These Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Blossoms are a great way to make a classic holiday cookie and use up some of your sourdough discard at the same time! It also adds a slight sourdough tang to the dough. Top them with your favorite Hershey's Kisses, and roll the dough in sprinkles for some extra holiday sparkle!
If you're looking for other holiday cookie recipes, check out these Chocolate Espresso Cookies, Molasses Marshmallow Stuffed Cookies, and these Chocolate Covered OREOs. And if you're making a holiday cookie box, you might want to try these Candied Orange Slices and Classic Vanilla Marshmallows!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- These cookies are easy to make and great for holiday baking with beginner bakers or kids!
- This recipe is a great way to use up some of your sourdough discard. You can also easily adapt this recipe to use active sourdough starter instead (see variations section below).
- Customize these cookies with your favorite toppings! Use your favorite Hershey's Kisses (milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or candy cane kisses are all fun options). You can also roll the dough in sprinkles (instead of granulated sugar) for some festive holiday flair!
- Keep in mind, these don't only have to be a Christmas cookie! You could do a version with pink sprinkles for Valentine's Day, green sprinkles for St. Patrick's Day, and more!
- You can use any kind of nut butter to make these Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Blossoms.
Ingredients
There are only a few key ingredients needed to make these Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Blossoms.
- Granulated sugar: You will use granulated sugar in the dough, but then also roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before baking.
- Light brown sugar: Light brown sugar helps give these cookies their classic color. You can use dark brown sugar as well if you prefer.
- Peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter works best for these cookies. You can also substitute for another nut butter of your choice.
- Sourdough discard: The sourdough discard should be unfed and at room temperature for this recipe. This recipe is designed for a sourdough starter with a 1:1 ratio (1 part flour, 1 part water). If your starter uses a different ratio, you may need to adjust some of the ingredients in this recipe.
- Hershey's Kisses: Choose your favorite! I like to Special Dark Hershey's Kisses, but this also works well with the classic Milk Chocolate Kisses or any of their seasonal varieties (such as Candy Cane Kisses).
- Sprinkles: These are optional (instead of rolling the dough in granulated sugar). They are a great way to customize your cookies! Small sprinkles like nonpareils work best.
See full recipe below for detailed directions.
Substitutions & Variations
This is a very adaptable recipe and below are a few easy substitutions and variations you can try.
- Use active sourdough starter - You can use active sourdough starter instead of sourdough discard in this recipe, if you prefer. This would be a 1:1 substitute.
- Use a different kind of chocolate - I use the Special Dark Chocolate Kisses for this recipe, but you can use any kind you like! Classic Milk Chocolate Kisses, or any of their seasonal varieties like Candy Cane Kisses.
- Roll the dough in sprinkles - The classic version of the recipe rolls the cookie dough in granulated sugar, but you can also roll it in sprinkles for a different bit of sparkle! Small sprinkles like nonpareils work especially well!
- Make a non-sourdough version - If you're looking for a similar but non-sourdough version of this cookie, check out my recipe for Peanut Butter Blossoms.
I have not tested this recipe with other variations, but if you do, let us know how it turns out in the comments! I always love to hear how you're adapting these recipes and use those as ideas for future recipes as well!
How to make Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Blossoms
There are a few easy steps to bring these holiday cookies together!
Combine sugars, butter, and all wet ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until smooth and combined.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until no dry spots remain.
Use a cookie scoop to divide the dough into 1 Tablespoonfuls, then roll each into a ball between your palms.
Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar (or sprinkles, if using) to coat, then place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until slightly golden.
Remove from the oven, and let sit for 2-3 minutes, then press a Hershey's Kiss in the center of each cookie while the cookie is still warm. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool fully.
Expert Baking Tips
- Cream together the softened butter and sugars. Make sure to mix these first to get the right texture with your dough.
- Let the cookies cool for 2-3 minutes before adding the Hershey's Kiss. This will help to keep the Hershey's Kiss from melting.
- The Hershey's Kiss will be soft for a while as the cookie cools. Keep this in mind if you're stacking cookies on a plate or packaging for a holiday cookie box!
- If you want to roll the dough in sprinkles (instead of granulated sugar), small sprinkles like nonpareils will work best!
Equipment
I like to make my cookie dough in a KitchenAid 5-Quart Stand Mixer, but this is optional. You can also make the dough in a large mixing bowl with a hand-held mixer. You will also need two baking sheets, a cooling rack, and I'd recommend a 1-Tablespoon cookie scoop.
kitchen essentials
My Favorite Baking Sheets
My favorite baking sheets for cookies, bagels, pretzels and more!
Storage
Room Temperature Storage: Store Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Blossoms in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. Make sure the cookies are fully cooled before transferring to the container.
Freezer Storage: Once the cookies are fully cooled (and the chocolate is hard), place them in a single layer in an airtight container. If needed, use a piece of parchment paper between layers of cookies. You can freeze them for up to 2 months. Before serving, let the cookies thaw to room temperature.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! Any Hershey's Kiss will work well. I've written the recipe using dark chocolate, but you could also use milk chocolate or any of the seasonal flavors (like Candy Cane Kisses!).
If you want to customize your cookies with sprinkles, roll the cookie dough in the sprinkles before baking (rather than rolling in granulated sugar). This works particularly well with small sprinkles like nonpareils.
Yes, you can use active sourdough starter instead of sourdough discard, if you like. To do so, make a 1:1 substitution.
This recipe is designed to be made with either sourdough discard or active sourdough starter. If you'd like a similar version of this recipe that doesn't use any sourdough, check out my recipe for Peanut Butter Blossoms.
Yes! This recipe will work with any kind of nut butter. It's best with creamy nut butter (rather than chunky). Keep in mind that different kinds of nut butter can have different consistencies, so this might affect the consistency of your dough. If needed, you can always add a little more flour (1 Tablespoon at a time) if your dough seems too sticky (wet).
Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Blossoms
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 133 grams (about ½ cup) sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Hershey's Kisses for topping
- Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment*, mix the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and softened butter. Add the peanut butter, sourdough discard, egg and vanilla extract, mixing on medium speed until smooth and combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until no dry spots remain.
- Use a cookie scoop to divide the dough into 1 Tablespoonfuls, then roll each into a ball between your palms. Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar (or sprinkles, if using) to coat, then place on a lightly greased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until slightly golden. Remove from the oven, and let sit for 2-3 minutes, then press a Hershey's Kiss in the center of each cookie while the cookie is still warm. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool fully.
Jessica Vogl says
The sourdough flavor to these cookies is so wonderful and always a fun twist!