Learn how to make these delicious frosted soft cranberry orange holiday cookies with sourdough discard!

In this post, I’ll cover some basics about sourdough discard, tips and techniques, and how to make these for the holiday season or other festive occasion. These are packed with orange flavor, a subtle hint of spice, chewy cranberries, a sourdough twist, and a soft cookie texture for an incredible flavor combo.

These cakey cookies were inspired by watching the winning cookies in Magnolia Network show, “Silos Baking Competition: Holiday Edition” last year. I had to improvise the recipe since the winner’s didn’t include sourdough discard and I could only imagine how they tasted.

I hope you’re planning to share these because they are addictive!

What is Sourdough Starter Discard?

Sourdough starter discard is the stage of sourdough starter after the starter has been refreshed (process of discarding and feeding) and was an active starter for several hours. Once the wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria have digested all the “food” in the starter: the simple carbohydrates from the flour, the gluten connections that hold in those lovely bubbles of carbon dioxide grow weak so the starter collapses lower and lower with every hour. And some microorganisms grow weaker and some die in this process as the food runs out.

This leaves a flat sourdough starter with little to no bubbles, a stronger sour smell, and microorganisms in desperate need of care. Appetizing I know! 😉

At this stage, the yeast is not in a stage where it can do a good job rising bread unless a specialized bread recipe is used like my No Knead Sourdough recipe. So a small portion, about a tablespoon, is put into a fresh jar and fed to revitalize the starter to make it become active again. The rest of the sourdough starter is known as discard because it’s what can be tossed or set aside since the small portion we carried over will continue the life of our sourdough starter.

Note: Another way to get rid of the bulk of sourdough discard is to pour out about 90% of the old sourdough into a collection jar (I usually have one or two in my fridge) then feed the small portion left in the jar. There’s room in sourdough baking for a wide variety of methods as long as you have down the basic principles of refreshing your sourdough starter: discarding and feeding. To learn more about this, check out my post What is a Sourdough Starter?

Check out this other post and video on What is sourdough discard?

Why use Sourdough Starter Discard?

Even though my description above wasn’t exactly appetizing, I hope you learned more about this ingredient.

You can absolutely just discard the old sourdough starter, but you can also use it in a variety of sourdough recipes to create more flavor and texture. Another benefit of using sourdough starter discard in sourdough recipes is that when used properly, it can make the recipe more digestible.

Since sourdough starter discard doesn’t have the rising power of active sourdough starter, it is commonly used in crackers, cookies, scones, pancakes, and other versions of quick breads when other leavening agents like baking soda, baking powder, eggs, or a combination are used.

In order to get the most out of sourdough starter discard in sourdough recipes, the dough needs time to ferment for a few hours to develop more flavor, texture, and become more digestible. For the timing, I recommend at least two hours at room temperature up to 6 hours or in the fridge for 12 to 48 hours.

In this recipe, I recommend letting the dough sit for 30 mins at room temperature (for extra flavor and fermentation, cover and put into fridge for 2-18 hrs).

Check out these other posts with videos:

More Festive Sourdough Discard Recipes:

How to make Soft Cranberry Orange Holiday Cookies with Sourdough Discard

As long as you have a head start by having your ingredients on hand, especially the star of the show, sourdough starter discard, you’re ready to make these delicious cakey cookies in the following stages.

Making the dough for Soft Cranberry Orange Holiday Cookies

First, to make the dough combine the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, salt, and baking soda) in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the unsalted butter and sugar for the base of the wet ingredients. Then, add the fresh orange zest and vanilla extract.

After those are combined into the creamed butter and sugar mixture, mix in the eggs.

Slowly stir in the dry ingredients but don’t completely combine.

Next, come the exciting additions! Add in the sourdough starter discard, Greek yogurt, and honey. Then stir with a large spoon or a paddle attachment if you’re using a stand mixer until the dough is completely combined, scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Stir in the chopped dried cranberries.

Dough rest for Soft Cranberry Orange Holiday Cookies

Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container to rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature up to 6 hours or put the dough into the fridge for 2-18 hours.

For this step, I like to put my dough into an airtight container. I use a 4-qt. Cambro container and lid set.

This rest allows the cookie dough to ferment for more flavor and digestibility for best results.

Prepare to bake Soft Cranberry Orange Holiday Cookies

After your dough has rested, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a full or rounded 1/4 cup scoop to portion the cookie dough onto the cookie sheets. 6 cookies will fit on one cookie sheet since they are large cookies to make a dozen altogether.

This 1/4-cup Stainless Steel Cookie Scoop is what we use for making extra large cookies like these.

Baking Soft Cranberry Orange Holiday Cookies

Bake the cookies one baking sheet at a time for 14-16 minutes (your dough might take longer to bake thoroughly if it is chilled). Bake until the cookies are golden brown around the edges.

Let the cookies sit for 5-10 minutes to firm up then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely for frosting.

Repeat with the other baking sheet of cranberry orange cookies.

Making the frosting for Soft Cranberry Orange Holiday Cookies

Use a hand mixer or a whisk attachment to beat the unsalted butter until creamy then beat in the powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar).

Then, beat in the orange juice and orange zest to create a sweet creamy frosting.

Making the holiday spice mix for Soft Cranberry Orange Holiday Cookies

Combine the ground spices of cardamom, clove, allspice, and cinnamon in a small bowl. The fresher the spices, the better.

My recipe has the ratios I used, but there’s room for some adjustments. If you’d like to add more of one spice or omit one, that is up to you.

The idea here is to create a flavor and aroma that reminds you of the holidays.

Finishing the Soft Cranberry Orange Holiday Cookies

Once the cookies are cooled, spread a thick layer of the orange flavor frosting on each cookie–about 2 teaspoons of frosting per cookie.

Sprinkle on a dusting of your holiday spice mix.

Serve immediately or let the cookies sit for 30-60 minutes for the frosting to set more before putting the cookies away in an airtight container, separating the layers of cakey cookies with parchment paper.

8 Tips and Reminders for Soft Cranberry Orange Holiday Cookies

Have some stored sourdough starter discard set aside in the fridge for making these sweet cranberry orange cookies.
For the best orange zest, use an organic orange since ones that are not organic may potentially have pesticide residue on the peel.
To have enough orange zest and orange juice, you need a large orange but two oranges might be helpful. If you are using only one large orange, zest your entire orange at that one time, use the portion of orange zest in the cookie dough, then reserve the rest of the orange zest in an airtight container in the fridge until you make the frosting.
The dough rest or fermentation has some flexibility. If you are not sensitive to gluten, the shorter range of fermentation will suffice. But the longer cold fermentation will give you the best results since it will create a slower breakdown of the gluten in the dough and will maintain the best texture.
I don’t recommend doing the longer room temperature dough rest or fermentation if you are baking in a warm kitchen. If the room temperature is too warm, it could cause the butter in the dough to become too soft and melt which would compromise the dough.
The holiday spice mix has room for adaptation based on your specific tastes and the ingredients you have on hand. The goal is to create an aroma or flavor that reminds you of the holidays.
If your dough is too soft and has a shiny appearance after the dough rest, put into the fridge for 30 minutes before you bake cookies.
If you are in a hurry to start making these, but your butter is too cold, you can use a little hack to soften the butter. Boil water, pour the hot water into a small glass or ceramic bowl, let the water sit to warm the bowl for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour out the hot water then turn the warmed bowl upside down over the stick(s) of butter. Let the butter sit for 5 to 15 minutes. Another trick is cutting the butter into thin slices, place on a plate, and set aside to soften. Note: Some people recommend using the microwave but I do not recommend this since it is way too easy to melt the butter especially since the way microwaves heat the inside of the food more than the outside.

Savor and Share

These are one of the most unique sourdough starter based cookies I have tried. They are full of incredible orange flavor, tart cranberries, and topped with an irresistible orange flavor frosting.

This is a great recipe because it also has the texture of a soft cookie, muffin, and cake all in one delicious dessert.

These handheld goodies will disappear quickly from your holiday cookie platters. This recipe is a great way to celebrate the holidays and get acquainted with baking with sourdough discard.

Make sure to share this recipe with a friend! And if you make it, I’d love to hear about it–you can comment on this post or tag me on instagram @livingbreadbaker!

Need more sourdough help?

A competent guide is the big difference from floundering in sourdough with information overwhelm to having confidence and ease in your sourdough baking.

If you are just starting on your sourdough journey, you can get my free Quick Start Sourdough Guide to begin learning some of the key terms and concepts in sourdough. Learn the difference between the sourdough stages of active sourdough starter and sourdough discard as well as how to care for a starter.

You can learn and improve your sourdough baking skills with my books or online courses.

My Intro. to Sourdough online course is comprehensive with video tutorials for each stage of the process to help new or aspiring sourdough home bakers gain a solid foundation for sourdough, the traditional way, to learn all the basics, language, techniques, and the process from start to finish to make sourdough bread. My teaching is straight forward and makes the whole process seem simple. I have helped launch hundreds of eager sourdough bakers onto their own inspiring sourdough journeys.

I also have a Once-a-Week No Knead Sourdough online course, which is my strategy for busy weeks to have sourdough on hand ready to make into country bread, sandwich loaves, English muffins, pizza, bagels, and more! This course is great for absolute sourdough beginners to just get familiarity with sourdough or for veteran sourdough bakers who need to simplify their baking schedule.

Living Bread Baker posts mentioned

What is a Starter?

What is sourdough discard?

Why use Sourdough Discard?

How to Store Sourdough Discard for Starter Discard Recipes

How to use Sourdough Discard

No Knead Sourdough Bread Recipe

Gingerbread scones with Eggnog Icing with Sourdough Discard

Best Sourdough Graham Crackers

Sourdough Apple Fritter Bread

Gingerbread Crackers (Sourdough Discard)

Shortbread/Plain Sweet Scone with Sourdough Discard

Pumpkin Spice Scone with Sourdough Discard

Gingersnap Cracker with sourdough discard

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1/4-cup Stainless Steel Cookie Scoop

4-qt. Cambro container and lid set

Airtight Container for Cookies, glass option

free sourdough quick start guide

online Intro. to Sourdough course

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close up image of cranberry orange cookie with frosting on a baking sheet with parchment paper

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