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Jump to RecipeThese sourdough peppermint sugar cookies are the perfect dessert to celebrate the holiday season. The sugar cookie dough can be long fermented or created as a ‘stir and go’ recipe. Each sourdough sugar cookie is loaded with sprinkles and is topped with peppermint white chocolate candy. These are everything we need and more during the colder season.
I am so excited to share these sourdough peppermint sugar cookies. It is one of my kids favorite sourdough recipes we have made this year! We were inspired by the Festival of Lights, which is an eight day celebration also known as Hanukkah.
During this time celebrate the miracle of oil by lighting the menorah. Without diving into too much biblical detail, a menorah has spots for eight candles. However, on this particular day, there was only enough oil to light the menorah for one day, but by the miracle of God, the menorah was lit for eight days – never perishing!
This is where the festival of lights stems from. God is not only our light in the world, but provided a literal light with the menorah. We think the Bible verse Psalm 36:9 | “For with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light” fits to commemorate Hanukkah.
Since we have extended family which celebrates both holidays during the December, we wanted to make a few sourdough recipes to celebrate the “holy days “of this month. We love that our job revolves around teaching and baking sourdough and sharing the recipes they love on the blog.
We used dye free sprinkles to add some extra pop of color, which makes us think of a festival or celebration. The cookies are topped with a white chocolate peppermint candy. These candies are special because they are only available for purchase during this time of year (that is unless you want to pay a large amount of money for it!).
Why you will love this recipe
Kitchen Equipment
There are a few pieces of kitchen equipment to make this cookie recipe easy.
- Hand mixer
- Cookie Sheet
- Reusable silicone mat liner (or parchment paper)
- Wire rack (aka cooling rack)
Ingredients for sourdough peppermint sugar cookies
There are a few key ingredients to make these sourdough peppermint sugar cookies. The three most important items are sourdough discard, sprinkles, and white chocolate peppermint candies. For a full list of ingredients please refer to the recipe card located at the bottom of this blog post.
Sourdough discard: No sourdough discard recipe would be complete without the sourdough. Because this recipe does not rely on the sourdough to give cookies a ‘rise’, you can use either active starter or sourdough discard. The addition of sourdough discard gives the cookies, a different flavor profile than a traditional sugar cookie. They are almost like a sourdough sour cream cookie if you use sourdough discard has been sitting in the fridge for an extended period of time. We love how sourdough discard can change the flavor profile of the cookies depending on how “old” your sourdough discard is.
Sprinkles: We used dye free sprinkles within this recipe. You can use whatever brand you like, though these bright colored sprinkles were the ‘Better Good’ brand from Walmart. These sprinkles are the brightest out of all dye free sprinkles we have tried – even through baking.
White chocolate peppermint candies: This is a seasonal item is found in most grocery stores. We bought ours at Meijer though we have also found them at Target and Aldi. If you do not like mint, swap out any flavor of traditional Hershey’s kiss.
How to make sourdough peppermint sugar cookies
Step 1: Mix the dough together.
Step 2: Fold in the sprinkles.
Step 3: Shape into a log and place in the fridge.
Step 4: Cut slices and bake.
Step 5: Allow to cool 1-2 minutes and top with candy.
How to store sourdough peppermint sugar cookies.
These cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to a week on the countertop. We find they are a bit more stale after 3 days.
You can also place baked sugar cookies in the freezer in a ziplock baggie or airtight container for up to a month (or you can place the dough in the freezer to bake later, too!).
Frequently Asked Questions
Sourdough Peppermint Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- 1 hand mixer
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 Cookie Sheet
- 1 Wire Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 2-2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt leave out if using salted butter
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract option to swap with peppermint extract, see tips in notes.
- 1 egg
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard discard or active starter
- 1/4 cup sprinkles
- 24 white chocolate peppermint kisses see notes for alternatives
Instructions
Stir and Go
- With a handheld mixer, whip the softened butter until light and fluffy in a large bowl. Mix in the white sugar, egg, vanilla extract and the sourdough discard.
- In a separate bowl, combine the baking powder, flour and salt. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir until just combined (smooth dough).Fold in the sprinkles at the end to ensure they do not disintegrate within the dough.
- Roll the cookies into a log shape, cover with wax paper and place in the fridge to cool.Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes (2 hours if possible) before ensure the cookies will not spread too far while baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the dough into 1/4" rounds. Place on prepared baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes. They will be done when you can touch your finger to the surface and nothing sticks. They may look wet but will not be golden brown in color.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes before putting the white chocolate peppermint on top. Do not let them cool too long or they will harden and the candy will not be able to stick on top.Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
Long fermented Guidelines
- Start by combining the dough as outlined above.
- Place the dough into the refrigerator for up to three days before baking to continue the bulk ferment.When ready to cook, remove from the fridge, slice and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes.Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes before putting the white chocolate peppermint on top. Do not let them cool too long or they will harden and the candy will not be able to stick on top.Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- It is important not to skip chilling the sugar cookie dough. This will help to ensure the dough holds shape when baked. AKA the cookies will spread out too much if baked at room temperature.
- If you want the cookies to have a light peppermint flavor, consider adding peppermint extract. Use 1/4 tsp peppermint extract in place of vanilla extract. A little goes a long way – do not substitute 1-1 or you will feel like you are eating toothpaste!
- I have not tried long fermenting the sourdough sugar cookies with peppermint extract and am unsure of the results. I do not know if the peppermint extract will cause the cookie dough to separate when frozen or when baked. It may have no problems at all!
- I understand the white chocolate peppermint kisses are a seasonal item (or that some people do not like the flavor of them!). You can swap out the chocolate candy for any flavor you please. These would be great with a traditional milk chocolate kiss!
Nutrition
What are your favorite dishes to celebrate the holidays? Let us know in the comments below!
