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Whether you’re packing lunches, filling treat boxes, or putting together a holiday cookie tray, these Iced Oatmeal Sourdough Cookies are always a hit. It’s one of my most favorite sourdough discard cookie recipes and tastes like the classic iced oatmeal cookies you grew up with—only chewier, softer, and naturally enhanced with sourdough. They’re sweet, lightly spiced, made with sourdough discard, molasses, and blended oats for a smooth, chewy texture. Each cookie is topped with a simple vanilla icing that sets into the perfect crackly finish.
Similar in flavor to my Oatmeal Sourdough Cinnamon Chip Cookies, these iced oatmeal cookies are an old-fashioned favorite made even better with sourdough discard. Perfect for sharing or enjoying straight from the cooling rack!
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Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Iced Oatmeal Sourdough Discard Cookies
- Spiced Flavor – These cookies contain molasses, cinnamon, and cloves for a sweet, gently spiced flavor that you’ll love. And if you like these, then you’ll love my Molasses Ginger Sourdough Cookies too!
- Iced to Perfection – Each cookie is topped with a simple vanilla icing for an extra sweet finish, just like my Brown Sugar Sourdough Maple Cookies.
- Discard Cookies – Just like my classic Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Sourdough Cookies, these cookies use sourdough discard and blended oats for a chewy texture and hearty flavor, perfectly balanced with the mild flavor of sourdough discard.
- Easy to Make – No fancy equipment needed. Mix, scoop, bake, and drizzle the icing. These are simple, reliable cookies you can whip up anytime.
- A Holiday (and Everyday!) Favorite – Whether you’re filling lunchboxes or building out a holiday cookie tray, these iced oatmeal cookies are always one of the first to disappear. Perfect for decorating with kids, too (or make my sourdough sugar cookies)!
Sourdough Discard Tip: I keep a jar in my fridge that I continually add sourdough discard to. Discard is a by-product of your sourdough starter, and there is no reason to throw it away. Instead, use it in incredible sourdough discard recipes where it adds moisture and great flavor. Use older, more tangy discard in savory recipes like this Easy Sourdough Discard Granola and young/fresh discard in sweeter recipes like this fall favorite Sourdough Apple Crisp.
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Discard – In order to avoid a stronger sourdough flavor, use sourdough discard that is fresh or no more than a day or two old. If you want to play up the tang in these oatmeal cookies, use discard that is older. I always use 100% hydration sourdough discard. If your discard is very runny, you may need a little extra flour in this recipe.
- Unsalted Butter – Salt content varies between brands of salted butter, and your baked goods may come out too salty using salted butter, so I recommend unsalted. If you choose to use salted butter, decrease the salt a little bit in the recipe. Use softened butter for best results.
- Brown Sugar – You can use either dark or light brown sugar in this recipe.
- Egg Yolk – An egg yolk adds richness and structure to the cookie dough.
- All-Purpose Flour – These cookies are perfect with all-purpose flour. Use flour with an 11.5% protein content, not bread flour.
- Molasses – Regular light molasses makes these cookies chewy and flavorful. If you want a deeper/darker, and more bitter molasses flavor, you can use blackstrap molasses.
- Ground Cinnamon and Cloves – These warm spices give the cookies their classic oatmeal cookie flavor.
- Vanilla Icing – This simple vanilla icing is made from milk, powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and salt.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions
- Sourdough Discard: This recipe works with active starter too. The texture stays the same, just substitute equal weights of discard for starter.
- Whole Wheat Flour: I love making these with a soft whole wheat flour or freshly milled einkorn. Substitute equal weights of flour, then let the dough rest for about 20 minutes before scooping to help soften the whole wheat.
- Icing: You can leave off the vanilla icing completely or add a different extract to change up the flavor – maple would be delicious!
- Mix-Ins: Add up to 1 cup of finely chopped pecans, walnuts, raisins, or your favorite chocolate chips (cinnamon chips work great too). Mix-ins will give the cookies a slightly more domed shape.
- Variations: This oatmeal cookie dough also makes excellent sourdough oatmeal cream pies. Use the frosting from my homemade sourdough Oreos for the filling – so good!
How to Make Iced Oatmeal Sourdough Discard Cookies
Mix The Cookie Dough
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the softened butter until light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix until smooth. Add the sourdough discard, egg yolk, molasses, and vanilla, and mix until fully combined.
Step 2: Pulse the oats in a blender until coarse to create a textured cookie. Add to a medium bowl with the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Whisk to combine.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
Step 4: Mix until just combined. If the dough feels overly sticky, add a Tablespoon or two of flour.
Long Fermenting Cookie Dough: Scoop the cookie dough into balls. Place the dough balls in the refrigerator after mixing and let them sit in the refrigerator overnight for up to a couple of days. This fermentation time will affect the flavor of the cookies – they may have a tang, but they will also have more of the fermentation benefits of sourdough.
Shape & Bake
Step 5: Use a cookie scoop to shape balls of dough and place them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. This recipe makes approximately 15 cookies.
Step 6: Bake the cookies at 375ºF convection (400ºF conventional) for about 10 minutes. These oatmeal cookies are done when they are puffed and lightly golden brown and crisp at the edges. Let sit for 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Note: If you want your cookies to be uniformly round, run a large biscuit cutter in a circular motion around the cookie right after it comes out of the oven.
Top with icing
Step 7: While the cookies cool, combine powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt. Whisk together until smooth.
Step 8: Once the cookies have cooled completely, dip the tops of the cookies in the icing by tipping them upside down into the bowl for about 1 second. Let the excess icing drip off, and then set the cookies on parchment paper to set up. Let them harden and enjoy!
How to Store Leftovers
Keep the cookies in an air-tight container on the counter for 24–48 hours. After that, I like to pop them in the freezer to keep them fresh. They thaw quickly and taste just as good!
Amy’s Make-Ahead Recipe Tips
I love prepping this dough ahead of time. I’ll scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a sheet pan, and then pop them into an air-tight container. When I’m ready to bake, I move the frozen dough to the fridge overnight and bake straight from there.
You can also make the cookies completely ahead—bake them, ice them, let them cool, and then freeze them in an air-tight container. When you’re ready to enjoy, just pull them out and let them thaw. Easy and delicious every time!
Frequently Asked Questions
I add sourdough discard to so many recipes. In some bakes, it boosts the flavor, in others, it adds moisture and all the benefits of fermented flour. And sometimes it’s just a great way to use up extra discard instead of wasting it.For these cookies, I like using a fresh or young discard so the flavor stays warm and sweet rather than sour.
Yes. Stick the dough in the refrigerator after mixing and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight or for up to a couple of days. This extended fermentation time will give more of the health benefits of sourdough and will make the cookies have a more sour flavor.
Pulsing the oats gives these cookies their signature texture. If you skip this step, the cookies will be chunkier and won’t have the same smooth, chewy bite. You could use a combination of rolled oats and quick oats to get a similar texture.
They shouldn’t. Use a fresh or young discard for the mildest flavor. An older or very acidic discard can add a tangier taste if you prefer that flavor.
Popular Sourdough Cookie Recipes
If you tried these Iced Oatmeal Sourdough Discard Cookies or any other recipe on my website leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Happy Baking!
Iced Oatmeal Sourdough Discard Cookies
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Ingredients
Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies
- 226 grams unsalted butter, softened, about 1 cup
- 150 grams brown sugar, about 3/4 cup
- 70 grams granulated sugar, about 1/3 cup
- 1 egg yolk, about 20 grams
- 100 grams sourdough discard, scant 1/2 cup, see recipe notes
- 25 grams molasses, about 1 heaping Tablespoon
- 4 grams vanilla extract, about 1 teaspoon
- 175 grams all-purpose flour, about 1 1/4 cups
- 250 grams oats, about 2 cups, pulsed in a blender
- 5 grams baking soda, about 1 teaspoon
- 4 grams salt, about 1/2 teaspoon
- 3 grams ground cinnamon, about 1 teaspoon
- 1 gram ground cloves, about 1/2 teaspoon
Icing
- 150 grams powdered sugar, about 1 1/4 cups
- 30 grams milk, about 2 Tablespoons
- 4 grams vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, about 1 teaspoon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF convection and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. See recipe notes for non-convection.
- To a large bowl add the softened butter. Use a hand mixer (or a stand mixer) to beat the softened butter until light and fluffy for about a minute. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar. Cream the ingredients together until fluffy and smooth. Add the sourdough discard and egg yolk to the bowl. Whip together with the beaters until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and vanilla extract. Mix again with the mixer until smooth and combined.
- Pulse the rolled oats in a blender until coarse. To a medium-sized bowl, add the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ground cloves. Whisk together to combine.
- Add the flour to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Scoop the dough into balls and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet, about 15 cookies per baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies at 375ºF convection for 9–10 minutes, until they’re puffed and the edges are lightly crisp. If needed, use a round biscuit cutter to gently shape the cookies into perfect circles while they’re still warm. Let them cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes to set up. Then remove them to a cooling rack.If your oven doesn’t have a convection setting, preheat the oven for 20 minutes and bake at 400ºF for about 10 minutes instead.
- While the cookies are cooling, mix together the icing. Once they’ve cooled completely, dip the top of each cookie into the icing for about 1 second, then lift and let the excess drip off. Place the cookies back on the parchment paper to set and harden. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made the iced oatmeal cookies today! Very tasty! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and your
So glad you loved them!
I followed the recipe pretty much exactly and am very happy with the results. Excellent flavor and texture. Icing is a nice finish! Thank you.
Thanks for the review!
Hands down the BEST! thank you!
Thanks for the review!
can I freeze dough after making it?
Yes, that should work!
These look great! Curious though: you say to increase oven temp if you don’t have convection. I don’t on my current oven, but have had before. Usually you subtract not add 25 degrees. 400 seems pretty hot for cookies?…
Convection usually bakes hotter than a regular bake by about 25 degrees. So if you don’t have convection and want the crisp edges and soft middle, I recommend increasing the temperature by 25 degrees. You don’t have to do that, but it gives a little bit of the crispy edge, soft middle if that’s how you like your cookies. Hope that helps!
These were amazing. I baked them until they were *just* beginning to brown on the edges so they stayed soft and chewy in the centers. The flavor is just perfect. I generally don’t love cloves, so I used just a dash, but they lent a very nice warmth in addition to the cinnamon. Everybody who had them really enjoyed them. The icing stayed very nice until the next day, too. Great recipe!!
Yum! I’m glad they turned out great!
Absolutely delicious!!! My husband loves oatmeal raisin cookies and he said these are the best he has ever tasted and I agree. The flavor and texture are wonderful!
They are certainly delicious! Thanks for the review.
Easy to follow, great spice and both crispy and soft.
Thanks for the review! I’m glad you love the recipe.
Honestly these are some of the best cookies I’ve ever made. They were so chewy and delicious and nostalgic.
I’m so glad you loved them! Thank you so much for leaving a review.