These delicious potato flake sourdough sugar cookies are perfectly chewy, with a soft inside and a slight crunch on the outside. Made with an active or discard potato flake sourdough starter, these cookies have a slightly tangy flavor and a beautifully soft texture. Plus, with the option to ferment the dough, you can enhance both the depth of flavor and digestibility.
This recipe is easy to make and perfect for beginner bakers or seasoned sourdough bakers looking for new ways to use their potato flake starter.Be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page so that you can print it out for easy reference!
If you don’t already have an existing starter you can easily make your own starter with my potato flake sourdough starter recipe.
This post may contain affiliate links through amazon, which means I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. When you make a purchase through my link, you help me to keep Little Tennessee Home up and running! Thank you for your support! See my full disclosure here.
Tools you will need:
- Stand Mixer – for creaming butter and sugar.
- Cookie sheets – Any sheet pan will do. It is helpful to have multiple so that you can prep the second batch while cooking the first.
- Parchment paper – to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Wire cooling rack – for cooling the cookies properly.
- Measuring cups and spoons – for accurate ingredient portions.
- Cookie scoop-This helps get perfectly sized cookies
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Granulated sugar
- Egg yolks
- Vanilla extract
- Potato flake starter (active or discard)
- Additional sugar for rolling dough
Instructions
Mix Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream Butter and Sugar
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and 1 ½ cups of sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This should take about 2 to 3 minutes. Properly creaming the butter and sugar helps create a soft, tender cookie.
Add Wet Ingredients
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and potato flake starter. Beat until well combined, making sure to scrape the bowl as needed to fully incorporate all ingredients.
Incorporate Dry Ingredients
Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
Ferment the Dough (Optional but Recommended)
Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 24 hours, up to 4 days. This fermentation process enhances the flavor.
For a quicker option, you can let the dough sit at room temperature for 12 hours before baking. If you’re short on time, you can bake the cookies right away, but they won’t have the same depth of flavor or benefits from the fermentation.
Prepare for Baking
Once you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Shape and Coat the Dough Balls
Place ¼-½ cup of sugar into a small bowl. Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, divide the dough into balls.
Roll each in the sugar to coat evenly. Place the sugar-coated cookie balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Flatten each dough ball slightly using the back of a spatula or the bottom of a measuring cup.
Bake the Cookies
Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of your preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Mine were perfect at 9 minutes. Of course, the cooking time can vary based on your oven, so I recommend checking them at 8 minutes and cooking up to 10 minutes if needed. The cookies should be slightly golden around the edges but still soft in the center.
Cool the Cookies
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the sheet before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Fermentation Tip: The longer you ferment the dough, the more pronounced the tangy sourdough flavor will be. A 4-day ferment will result in the most complex taste.
- Baking Time Adjustment: If you use a larger cookie scoop, you’ll need to increase the baking time by a few minutes.
- Flavor Variation: For an extra flavor boost, consider adding a hint of cinnamon or lemon zest to the dough.
- Cookie Size: Using a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop will produce about 50, 3 inch cookies. If you want larger cookies, use a larger cookie scoop and adjust the baking time accordingly.
Potato Flake Sourdough Sugar Cookies Storage Instructions
(and how to freeze them)
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You can also keep baked cookies fresh longer by storing them in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze them in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months.
If you want to prep ahead and have everything ready for freshly baked cookies later, you’ve got a few options:
- Refrigerate the Dough: Make the dough, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for up to 4 days (although this will have a stronger fermented flavor). When you’re ready to bake, roll the dough into balls, coat them in sugar, and bake as directed.
- Freeze the Dough Balls: After mixing the dough, roll it into balls (but don’t coat them in sugar yet). Place them on a tray and pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. Once they’ve chilled, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag, squeeze out the air, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Baking from Frozen: When you’re ready to bake, roll each frozen dough ball in sugar, then place them on a lined cookie sheet. Bake straight from frozen—just add 1-2 extra minutes to the bake time (8-10 minutes total).
This is a great way to always have cookie dough ready for last-minute treats!
Sugar Cookie Style
There are many types of sugar cookie recipes out there. This style of sugar cookie is not one that you would use to make shapes using a cookie cutter. Those types of sugar cookies are called no-spread sugar cookies. The sugar cookies in this recipe will spread when it is baked. They are the perfect chewy cookies.
These Potato Flake Sourdough Sugar Cookies are a wonderful way to use up extra sourdough starter discard while enjoying a classic, chewy sugar cookie. Whether you ferment the dough for a day or bake them immediately, they’ll quickly become a favorite treat in your household! If you are a fan of sourdough cookies, you’ll want to give my sourdough chocolate chip cookies a try too!
Pin for later and share with a friend:
If you give this recipe a try, I would greatly appreciate if you came back and gave it a 5-star review! It helps me out so much!
I also love seeing all of the delicious creations you make! Share your photo over on instagram and give me a tag @littletennesseehome
Potato Flake Sourdough Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer for creaming butter and sugar.
- Cookie sheets Any sheet pan will do. It is helpful to have multiple so that you can prep the second batch while cooking the first.
- Parchment Paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Wire Cooling Rack for cooling the cookies properly.
- measuring cups and spoons for accurate ingredient portions.
- Cookie scoop This helps get perfectly sized cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 411 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter 226 grams, softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 300 grams
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup potato flake starter active or discard
- ¼-½ cup additional sugar for rolling dough
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and 1 ½ cups of sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This should take about 2 to 3 minutes. Properly creaming the butter and sugar helps create a soft, tender cookie.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and potato flake starter. Beat until well combined, making sure to scrape the bowl as needed to fully incorporate all ingredients.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 24 hours, up to 4 days. This fermentation process enhances the flavor.
- For a quicker option, you can let the dough sit at room temperature for 12 hours before baking. If you’re short on time, you can bake the cookies right away, but they won’t have the same depth of flavor or benefits from the fermentation.
- Once you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place ¼-½ cup of sugar into a small bowl. Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, divide the dough into balls.
- Roll each in the sugar to coat evenly. Place the sugar-coated cookie balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Flatten each dough ball slightly using the back of a spatula or the bottom of a measuring cup.
- Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of your preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Mine were perfect at 9 minutes. Of course, the cooking time can vary based on your oven, so I recommend checking them at 8 minutes and cooking up to 10 minutes if needed. The cookies should be slightly golden around the edges but still soft in the center.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the sheet before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Other sourdough recipes using a potato flake starter:
ADD ALL OF MY RECIPES TO YOUR MEAL PLANNING APP!
Use my link to get 20% off your first year of using plan to eat! Not only do you get an amazing meal planning tool, but you also will get access to ALL of my recipes from the blog on your meal planning app. PLUS you will gain additional access to exclusive personal recipes not found on the blog! Learn all about the app in my video!
glad to see gram measurements thank you these look yummy
Why egg yolks instead of a whole egg? I’d like to try this but want to just use a whole egg.
Mainly because of the liquid ratio, feel free to use the whole egg, but you may need to add a bit of extra flour.