Sourdough Discard Apple Cinnamon Oat Cookies

Name: Sourdough Discard Apple Cinnamon Oat Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 43 min
Yield: 18 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 medium (about 1 cup diced) (170 g) firm tart apple (such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice, then patted dry with a paper towel; 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled; 2 tsp (5 g) ground cinnamon; ½ tsp (3 g) baking soda; ½ tsp (2 g) baking powder; ½ tsp (3 g) fine sea salt; ½ cup (1 stick) (113 g) unsalted butter, softened to cool room temperature; ¾ cup, packed (150 g) light brown sugar; ¼ cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup; 1 large (50 g) large egg, at room temperature; 1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract; ½ cup (120 g) unfed sourdough discard (100% hydration), stirred well; 1½ cups (135 g) old-fashioned rolled oats; ½ cup (60 g) walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Soft, chewy oat cookies with crisp-tender bits of apple, warm cinnamon and a hint of maple. Sourdough discard adds a subtle tang and extra tenderness, so you can use up that jar without any waiting for a rise.

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 13 min
Wait: 45 min
Total: 1 hr 28 min
Makes: 18 large cookies

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Ingredients

18 servings

1 medium (about 1 cup diced) (170 g) firm tart apple (such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice, then patted dry with a paper towel
1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 tsp (5 g) ground cinnamon
½ tsp (3 g) baking soda
½ tsp (2 g) baking powder
½ tsp (3 g) fine sea salt
½ cup (1 stick) (113 g) unsalted butter, softened to cool room temperature
¾ cup, packed (150 g) light brown sugar
¼ cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup
1 large (50 g) large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
½ cup (120 g) unfed sourdough discard (100% hydration), stirred well
1½ cups (135 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup (60 g) walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Equipment (8)

2 rimmed baking sheets (about 13×18-inch / 33×46 cm)
Parchment paper
Large mixing bowl
Medium mixing bowl
Electric hand mixer or stand mixer (or a sturdy spatula and strong arm)
3-tablespoon (about 45 ml) cookie scoop or large spoon
Wire cooling rack
Kitchen scale (recommended)

Steps

Before you start

Set the butter out about 1 hour ahead so it is softened but still cool (it should dent easily when pressed, not look shiny or greasy).
Use unfed sourdough discard straight from the fridge or at room temperature; either works. Stir it well first so any liquid on top is mixed back in.
Plan on a 30-minute dough chill. Chilling keeps the cookies from spreading too thin and lets the oats absorb moisture.
Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

1
Prep the apple
- Peel and core the apple, then cut it into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice.
- Spread the pieces on a double layer of paper towels and blot the tops with another towel.
- If using walnuts, chop them coarsely now.
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Ready when: Apple pieces are small, even, and no longer glistening wet on the surface.
Tip: Keep the dice small. Large chunks release steam and make the cookies crumbly or soggy in the center.
2
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt for about 30 seconds.
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Ready when: The mixture is a uniform tan color with no streaks of cinnamon or lumps of baking soda.
3
Cream butter and sugar
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl once, until fluffy and lighter in color.
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Ready when: The mixture looks pale, fluffy, and creamy, with no dry sugar pockets.
Tip: If the butter is greasy or melty, the cookies will spread. Chill the bowl for 10 minutes if so.
4
Add wet ingredients
- Add the egg, maple syrup, and vanilla and beat on medium-low for 1 minute.
- Add the sourdough discard and beat for 30 seconds more, scraping the bowl.
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Ready when: The batter is smooth and glossy. It may look slightly curdled, which is normal and will smooth out once flour is added.
5
Mix in flour
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture.
- Mix on low speed or fold with a spatula just until a few streaks of flour remain, about 20 seconds.
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Ready when: Only a few faint flour streaks remain; the dough is soft and sticky.
Tip: Do not overmix, which makes cookies tough.
6
Fold in oats and apple
- Add the oats, diced apple, and walnuts (if using).
- Fold with a spatula until evenly distributed and no dry oats remain at the bottom of the bowl.
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Ready when: The dough is thick and evenly speckled with apple, with no loose oats at the bottom.
7
Chill and preheatOven 350°F / 175°C
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Near the end of chilling, position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line two baking sheets with parchment.
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Ready when: The dough is firm enough to scoop and hold a mound shape.
Tip: Dough can chill up to 24 hours; add 1 minute of bake time if baking straight from the fridge.
8
Scoop the dough
- Scoop 3-tablespoon (about 55 g) mounds of dough onto the prepared sheets, 9 per sheet, spaced about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
- Gently press each mound down to about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick.
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Ready when: You have 18 even mounds, each slightly flattened.
Tip: Oat dough doesn't spread much, so flattening gives an even bake.
9
Bake the cookiesOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the sheets between racks and turning them front to back halfway through.
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Ready when: Edges are deep golden brown and set, and the centers look puffed and just barely soft, with no wet shine.
Tip: They will firm up as they cool, so pull them out when the centers still look slightly soft.
10
Cool the cookies
- Let the cookies rest on the hot baking sheets for 5 minutes, then move them with a spatula to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes more.
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Ready when: Cookies lift off the pan without bending or breaking and are only slightly warm.

Good to know

Tips

Weigh the flour and discard if you can. Too much flour makes dry cookies, and discard thickness varies.
Blot the diced apple dry; extra moisture makes the cookies cakey and soft in the center.
Old-fashioned rolled oats give the best chew. Quick oats work but yield a softer, more uniform texture; do not use steel-cut.
Sourdough discard that is very old and smells sharply of acetone will make the cookies taste sour; use discard that smells pleasantly tangy.

Make ahead

Dough can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 24 hours. Scooped, unbaked dough balls can be frozen on a tray, then bagged for up to 3 months and baked from frozen at 350°F (175°C) for 14 to 16 minutes.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: airtight container up to 2 days. Refrigerator: up to 5 days (the apple makes them moist, so refrigeration is safer after day 2). Freezer: baked cookies up to 3 months. Reheat from fridge or thawed in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 4 to 5 minutes, or microwave for 8 to 10 seconds.

Substitutions

unfed sourdough discard (100% hydration) → Unsweetened applesauce or plain whole-milk yogurt, 120 g (½ cup). The cookies will lose the slight tang but stay soft.
pure maple syrup → Honey, 60 ml (¼ cup). Honey browns faster, so check the cookies at 11 minutes.
unsalted butter → Firm vegan butter sticks. Use the same weight; the cookies may spread slightly more, so chill the full 30 minutes.
walnuts → Pecans or raisins, 60 g (½ cup). Raisins add extra sweetness and chew.