I need to pass on a little message to my husband who is mountain-climbing in Colorado…
“I’ve put together a few tasty and oh-so-speedy sourdough cookies!”
The joy of something quick and nourishing makes me want to spread the good news. 😉
Although the traditional foods lifestyle often requires time — thinking ahead, planning ahead, soaking, souring, sprouting, drying, fermenting — these sourdough nut butter cookies are so quick and simple and now! They take less than 30 minutes! Bliss!
I happily serve these up for quick breakfasts, snacks on the go, celebrations, before bed tummy fillers, and power foods on the trail. They have very little sweetener — actually, one requires no sugar at all.
To spread some of this cheer around, try knocking at the door of a neighbor you’ve never met (she may think you’re selling something… Speaking from experience here!). Share a friendly “hello” and some of your homemade love (aka these cookies). You may just blow her socks off!
Or, better yet, do it with stealth. Find a neighbor with a little outside table and leave your goodies to be discovered when they wake up the next morning or get home from work. My boys get such a kick out of this!
This is how it goes:
- Together, make our way to the target home.
- Get off our bikes.
- Run real sneaky-like down their driveway.
- Make the drop!
- And then hightail it back to our wheels for a quick getaway.
Memories in the making, friends!
Without further ado, here are the cookies!
Sourdough Nut Butter Cookies
Customize to suit your tastes!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie
The coconut can be added to the batter and stirred in or you could make cookie balls and roll in the coconut before baking. Delicious either way! Makes 2 dozen 1-1/2 inch cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural peanut butter or nut butter of choice*
- 1/2 cup dry unrefined sweetener of choice, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 organic or pastured egg
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup sourdough starter
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
-
Prepare cookie sheet.
-
Combine all ingredients except unsweetened shredded coconut a large bowl.
-
Mix well.
-
Before baking, roll or stir in coconut.
-
Roll and press onto prepared cookie sheet.
-
Bake for 12 or so minutes.
-
Check after 10 minutes.
-
Allow to sit on cookie sheet for 5 minutes.
-
Transfer to cooling rack.
-
Once completely cool, store in sealed container on the counter, refrigerator, or freezer.
-
Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Here's a tasty nut butter option!
Tasty variation
Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon (or more) cayenne pepper to the batter.
Treasure In The Middle Cookies
Use your favorite jam or dark chocolate for these tasty cookies. Makes 1 1/2 dozen 1 1/2 inch cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural peanut butter or nut butter of choice*
- 1/2 cup dry unrefined sweetener of choice, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 organic or pastured egg
- 1/3 cup sourdough starter
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- jam or dark chocolate**
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
-
Prepare cookie sheet.
-
Combine all ingredients excepts add-ins in a large bowl.
-
Mix well.
-
Press dough out on cookie sheets, then use the end of a wooden spoon to make an indentation for the jam or dark chocolate.
-
Fill.
-
Bake for 12 or so minutes.
-
Check after 10 minutes.
-
Allow to sit on cookie sheet for 5 minutes.
-
Transfer to cooling rack.
-
Once completely cool, store in sealed container on the counter, refrigerator, or freezer.
-
Fill, then bake.
Recipe Notes
*Here's a tasty nut butter option!
**These mega chocolate chunks are perfect.
Tasty Variation
Leave plain and simply press for a delicious Peanut Butter Cookie.
Peanut Butter Date Cookies
This is our favorite variety for taking on hikes! Makes 2 1/2 dozen 1 1/2 inch cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural peanut butter or nut butter of choice*
- 1 cup dates chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 organic or pastured egg
- 1/3 cup sourdough starter
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- add-ins see suggestions below**
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
-
Prepare cookie sheet.
-
I like mixing the ingredients for this cookie in a food processor.
-
Mix well.
-
Combine with any desired add-ins.
-
Roll and press onto prepared cookie sheet.
-
Bake for 12 or so minutes.
-
Check after 10 minutes.
-
Allow to sit on cookie sheet for 5 minutes.
-
Transfer to cooling rack.
-
Once completely cool, store in sealed container on the counter, refrigerator, or freezer.
-
Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Here's a tasty nut butter option!
**Delicious add in ideas: cacao nibs, dark chocolate bits or these no-sugar, stevia-sweetened chocolate chips, carob chips, unsweetened shredded coconut.
Do you have any extra sourdough starter sitting around? Which cookie will you make first?
This post was featured in 17 Yummy Desserts Using Sourdough.
...without giving up the foods you love or spending all day in the kitchen!
2 free books:
Eat God's Way
Ditch the Standard American Diet, get healthier & happier, and save money on groceries...
We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).
These look wonderful! Would it work with gluten free sourdough starter as well? If so, should xanthan gum be added and how much?
Thanks for the ideas!
hi cecilia- feel free to use your gluten free sourdough, and my guess is that you don’t even need to use xanthan gum. if you give it a try, i’d love to hear how the cookies turn out! 🙂
I made the jam cookies with my GF sourdough starter, just following the recipe exactly, and they turned out great! These are delicious! 🙂 So excited to have a way to use up the extra starter that I often have. Thanks Erin!
Hi Esther- Thanks so much for letting me know! You brought a smile to my heart and my day! Enjoy the cookies!
Thank you both! We’ll try them. 🙂
It seems to me that the dough would be more like a batter, since there is no added flour, and all remaining ingredients are pretty much liquid. Is it really possible to roll out the dough or is it supposed to be scooped out with a spoon?
I am admittedly not the smartest cook in the kitchen so I must ask:
“Roll and press” do you mean you use a ‘cookie press’ thingy for these? Or do you mean roll into a log (like the prepackaged cookie dough in the store frig) and then slice in circles and press out onto the baking sheet?
And, just so I am not seriously overlooking vital timing info on these…..these recipes are using sourdough starter: is it freshly fed? counter active? and it seems the mixing of the ingredients with the sourdough starter does not require a ‘sitting’ time….but more, mix and cook. Am I reading this right?
All these recipes are leaving me drooling right now…. so, Thanks! 🙂
hi there jayne! great questions. roll and press in this recipe means roll them in a ball and press them down with the bottom of a glass. the starter does not need to be freshly fed or counter active. and no sitting time required. yeah for a dump, stir, and bake cookie! enjoy! 🙂
Hi Erin, do you think these cookies would work if I replaced the peanut butter with coconut butter ?:-) -Guro
Hi Guro- As much as I love to use coconut oil, coconut milk, and unsweetened coconut in my cooking, I have yet to play around with coconut butter! Feel free to give it a try and let me know how it goes. If the mixture seems too dry, you may need to add a bit of coconut oil, and if it ends up too wet, you could always add some cocoa powder or maybe plain coconut?
Tried these 2day- it worked fine with coco butter, yay! 🙂 Used the same recipe as your chocolate peanut butter cookies. Love it:-)
-Guro
Hi Guro- So glad the coconut butter cookies worked out for you, and thanks for letting me know! I’ll have to give coconut butter a try myself! 🙂
Thanks for these recipes. I am going to try them very soon. They look delicious.
You are welcome Adam! Let me know what you think once you give them a try. We’ve been making the date sweetened ones lately. Can’t seem to keep them in the house! 🙂
Oh! I just realized (actually my observant husband pointed out) that I posted this on behalf of Erin but left the author as me. I just corrected it.
Please forgive me, everyone — you’ve been reading Erin’s lovely words and recipes today. Enjoy! 🙂
What do you mean by prepared cookie sheet? Do you mean greased?
Hi there Melissa- Prepared could mean out and available because you know your cookies don’t stick, covered with parchment paper because that’s how you like it, or greased because you know it’s necessary. Enjoy! 🙂
Looks so simple and easy! Thanks for sharing your family’s experience and ideas to build positive relationships with a little help from a cookie or two. 😉
Hi Emily- You are welcome! They are so easy… and so tasty, too! Such fun sharing treats and surprises, hellos and a bit of love. Thanks for your comment! 🙂
We eat very few sweets here but I made these tonight for the first time as a treat for the boys after a trip to the dentist (no cavities!). My husband and boys *loved* them. We have nut allergies so I used Sunbutter (sunflower seed butter) and shredded coconut and truly they were easy and wonderful. Somehow I just “had” to use two spoons in mixing everything up so both boys got to lick one (before dinner no less). These are definitely guest and potluck worthy! Definitely going to keep this recipe around for giving gifts. Thanks so much!!
Hi Malenksha! I’m so glad you were able to tweak the recipe to suit your needs. So great! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
These cookies are delicious! I made the ones with dates and added a few choc chips. I had a few prunes leftover from another recipe and I used those in place of some of the dates (prob 1/3 c.) with no problem or noticeable change in flavor or texture.
Yeah! Thanks for letting me know Sarah! Yes, I’ve used raisins in a pinch. I think subbing other dried fruits ( apricots, cherries, figs) for some of the dates would definitely make some tasty cookies!
Hello Erin, I have been enjoying hearing from you here at the GNOWFGLINS blog. I fell in love with you and your family while taking the sourdough e-course. It’s great to hear from you again! Thank-you so much for the recipes. Will try these soon! I know they will be delicious as everything of yours that I have tried has been!! May God Bless & Keep You and your family!
Thanks so much Janet! Putting that sourdough e-course together was such fun. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of the cookies. We love them, and they are so quick with such simple ingredients. Gotta love that! Thanks for the smiles today! 🙂
Made the peanut butter date cookies today and added mini chocolate chips. I also subbed 1/2 cup dates with 1/4 c coconut sugar. They were so good! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Cody! And I’m happy to hear you played around with them a bit to make them work for you! 🙂
Speaking as someone allergic to all things peanuty, this is a great idea! I made sunflower butter and turned around and made the jewel in the middle cookies! Wow! Satisfied the craving for “a little salty, a little sweet” like nothing else. I did end up adding about a 1/3 cup Spelt flour to the mix because it was a bit wet. Possibly because the nut butter was really, really fresh. Like 2 minutes old. Thanks for the great recipes!
Glad the recipe worked for you Deanna! If your dough comes out too wet again, you could always try adding a bit of cocoa or coconut. Refrigerating it for a while might also help it to hold together for you. Always helpful to have something nourishing nearby to satisfy a
craving! Thanks for the comment! 🙂
I absolutely refuse to throw away good starter so I make a lot of waffles and pancakes to give you my elderly parents to keep in their freezer for quick meals. I also make biscuits and lots of bread. But I CANNOT WAIT to make cookies. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before!!! Thank you so much for the great looking recipes. I have no doubt they will be delicious as are all your recipes.
Hi Debbie- I’m with you on the throw-away-started thought. The last time I threw away my starter was years ago when I was in the process of making my starter in the first place! 🙂
What a great idea you have to help out your parents. Quick, easy, and nourishing breakfasts for them. Wonderful! Hope you’ve enjoyed the cookie recipes!
I may be missing it, but I can’t see any amount listed for the unsweetened coconut mentioned in the directions for the chocolate peanut butter cookies.
Hi Lindsey- The coconut can be added “to taste.” If you roll them in it, maybe a half a cup or so. Maybe a bit more? If you stir the coconut in, I’d say about a half a cup. Unless your dough happens to be very wet, then you might want to add a bit more. The amount is really up to you.
Hope you enjoy them! 🙂
As a brand new sourdough baker I’ve been wondering what I could make with that excess starter, love these ideas Erin, thanks for sharing. My personal favorite cookies to make are cranberry or blueberry with white chocolate. I can’t wait to try this!
Just made these cookies. This summer in S. Ca. is very warm. As we were mixing in the starter, it was not forming a solid mix. We continued. Put them into the oven and 12 mins. later, cookies. We all are enjoying them! We put lemon curd on them as a topping and yum yum! Very satisfying and refreshing!
Thank you for the recipe.
Inez
In this recipe you used starter and then baked right away. Most likely because no more flour was needed so no extra souring needed. But I am wondering if you can do the sourdough cookies from the TCS sourdough e-book like that? If need 1/2 cup starter and 1 1/3 flour, why not just start with just less than 2 cups of sourdough, add the butter, then egg+sugar mix, and bake right away? Is it just because it is unusual to have 2 cups of sourdough to use, just lying around? Or is there a purpose to souring with the butter? Cuz I find it hard to mix in the egg+sugar after the butter/flour has soured. Thanks. I ask this because I make sourdough pancakes with 1 cup starter, and then add egg+sugar etc and cook em right away, and they work just great.
I made a batch of the peanut butter date cookies, and they are delicious! Chewy and perfectly sweet. Love them!
Hi! These look great and I would love to try them! However, I am a new sourdough baker. So I feel confused: don’t you need to add some sort of flour to these recipes? Can you help me understand this before I try this? Thanks so much! The cookies look absolutely delicious!
My new skill to learn during this Confinement from the Covid Pandemic was to make a sourdough starter. My husband and I have been gluten free sugar free for 3 years but testing revealed we are not gluten sensitive! So we thought using sourdough fed with organic wheat might avoid digestive issues. It did not for bread that has lots of added flour but we seem to do okay with recipes that use only sourdough starter in small amounts so this recipe was a true delight! Made 2 varieties and plan to make a lot more. After working for a month to get my starter active I am not willing to throw it away! May use it occasionally for bread to give away but these cookie recipes are wonderful to use on a regular basis! Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for these recipes to try. I currently have 5 jars of about 200+grams each of starter
Some days I feed it and don’t it’s been very hot ? and we don’t like to run our air conditioning therefore only baking occasionally
Can I prepare a bunch of cookies and freeze them before I bake?
Sincerely
Marci
Howdy..As much as I love these and would like to taste them but cannot because they use eggs. I am vegan and eggs are no no for me. What can I do?
Tks
God bless.