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Sugar cookies may just be my favorite treat. I have a beloved recipe for sourdough sugar cookies (cut-out) version that I’ve been making for years, but sometimes I don’t have the time or energy to roll and cut out dough. That’s exactly why these No Roll Sourdough Sugar Cookies exist. They’re quick, easy, and made with sourdough discard, no rolling pin, cookie cutters or chilling required.
These chewy sugar cookies bake up soft, chewy, and melt-in-your-mouth, with a subtle hint of almond extract shining through. They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day or any day you want a simple homemade sugar cookie without the extra steps. Add a swipe of frosting, or enjoy them plain. These are drop-style sugar cookies that are scooped and baked, making them one of the easiest sourdough discard desserts you can make.
Table of Contents
- Quick Look: No Roll Sourdough Sugar Cookies
- Why You’ll Love No Roll Sourdough Sugar Cookies
- Important Ingredients
- Substitutions
- How to Make Easy Sourdough sugar Cookies
- How to Store Leftover Sugar cookies
- Amy’s Recipe Tip
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Popular Sourdough Cookie Recipes
- No Roll Sourdough Sugar Cookies Recipe
Quick Look: No Roll Sourdough Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Bake Time: 8 minutes
- Cooling Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: about 1 hour
- Servings: 24 cookies
- Calories: ~243 kcal per frosted cookie (based on nutrition panel)
- Cook Method: Baked on a cookie sheet
- Flavor & Texture: Soft and chewy with a tender center and a hint of almond flavor (optional but delicious)
- Difficulty: Easy – mix, scoop, press, and bake
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Why You’ll Love No Roll Sourdough Sugar Cookies
- Soft, Melt-in-Your-Mouth Texture – Just like my Sourdough Snowball Cookies, these easy sugar cookies are incredibly soft with a true melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Quick & Easy to Make – Don’t let the ingredient list scare you off—these sourdough sugar cookies come together quickly, and every ingredient plays a role in creating that tender texture. If you’re feeding a crowd, my sourdough sugar cookie bars are an even easier option.
- Perfect use for Sourdough Discard – Sourdough discard might not be the first thing you think of for sweet treats, but it works beautifully in sourdough cookie recipes. Using fresher discard adds moisture and flavor without overpowering sour notes.
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 these Sourdough Chicken Tenders and young/fresh discard in sweeter recipes like my sweet Brown Sugar Sourdough Maple Cookies.
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Discard – I use sourdough discard in these cookies as a great way to use up extra and add a little more flavor. Since I prefer a neutral flavor over a tangy one, I use fresh discard instead of older discard from the refrigerator.
- Vegetable Oil and Unsalted Butter – These two combined give great flavor and texture.
- White Sugar and Powdered Sugar – A combination of these two sugars gives the cookie dough a light texture.
- Egg – 1 large egg is needed for the cookie dough. The egg emulsifies the butter/oil and sugars together, resulting in a very creamy dough.
- Sour Cream – Sour cream adds a little extra richness to the cookie dough and to the frosting.
- Vanilla & Almond Extract – In my opinion, you can’t have a sugar cookie without vanilla extract or almond extract. I grew up adding almond extract in every batch of frosting made…and I still love it to this day. It’s my quintessential ingredient in sugar cookies.
- All Purpose Flour
- Salt, Baking Soda and Baking Powder
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions
- Sourdough Discard: Fresh, active starter can be substituted for discard in this recipe. You may need to adjust a little less flour if your starter is not at all runny.
- Vegetable Oil: Substitute any neutral-flavored oil.
- Toppings: Make these cookies more festive by topping them with crushed candy canes, sprinkles, or shaved chocolate before serving.
How to Make Easy Sourdough sugar Cookies
Mix the Dough
Step 1: Cream the butter and granulated sugar in a medium bowl using a mixer. Add the powdered sugar and oil, mixing for 1 to 2 minutes until creamy. Beat in the egg for another 1 to 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Finally, mix in the sour cream, extracts, and sourdough discard until combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
Step 2: To a separate small bowl, fluff together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture into liquid ingredients and mix together until a soft sugar cookie dough forms.
Long Fermenting Tip: For sourdough fermentation benefits, scoop the dough into balls and refrigerate for 24 to 72 hours before baking. This long fermentation time also gives them a more tangy flavor.
Scoop & Drop Cookie Dough
Step 3: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out the dough. Roll the dough into balls and set on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat to make about 24-26 cookie dough balls.
Step 4: Pour some granulated sugar into a bowl and oil the bottom of a small glass. Stick the bottom of the glass in the bowl to coat it with sugar. Press the sugared glass bottom on top of the cookie, flattening it. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
Bake The Sugar Cookies
Step 5: Bake the cookies on convection for about 8 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. If you choose not to use convection, bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Watch the cookies closely. You don’t want any of the edges or bottoms to burn.
It’s better to pull them out a minute or two early than have them bake too long. Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the pans and then remove them to a baking rack or parchment paper to cool completely before frosting them.
Convection Bake: I prefer baking these with convection at 325°F for 8 minutes to get slightly crisp edges and soft centers. If using a standard oven, bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
Prepare Frosting & Frost Drop style Cookies
Step 6: While the cookies bake, whip up the frosting. Make sure to use soft butter and whip, whip, whip. Frosting gets more creamy, the longer it whips. Use a stand mixer or ready your arm for a workout with a hand mixer.
Step 7: Once cooled, frost and decorate the cookies. They are perfect for gifting and can be made ahead of time. Enjoy them at room temperature or chilled for a delicious “melt-in-your-mouth” texture.
How to Store Leftover Sugar cookies
Freeze unfrosted cookies between parchment paper for up to two months. For frosted cookies, freeze in a single layer until firm before stacking in an airtight container. Thaw for a few hours before serving. Due to the sour cream frosting, do not leave them at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Amy’s Recipe Tip
Don’t Over-Flatten: When pressing the dough balls with your sugared glass, aim for a uniform thickness of about 3/4 inch. Pressing them too thin can cause the edges to become crispy or brittle rather than keeping that signature soft, tender center.
The Soft-Center Rule: Pull the cookies out of the oven before the edges brown. They will continue to firm up on the hot baking sheet during the 5-minute cooling period, which ensures they stay soft for days.
Sticky Dough Hack: Sourdough discard varies in moisture. If you use a runny discard, you may need to add more flour. If the dough feels too sticky, add a bit more flour or chill the bowl for 15 to 20 minutes to make it easier to handle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can use active, bubbly starter or discard interchangeably in this recipe. Since the starter isn’t the primary leavening agent (the baking soda and powder are), it won’t significantly change the rise.
No, but it is highly recommended! The almond extract provides that classic “bakery-style” sugar cookie flavor. If you prefer, you can swap it for extra vanilla or even lemon extract for a citrus flavor.
Absolutely. You can scoop the sourdough discard sugar cookie dough and refrigerate it for 24–72 hours (which also provides fermentation benefits). You can also freeze the baked, unfrosted cookies for two to three months.
Sour cream adds a subtle tang that cuts through the sweetness of the powdered sugar and creates a really delicious slightly tangy balance of flavors that I love. If you prefer a more traditional buttercream, use the buttercream from my cut and rolled sourdough sugar cookies.
This recipe was specifically tested with sourdough discard. To leave it out, increase the flour to 425 grams and leave out the sourdough discard.
Popular Sourdough Cookie Recipes
If you tried these No Roll Sourdough Sugar 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!
No Roll Sourdough Sugar Cookies
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Equipment
- mixer or hand mixer
- glass cup
Ingredients
Sourdough Sugar Cookies
- 113 grams unsalted butter, softened, about 1/2 cup
- 140 grams granulated sugar, about 2/3 cup
- 40 grams powdered sugar, about 1/3 cup
- 70 grams vegetable oil, about 1/3 cup
- 1 large egg, about 50 grams
- 20 grams sour cream, about 1 Tablespoon
- 2 grams vanilla extract, about 1/2 teaspoon
- 2 grams almond extract, about 1/2 teaspoon
- 70 grams sourdough discard, see recipe note
- 400 grams all purpose flour, about 3 cups
- 3 grams salt, about 1/2 teaspoon
- 1 gram baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon
- 1 gram baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon
- granulated sugar for pressing down cookies
Light and Fluffy Frosting
- 85 grams unsalted butter, softened, about 6 Tablespoons
- 20 grams sour cream, about 1 Tablespoon
- 2 grams vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon
- 2 grams almond extract, 1/2 teaspoon
- pinch of salt
- 350 grams powdered sugar, about 3 cups
- 10-30 grams heavy cream, see recipe note
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF degrees convection (or 350ºF non-convection). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer (you can also use a hand mixer), add the softened butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Mix until combined. Add the oil and mix. Add the egg and mix until very creamy–about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the sour cream, sourdough discard, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix until well combined. Set aside.
- To a small bowl, add the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Fluff together with a fork. Add the flour mixture to the bowl of creamed butter/sugar and mix until combined and no dry streaks remain. Don't over-mix. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
- Using a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough out of the bowl. Roll it into a ball and place the cookie dough ball on the baking sheet. Repeat with the other balls of dough.
- Lightly oil the bottom of a small glass cup by spraying with cooking spray or a neutral-flavored oil. This keeps the sugar sticking to the cookie and not the cup. Stick the bottom of the cup in granulated sugar and press down on each cookie, flattening them for easy baking.
- Bake the cookies for 8 minutes on 325ºF degree F convection bake. Bake for 10 minutes on regular 350ºF bake. Pull them out of the oven right before the edges of the cookies start to brown (this keeps them chewy). Remove the cookies from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack. Let the cookies cool completely before frosting with buttercream.
Buttercream Frosting
- Mix together softened butter with a hand mixer until light and fluffy (a couple of minutes). Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, almond extract and a pinch of salt. Whip together to combine. Add the powdered sugar and 10 grams of heavy cream and mix again. Continue mixing until the ingredients are well incorporated and the frosting is thick and creamy. Add a little extra heavy cream to thin out the frosting just a bit if it's too thick. You can also substitute milk instead of heavy cream if desired.
- Add food 1-2 drops of food coloring if desired, frost the cooled cookies and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello! I’m making these cookies for my nieces graduation, but I was wondering you could use a decorating icing instead? Would that take away from the flavor?
A decorating icing would be beautiful. There definitely is a different flavor with decorating icing vs. buttercream frosting, but it’s all about personal preference and what works with your vision. I hope they turn out great!
So good! Love that it’s not overly sweet like many sugar cookies are. Allows me to enjoy more than one! I’m also not an icing person, but this icing recipe is soooooo good!
I’m glad these cookies are the perfect level of sweet for you. Enjoy!
This recipe was so easy to follow and cookies were delicious!! Well done, Amy!
Thanks for your review!
can I use yogurt instead of sourcream?
That should work!
Very good flavor and we had fun decorating the cookies for Valentine’s Day 💕
Great! Thanks for the review and Happy Valentine’s Day!
These are absolutely amazing!! Every time I make them they don’t last long. This weekend I’m making these for work but I need a lot of them(300 people will be there) can I make the dough and put it in the fridge for a couple days before I bake?
You can do that. If I were making that many ahead of time, I would bake them and then freeze them once they cool down and before frosting. It’s easier to frost frozen cookies, and they will thaw and serve really well.
Have you tried this recipe with cookie cutters? I really want the best of both in the sugar cookie world lol
This is meant to be a no-roll recipe. I prefer this Sourdough Sugar Cookie Recipe for a cut out cookie recipe. Happy baking!
Can these be made with gluten free flour.?
It isn’t a gluten free recipe, so your cookies won’t have the same texture if you sub for gluten free flour. Also, if you are using sourdough discard made from flour then that wouldn’t make this gluten free either. With that said, you can certainly try and see if they turn out for you!
Can these be frozen right after pressing them flat with the bottom of the sugared glass?
I haven’t tried them that way, but I think they probably could! If you try it, let me know how they turn out!