sugar and yields light cookies and smooth frosting.
- Chill the dough at least 2 hours. Chilling firms the dough, improves flavor, and makes rolling easier. Dough can chill up to 2 days.
- Roll and cut carefully. The first roll yields the most even cookies; re-rolling scraps will produce slightly thicker cookies, which is normal.
- Cool completely before frosting. Warm cookies will cause the buttercream to melt and lose its texture.
Storage
Room Temperature: Store cooled, frosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 5–6 days.
Freezer: Freeze unfrosted or frosted cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw to room temperature before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Yes — metric weights are used for reliable results, especially for flour and sourdough discard where cup measurements can vary widely.
Use room-temperature butter and mix it until light and fluffy before gradually adding confectioner’s sugar. Add room-temperature milk and lemon juice and mix until smooth. If the frosting is too thick, add a little more milk a teaspoon at a time.
More Sourdough Discard Cookie Recipes
-
Sourdough Lofthouse Cookies
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Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies
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Sourdough Discard Lemon Cookie Bars
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Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookie Bars
If you try these Sourdough Discard Lemon Sugar Cookies, please leave a star rating and a comment to let me know how they turned out. Happy baking!
Sourdough Discard Lemon Sugar Cookies
Jessica Vogl
Pin Recipe
Equipment
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Kitchen scale
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Hand-held mixer
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Rolling pin
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Lemon zester
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Biscuit or cookie cutters
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Half-sheet pans and parchment paper
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 14 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard, unfed, at room temperature
- 1 egg
- 3 Tablespoons lemon zest (about 3 lemons)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon milk (dairy or non-dairy), as needed
- Lemon zest, for topping
- Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
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Make the cookies. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Add the sourdough discard, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix until combined.
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Add the dry ingredients and mix until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the dough and press into a disk. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
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Preheat the oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough in two. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece to ¼-inch thickness and cut shapes. Transfer cut cookies to the prepared sheet. Re-roll scraps as needed.
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Bake for 12–14 minutes, until cookies are set and bottoms begin to brown. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
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Make the frosting. Cream the softened butter until light, then gradually add confectioner’s sugar. Add lemon juice and milk and mix until smooth, adjusting milk for consistency.
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Spread the cooled cookies with buttercream, top with lemon zest or sprinkles if desired, and serve.
Video
Notes
To use active starter: Replace the sourdough discard with 200g active starter and omit any added yeast. No other ingredient changes are necessary.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 23 g
Protein: 2 g
Fat: 8 g